Review: Tales of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – A bold and witty sequel to Mutant Mayhem

Tales of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brings back the fan-favorite turtles to the animated screen and is set in the universe of Mutant Mayhem, which was released back in 2023. Developed by Christopher Yost and Alan Wan, the series follows the turtles as they attempt to live their dual lives as heroes and teenagers in New York City.

Season 1 of the series saw the release of 12 episodes and features the following official synopsis:

“The Turtles, as teenagers, deal with their new life as heroes while also dealing with the pressures of going to high school in New York City.”

The series saw a range of voice actors reprising their roles from Mutant Mayhem and has been produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio. The series opened to largely positive reviews and has been praised for its plot, loyalty to the source material, and the kind of character growth it featured despite the return of the same characters.

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Tales of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: A review

The Paramount+ series has followed the recent trend of larger franchises being rebooted via animated offerings. Following the likes of Marvel’s X-Men ‘97 and Batman: The Caped Crusader, Ninja Turtles return to our screens with a familiar camaraderie.

The season opened with the separation of major characters, such as Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo, who were given their own journeys. While a clear risk in the sense that the fan-favorite characters have not been seen separated, the series delves into each turtles, giving them their own individual arcs that make complete sense.

That is the first thing that stands out with respect to Tales of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The series picks up where the characters were left off at the end of Mutant Mayhem, with the turtles now seen as heroes in New York City. However, they end up being ambushed by Bishop on a night out, who aims to destroy all mutants.

Pursued by mechazoids created by Bishop, the turtles are separated and must each fight the killer robots individually. While fans might initially be disappointed to see the iconic troupe being separated, it leads to individual journeys for the entire gang. Michelangelo is confronted with his responsibilities towards his brothers; Donatello struggles with self-doubt as he attempts to survive; while Leonardo learns how to lead without the presence of the other turtles.

Furthermore, the series itself adopts a familiar visual style, which was also seen in Mutant Mayhem, and features a simpler animation style that is both modern and nostalgic. The action sequences in the entirety of season 1 are dynamic and creative and proves to be an entertaining watch for both children and the characters’ older fans.

The series expertly expanded the narration and gave fans a canon from the Mutant Mayhem movie. Further, the series also has plenty of fan service, in the sense that the Ninja Turtles eventually reunite after their separate journeys and fight against Bishop as a unit.

Hence, featuring some truly well-created action, plenty of drama, and individual journeys at least initially with respect to the turtles, the series gave fans little reason to complain. Tales of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has opened to an IMDB rating of 7.4.

However, the series also boasts a 100% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes for the time being and appears to be a must-watch for fans of the overall franchise.

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Tales of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is streaming on Paramount+.