My TV Show Review on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012)
- May 5, 2018
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 27, 2025
Hey, what’s up, guys. This is Austin Adams, back on the line with another review all ready for reading. Only this time, I will be making my first tv show review by reviewing the 2012 version of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”.
The series follows the adventures of four teenaged turtles, Leonardo (played by Jason Biggs from Seasons 1-2, Dominic Catrombone for seven final episodes of Season 2, Seth Green from Seasons 3-5), Donatello (played by Rob Paulsen), Raphael (played by Sean Astin), and Michelangelo (played by Greg Cipes), who were mutated into mutants by a substance called Mutagen, and trained by their sewer rat father/teacher, Master Splinter (played by Hoon Lee), who used to be a human from Japan. With the help of their friends and allies, such as April O’ Neil (Mae Whitman), they must protect their world from an alien race known as the Kraang, and a ninja warrior clan called the Foot, lead by a tyrannical leader by the name of the Shredder (played by Kevin Michael Richardson).
I would like to start off by saying this: This show is the best adaption of the Turtles franchise I’ve ever seen! Perhaps even the best one yet!
The animation that the show had was top-of-the-line awesome! It had this look and feel like it was a comic book on television, while at the same time, giving audiences the feeling that it’s much more than your run-of-the-mill kids show.
Each character featured in the series was unique, because they all have a story that gives them purpose and background. They were so three-dimensional, in that the emotions, expressions, and thoughts everyone had were so convincing.
The people picked for each character in the show, recurring or minor, were perfect for their parts, like the roles were meant for them. Aided by some outstanding voice directing, the cast made their voice acting some of the most natural and realistic I’ve ever heard. They carry with them such great emotion & commitment too, and they gave their characters such great and noticeable lines.
The writing done for the series was really smart and clever. I love how with an entire season, or with just around five to thirteen episodes, the episodes would get orchestrated to form one big story, which is awesome, and I thought it was something that a big-screen movie couldn’t do. The stories can be very dark, thrilling, and dramatic, but there’s some great comedy to help ease the tension in yourself and the show. An A+ on the action too, because it was definitely action-packed to the point of excitement.
The music that was composed by Sebastian Evans was really groundbreaking, probably some of the best I’ve ever seen in a tv show. Every episode had music that was genuine for every moment, and the rhythm of the series’ music fit the show like a glove. My favorite, of course, comes from his work on the theme song of the show, especially from Seasons 1-4:
(TMNT Theme Song. Season 1 Version)
Mr. Evans, if you see this review, I would like for you to know that I would love to see your musical career be taken to larger heights. You should totally compose for feature films someday.
I will note that unfortunately, the show isn’t without some negatives.
The drama that the series had was great, but, it seemed to get too intense at times.
A great many of the mutants I’m afraid also seem too scary for younger audiences, which is a reason why I recommend the show as something more for adults and teens.
And lastly, there are some certain ideologies that likely won’t be very agreeable to people, especially ones who are of religion.
The most notable of things for Christians are that in the show’s world, man wasn’t created in God’s image. They were instead experiments of the Kraang as part of their conquest to create a world suitable for themselves. In addition, there’s no Heaven or Hell, but some other kind of afterlife where people both good and bad go after they die. Monsters, like Bigfoot and Dracula, actually exist in the world they live in. Finally, things seem to follow in the beliefs of evolution, but the show staff does also twist things up to help it be science fiction, which is nice and helped things be fun.
Despite these setbacks, in the end, the show is a must-watch for all people, particularly 13 and up.
So, I rate the 2012 adaption of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” four out of five stars. The rating being because of the negatives I mentioned.
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