5 out of 5

Developed by: Ciro Nieli, Joshua Sternin, J.R. Ventimilia

The original Fred Wolf cartoons were undoubtedly what sold most of us lifetime Turtles fans on the gig, and I felt the 2003 edition had a great first season and maintained a mostly fun sense of creativity throughout.  Meanwhile, in comics, beyond the original classic Eastman / Laird run, you had a mish-mash of stuff going on in the Mirage world, some Archie comics that slowly grew into something unexpectedly awesome, an Image series that reeked of the 90s, and the early 2000 Mirage return that certainly had its highlights… but all of these bits and pieces were just that: bits and pieces.  With the 2012 resurgence of the show, thanks to Nick, and the comic – thanks to Eastman and IDW – we’ve been able to enjoy a couple solid years of a true Turtles renaissance, with amazing quality consistently displayed on both fronts.  So I’m setting the stage for my nigh all-out love of this cartoon, and putting into reference the minor nits I may have.

Still, I was a little cautious when season 1 started.  Some interesting big names to the cast seemed questionable – Sean Astin, Jason Biggs – but then they went on and tossed the awesome (and classic) Rob Paulsen in, so there seemed to be some fan appreciation already in play there.  Then the opening credits – I cracked a smile when Leo made a cool face to the hip-hop lite, but when the boys posed in the classic issue #1 stance, I knew that something positive was afoot.  And on the whole, the show fulfilled that promise – and often surpassed it, with ridiculously creative gags balancing out the expected filler and silly eps, especially now into season 2, where they stretch for some truly out-there bits like ice cream kitty and then some ‘what era is this?’ throwbacks like a full-on Fantasia reference.  And this is really the icing on top of the best part of the new Turtles world, which is the relatively stable storytelling.  It’s a kid series, so we get our share of throwaway villains, but the new continuity for Splinter, Shredder, April and Casey – and that all of the teens have truly been written as teens this time around – has impressed with its maturity and inventiveness; as the 2K series initially did, there’s a sense that our characters can actually be affected by the going-ons, and won’t just say g’bye to fight another day.  (or at least it’s scripted well enough to distract me from that)  I left Kraang out of that list because it / they deserve a special mention: the Nick writers have skewed the Kraang more toward the original take, but there’s been a drastic overhaul of their representation that’s been one of the most fun parts of the show.  The third-person dialogue gives me endless giggles.

Design wise, all of the characters look and move wonderfully, and the fight scenes are generally choreographed believably (relative to our world), clearly, and excitingly.  The early bad guys and backgrounds felt rather bland and simplistic – the latter were notably empty in early episodes – but as the world has grown and, perhaps, as more money has been invested in the series or as our designers have gotten more comfortable with the ‘language’ of the show, both have definitely improved.  The outside world continues to feel fairly empty, though.  Along with actually keeping the age of the boys in check, the series has remained respectably rigid with allowing them to hit the surface mostly at night, but still, this is New York – there should be people out and there rarely are.  So it’d be nice to have that one aspect of realism upped a bit.  And I’ve never quite felt like the anime-inspired reactions have fit the show.  Besides the update to CG being a consequence of this era, that seems like the most obvious detail that will be dated when viewed later on.

Nits done.  And you know, none of this detracts from the most important point: that I have looked forward to watching this every single week.  The original show can be a chore, and the 2003 series eventually evolved into something similar in tone, just with gruffer voice actors.  But TMNT 2012 has been rewarding on all fronts, as a fan, and as an adult viewer.  While none of us, at this point, are quite sure what to expect with this era’s upcoming film offering, I don’t feel like a stubborn fan holding on anymore – I feel like I’m reaping the benefits of never doubting in the adaptability of this franchise.

Also: Jeffrey Combs, Rat King.  That’s 5 out of 5 on its own.