“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” goes out on a high note with Season 10 (1996, CBS) despite the fact that a brand-new writer, Jeffrey Scott, pens these eight episodes. I should clarify: It goes out on a high note creatively. It goes out on a shockingly low note in terms of being watched by viewers and respected by CBS.
The lost season
As TMNT Entity’s Mark Pellegrini humorously outlines in detail in his Season 10 review at AIPT, CBS was so panicked about the low ratings for “TMNT” (and its entire cartoon block) that it scrambled for other programming, and put golf analysis on the air instead of four of the episodes. This wasn’t a case of breaking news or breaking sports; CBS was desperate to not have “TMNT” on the air.
Although the adult branch of “TMNT” was doing OK in 1996, as Image was in the heart of its Volume 3 run, kids (and adults who watch cartoons, a smaller cadre then than now) had bailed. Combine that with CBS not wanting to admit new “TMNT” episodes were being made, and even people who paid reasonably close attention thought Season 9 was the last season. “TMNT” cartoon creator David Wise perhaps still thought this was the case years later, as indicated in his 2014 interview with Michelle Ivey where he speaks of Season 9 as if it is the last season.
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” Season 10 (1996)
CBS, eight episodes
Episodes: “The Return of Dregg” (1), “The Beginning of the End” (2), “The Power of Three” (3), “A Turtle in Time” (4), “Turtles to the Second Power” (5), “Mobster from Dimension X” (6), “The Day the Earth Disappeared” (7), “Divide and Conquer” (8)
Producer: Fred Wolf
Writer: Jeffrey Scott
Some remarkably high-profile shows have dealt with pre-empted or temporarily “lost” episodes – “TMNT” 2003, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” multiple Joss Whedon shows – and “TMNT” 1987 (by some measurements the most popular cartoon ever) was not exempt.
Because these eight episodes form a linked narrative, it’s the worst possible season for “lost” episodes. In 2004, the Season 1 DVD included those four episodes as bonus features, so that was good for the folks who taped the four that did air and could now watch a coherent storyline (which is possibly no one at all).
YouTube started in 2005, and there was also VHS tape-sharing, but the typical fan saw Season 10 in its entirety upon the 2012 DVD release … a long enough wait for the Turtles to grow from babies to crime fighters, and (in the real world) for an entire other “TMNT” series to run! Jeez. (Admittedly, I was exempt from this nightmare because I didn’t care enough to watch Season 10 till now.)
Now back to our regularly scheduled program …
After two merely passable adventures — “The Return of Dregg” (1), notable for Dregg getting new sidekick Mung (Leo actor Cam Clarke), and “The Beginning of the End” (2) – Scott (best known for the hit toon “Muppet Babies”) delivers six episodes that are fast-paced, exciting and vibrantly animated.
An initially jarring downside is that Raphael actor Rob Paulsen is absent due to a contract dispute (and this is likely why Paulsen’s Hi-Tech is replaced by Mung as Dregg’s assistant). Michael Gough isn’t as good, of course, but I got used to him, and the Raph quips start to land again after a while. Clearly, Scott didn’t know how many episodes he would get to work on in advance, so “TMNT” Season 10 is one of those final bows that doesn’t know for sure it will be a final bow, but he handles it well.
It’s hard for a show like “TMNT” to feel like it has stakes, especially a decade into its run, but Scott pulls it off partly due to the sheer epic nature. “The Power of Three” (3), “A Turtle in Time” (4) and “Turtles to the Second Power” (5) are essentially one big episode, with “To be continued” and “Previously on” bumpers.
Big schemes and action
The trilogy features the return of time-travel helpers Landor and Merrik, Dregg’s recruitment of Shredder and Krang (who work against him, in their high point as an assertive villain duo), and Dregg’s draining of the Turtles’ energy and Krang’s brain power for his own use. It’s all within the alien’s scheme to either take over the Earth or – failing that – transport pieces of the sun to the biggest cities, destroying the planet.
The trilogy is capped by Landor and Merrik bringing the Season 8 Turtles to present day (in a sort of mini “Turtles Forever”), resulting in amazing scenes of eight Turtles in single shots. All the quippage and wild action you’d hope for is in place, and – although I rank Season 9 slightly higher overall — “Turtles to the Second Power” might be the series’ high point in terms of genuinely engaging action-adventure.
Perhaps Scott was dealing with the danger of “TMNT” going from under-aired to outright canceled at any moment, because after that, Dregg’s schemes are more like one-offs. But nonetheless, the progression to the end is satisfying. First, we get another “Batman” knockoff – like Season 9’s “Split-Second” – as the Globfather in “Mobster from Dimension X” (6) is a lot like Clayface.
“The Day the Earth Disappeared” (7) gets close to the trilogy’s level of stakes and thrills, combined with impressive portal effects, although it’s more confusing. Dregg intends to pull the Earth into Dimension X and then a black hole, although it sometimes seems like he hasn’t totally given up on the idea of ruling the planet.
Series finale “Divide and Conquer” (8) moves things back to the personal level of Dregg versus the Turtles; indeed, the previously submissive Mung yells at Dregg that he’s gone crazy with vengeance. It’s a good mano-a-mano battle as Dregg powers up with a new twist on his energy-stealing scheme. This time he totally absorbs the essences of five Dimension X baddies. The animation is excellent as Dregg recruits these baddies in a Dimension X bar, calling to mind the early D’Hoonib and Triceraton homeworld issues of Mirage.
Graduation day
It ends with Splinter telling the Turtles they are now his equals, and indeed, the Season 10 action is wild enough to legitimize that. That’s followed by a vintage lame joke about Donnie’s bad cooking; I give “TMNT” a chef’s kiss for that grace note.
If one looks closely, Season 10 has missteps. In the first couple episodes, the Turtles’ mutations are out of control; their third-stage mutations are mindless hulks, a strength upgrade and intelligence downgrade from their amusing stage two forms of Season 9. Donnie sets everything right with a DNA ray of some sort, but Dregg notes that he can still manipulate Leo’s DNA at his will. That plot point never returns.
Carter (Bumper Robinson, who went on to become a prolific voice actor) leaves the show after the trilogy to go off to college, and that seems sudden. Perhaps he would’ve returned had the show continued. Although Carter can be put in the category with “Brady Bunch’s” Cousin Oliver – a late-series character who joins our familiar group – I ended up liking him. He has a good rapport with the Turtles and meshes well with these big adventures.
One could go further with the nitpicks. Season 10 is loaded with space and Dimension X yarns, so why all the generic new creatures? Why not Triceratons or Fugitoid, etc.? In the Red Sky seasons (8-10), “TMNT” spends more money per episode (judging by the top-shelf animation) yet cuts the Playmates toy tie-ins to almost zero. That seems like an odd choice.
Seasons 8-10, especially the latter two, achieve their aim of making “TMNT” more adventurous and less goofy, while retaining the overall spirit of fun. I’m not saying they’re on the level of “Batman: The Animated Series” or “X-Men,” but they get in that ballpark. If you get through the first seven seasons of “TMNT,” they feel like a reward for that achievement.