Binge Them Now: 20 Episodes of Nickelodeon’s Best TMNT Series Are Leaving Netflix

Heads up, shellheads: if you have been putting off a watch of Nickelodeon’s best Turtles series, the clock is about to run out.Rise of the TMNT is leaving Netflix ( well, Season 1 is)Season 1 of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is set to leave Netflix on June 1. Yes, just Season 1. It is a weirdly specific off-ramp, and no, there is no clear word on Season 2 in this move. Either way, if you want the origin stretch of this version before it vanishes, you are on the clock.Why Rise rules (and why its end still stings)Rise is Nickelodeon’s bold reinvention of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s iconic heroes, built around the brothers as actual early teens discovering their mystic ninja powers and, y’know, figuring out the whole saving-the-world-from-evil thing. It is faster, funnier, and lighter on its feet than most Turtles TV — a real reboot that somehow still feels like pure TMNT at its core. It clicked early, too: Nickelodeon renewed the show just one week after its 2018 premiere. Then the behind-the-scenes whiplash hit. Midway through producing Season 2, the episode order was cut from 26 to 13. The series was cancelled in 2020, capping it at 2 seasons and 39 episodes total. Fans were not quiet about it — the show was clearly ramping up and had long-term plans, so the abrupt stop felt like someone kicked the manhole cover shut right as things got spicy.The silver liningsTwo years after the cancellation, Netflix dropped a feature-length sequel, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie, on August 5, 2022. It works as a follow-up for fans and is standalone enough for newcomers to jump in without homework. And earlier this year, a new animated TMNT YouTube series was announced, which at least means fresh Turtle energy is still on the way.Nick’s broader TMNT play, for contextNickelodeon has been all-in on TMNT for years. The network launched its own CGI- animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles back in 2012. In 2023, Nick picked up the rights to stream the original 1987 series. And off the back of 2023’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, there is a newer animated spinoff series with a two-season order. All that said, Rise is, for my money, the crown jewel — which is why this Netflix exit stings a little extra.Rise timeline, quick and clean2018: Rise premieres on Nickelodeon and gets renewed one week later. During Season 2 production: Episode order cut from 26 to 13. 2020: Series cancelled, finishing at 2 seasons and 39 episodes total. Aug 5, 2022: Netflix releases the feature sequel movie. 2023: Nickelodeon secures rights to the original 1987 TMNT series. Recent: A two-season animated spinoff tied to Mutant Mayhem heads to streaming. June 1: Rise Season 1 leaves Netflix. If you want the full origin run there, watch now. Earlier this year: A new animated TMNT YouTube series is announced. Bottom line: if you have been meaning to see what made Rise special, now is the moment. Start with Season 1 on Netflix before it slips into the sewers.

Binge Them Now: 20 Episodes of Nickelodeon’s Best TMNT Series Are Leaving Netflix

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