Paramount+ is adding the first two seasons of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to its platform.
After being stuck in streaming limbo for years, the “Heroes in a Half Shell” can now be found in a number of different places. Earlier this month, the show went live on Pluto TV and YouTube, and will be available on demand at Paramount+ starting September 19, according to a post on the official Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X (formerly Twitter) account yesterday.
The crime-fighting turtles have been a staple of cartoon channels since its debut in 1987. Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, creators of the comic books, along with Fred Wolf Films, brought the turtles to living rooms and in turn, created a multi-billion-dollar franchise. The series covers the adventures of four turtles who gain extraordinary abilities after being doused in a radioactive substance.
Under the guidance of Master Splinter, a rat sensei, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo take on Shredder and his dreaded Foot Clan, who seek to command New York City’s underground crime rings. Along with reporter April O’Neil and sports enthusiast-turned-vigilante Casey Jones, the team thwarts Shredder’s attempts to wreak havoc on the city.
The series first aired as a five-part miniseries before beginning a lengthy seven-season run that went from 1988 to 1996, with the early seasons focusing on who was responsible for the turtles and Splinter’s transformation.
The Ninja Turtles became one of television’s most popular animated series. The original series was monumental to the ever-expanding franchise that continues to pump out new shows, films, action figures, comic books, and even its own breakfast cereals for nearly four decades.
Although Pluto TV launched a Totally Turtles channel this summer, users can’t watch the series on demand. Paramount+ members can choose when they want to watch and which episodes. Paramount+ also hosts the 2002 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,
The re-emergence of the classic comes after the newest movie in the franchise, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, came out in theaters on August 2. The film has been another box-office hit for the franchise grossing $119 worldwide. A sequel series is in the works and will debut on Paramount+, a date which has yet to be set.
You need a Paramount+ membership to watch, which costs $5.99 per month for the ad-supported Essentials plan. For $11.99 per month, you can upgrade to Paramount+ with Showtime without ads sans live television, such as sports.