Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012 TV series) (season 1)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (season 1)
DVD cover for "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" Season 1.
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	26
Release
Original network	Nickelodeon
Original release	September 29, 2012 – August 8, 2013

The first season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles aired on Nickelodeon from September 29, 2012 to August 8, 2013. The season introduces the four turtles Leonardo (voiced by Jason Biggs),^[1] Donatello (voiced by Rob Paulsen),^[1] Raphael (voiced by Sean Astin)^[1] and Michelangelo (voiced by Greg Cipes).^[1]

Production

On October 21, 2009, a press release was made indicating that Viacom had bought the complete rights of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise from Peter Laird for $60 million. Viacom would be developing a CGI animated TV series for its Nickelodeon family of channels for broadcast in 2012. A feature film was released by Paramount Pictures, which is also a division of Viacom in 2014.^[2]

Jason Biggs voices Leonardo and Rob Paulsen voices Donatello.^[3] In June 2011, it was confirmed that Sean Astin is playing Raphael and Greg Cipes is Michelangelo.^[4] In August 2011, it was revealed that Mae Whitman would be the voice for April O'Neil.^[5] In April 2012, it was announced that Phil LaMarr would be playing the role of Baxter Stockman and Nolan North would be playing a race of aliens known as the Kraang,^[6][7] while Roseanne Barr was confirmed to voice their leader, Kraang Prime.^[8] Actress Kelly Hu confirmed her role as Karai in May 2012.^[9]

Production art was leaked on the Nickelodeon website before it was taken down. The images showed the designs of all four Turtles, Shredder, Splinter, a teenage April O'Neil and the Kraang, an alien race that combines elements of both Krang and the Utroms.^[10] A trailer for the series was released on June 21, 2012, on Nickelodeon USA.^[11]

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date [12]	Prod. code [12]	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	1	"Rise of the Turtles" (Part 1)	Michael Chang	Joshua Sternin & J.R. Ventimilia	September 29, 2012	101	3.92[13]
On the Turtles' first trip to the surface, they witness April O'Neil and her father, Kirby, get abducted by the Kraang. Donnie convinces the others that it is their duty to rescue the O'Neils.
2	2	"Rise of the Turtles" (Part 2)	Alan Wan	Joshua Sternin & J.R. Ventimilia	September 29, 2012	102	3.92[13]
The Turtles find out where the O'Neils are being held and infiltrate their hideout even if it means battling the giant plant mutant Snakeweed.[14]
3	3	"Turtle Temper"	Alan Wan	Jeremy Shipp	October 6, 2012	103	3.25[15]
During a fight with the Kraang, Raph loses his temper when he is insulted by a caustic New Yorker named Vic, who videotaped the Turtles and threatens to expose them to the world. When three of the Ninja Turtles try to rescue Vic from the Kraang, the Turtles' attempt to rescue him and get rid of the footage goes horribly wrong when Vic is mutated into the mutant spider named "Spider Bytez",[14] who then beats up the Turtles easily. Raph then learns to control his temper and defeats Spider Bytez despite his harsh insults.
4	4	"New Friend, Old Enemy"	Juan Jose Meza-Leon	Joshua Hamilton	October 13, 2012	104	2.80[16]
To prove that Turtles can be friends with humans, Mikey uses a social networking site to befriend Chris Bradford, a famous martial artist who is secretly Shredder's most promising pupil.
5	5	"I Think His Name is Baxter Stockman"	Michael Chang & Ciro Nieli	Joshua Sternin & J.R. Ventimilia	October 20, 2012	105	3.40[17]
Splinter grounds the Turtles for a week when Mikey was skateboarding in the lair. When the Turtles sneak out against Splinter's orders, they loose their new T-Pod (which has a military intelligence chip) and now must retrieve it from Baxter Stockman, a former TCRI inventor who uses it to upgrade his new armor in revenge on his old company for firing him for an incident with spilled copier toner.
6	6	"Metalhead"	Juan Jose Meza-Leon	Tom Alvarado	October 27, 2012	106	3.61[18]
Weary of using his simple wooden bō to fight the technologically-advanced Kraang, Donnie creates Metalhead, a remote-controlled robot turtle reverse-engineered from Kraang technology, to fight in his place. When Metalhead malfunctions and falls under the control of the Kraang, Donnie must find a way to stop his invention.
7	7	"Monkey Brains"	Alan Wan	Russ Carney & Ron Corcillo	November 3, 2012	107	3.69[19]
After teaming up to investigate the disappearance of local British neurochemist, Dr. Tyler Rockwell, April and Donnie encounter a British bizarre psychic mutant monkey. They come to realize that that the monkey is actually Rockwell, whose was used in an experiment involving mutagen and monkey DNA by his colleague, Dr. Victor Falco.
8	8	"Never Say Xever"	Michael Chang	Kenny Byerly	November 10, 2012	108	2.92[20]
Following a fight with the Purple Dragons at a noodle shop, Leo fears his act of mercy has come back to haunt him when Shredder sends his Foot Clan after the Turtles again, with Xever Montes, a Brazilian street thug who he freed from prison and trained as his street contact, in charge. Things get worse when Montes holds the noodle shop's blind owner, Mr. Murakami, hostage.
9	9	"The Gauntlet" "Enter Shredder"	Juan Jose Meza-Leon	Joshua Sternin & J.R. Ventimilia	November 17, 2012	109	2.80[21]
After April receives a warning from her imprisoned father which arrived on a pigeon mutant named Pete, she and the Turtles embark on a mission to save him and stop the Kraang from detonating a mutagen bomb in the city. But the Turtles aren't prepared for anything when the Shredder makes his move on them and an accident that involved the mutagen inside the bomb turning Bradford and Xever into the akita and snakehead mutants "Dogpound and Fishface".
10	10	"Panic in the Sewers" "Mojo Rising"	Alan Wan	Jeremy Shipp	November 24, 2012	110	2.92[22]
Following a nightmare involving Shredder defeating the Turtles, Splinter ends up putting the Ninja Turtles in training 24/7. The Ninja Turtles soon defend their home in the sewers when Shredder orders Dogpound and the Purple Dragons to destroy it with chlorosulfonic acid (an extremely dangerous chemical that reacts violently to water).
11	11	"Mousers Attack!" "Mouserthon"	Michael Chang	Kenny Byerly	December 8, 2012	111	3.37[23]
The Purple Dragons mug April in order to steal her phone. Simultaneous threats from the Purple Dragons and from Stockman's mechanical MOUSERS force the Turtles to split into 2 groups: Leo and Raph and Donnie and Mikey.
12	12	"It Came From the Depths" "Leatherhead"	Juan Jose Meza-Leon	Russ Carney & Ron Corcillo	December 15, 2012	112	3.46[24]
After the Turtles rescue an anger-prone American alligator mutant from the Kraang, Mikey nurses him back to health and befriends him. The Turtles learn that the alligator, Leatherhead, has the Kraang's power cell, which must never be returned to them.
13	13	"I, Monster" "Rat Trap"	Michael Chang	Jase Ricci	January 25, 2013	114	2.61[25]
The Turtles must save the city and Splinter's mind from Dr. Victor Falco who is now the terrifying Rat King.
14	14	"New Girl In Town"	Alan Wan	Jeremy Shipp	February 1, 2013	113	2.33[26]
Snakeweed returns and begins abducting people. Tired of Raphael's constant criticism while trying to stop Snakeweed, Leonardo lets Raphael try his hand at leadership. While away from the group, Leonardo meets a female Foot Ninja named Karai, who tries to lure him to the dark side.
15	15	"The Alien Agenda"	Juan Jose Meza-Leon	Kenny Byerly	February 8, 2013	115	2.42[27]
Leo and Raph fight over whether or not they can trust Karai. The Turtles get their first look at high school when April's school project draws attention from the Kraang. Karai learns about the existence of the Kraang and tries to tell Shredder, but he is uninterested. Karai then follows the turtles into a Kraang research facility, where she is found by Raph, which ultimately leads to a battle between the Kraang and the Turtles.
16	16	"The Pulverizer"	Alan Wan	Russ Carney & Ron Corcillo	February 15, 2013	116	2.55[28]
Donatello converts Leatherhead's subway car into a battle van, which Mikey names the Shellraiser. While taking the Shellraiser for a test drive, the Turtles meet their first fan, a teenager dressed up to fight crime as "The Pulverizer", who turns out to be a lazy teenage boy with no self defense skills whatsoever. But meanwhile, Stockman perfects a pair of cybernetic legs for Fishface using stolen Kraang technology, and the Kraang search for their lost power cell.
17	17	"TCRI"	Michael Chang	Joshua Sternin & J.R. Ventimilia	March 1, 2013	117	2.15[29]
While breaking into the hostile environment of TCRI headquarters upon being told of its location by Leatherhead, the Turtles discover the true intent of the Kraang: to open a portal to Dimension X and begin an all-out invasion. The Turtles resolve to stop them – even if they end up having to fight the rock monster Traag. During the fight, Michelangelo finds a Kraang Data Storage Device. Donatello de-codes the device and discovers that the Kraang are after April.
18	18	"Cockroach Terminator"	Juan Jose Meza-Leon	Jeremy Shipp	March 15, 2013	118	2.19[30]
Donatello creates a "spyroach" to spy on the Kraang in TCRI. They learn that the Kraang are planning on drilling into the Earth's core. Then, the spyroach becomes accidentally mutated. When the Turtles find the Spyroach, they find out that it is targeting Raphael, because he tried to destroy the spyroach earlier, since he is afraid of cockroaches.
19	19	"Baxter's Gambit"	Alan Wan	Jase Ricci	April 5, 2013	119	2.30[31]
Following a three-way fight between the Turtles, the Foot, and the Kraang, Stockman convinces Shredder to let him use a foolproof plan. Unbeknownst to them, his true intentions with the plan involve seeking revenge on the Turtles (who have been foiling his plans) and Dogpound and Fishface (who have been abusing and threatening him) by luring them all into a deadly labyrinth called the Maze of Doom. Now the Turtles, Dogpound, and Fishface must form a temporary truce to get out of the Maze of Doom alive. Meanwhile, Splinter works to find the right weapon for April as she learns more about Splinter's past.
20	20	"Enemy of My Enemy"	Michael Chang	Kenny Byerly	April 12, 2013	120	2.31[32]
When a Kraang invasion scheme threatens to destroy the Turtles and put the whole world in danger, Karai offers an alliance with the Turtles. After declining Karai's offer, the Turtles eventually decide that teaming up with Karai might be a good idea when Karai mentions weapons that are being shipped to the Shredder that she could steal. However, when the Turtles plan on destroying the Shredder once and for all, Karai's loyalty to the Turtles vanishes and now the Turtles must deal with Shredder and Karai as well as the Kraang.
21	21	"Karai's Vendetta"	Juan Jose Meza-Leon & Sebastian Montes	Russ Carney & Ron Corcillo	April 27, 2013	121	3.05[33]
After the Turtles discover a Kraang plot to turn Earth's water into Kraang water, they infiltrate an undersea Kraang base guarded by a sea creature from Dimension X. Shredder interrogates a captured Kraang droid and learns that April is not only an ally of the Turtles, but the key to the Kraang's ability to take over Earth, so Shredder sends Karai to capture her. April is skilled at evading Karai, but when cornered, she is terrible at fighting and is beaten up, but manages to escape by using a lesson that she learned from Splinter when Karai shows sympathy for her.
22	22	"The Pulverizer Returns!"	Alan Wan	Jeremy Shipp	May 11, 2013	123	2.78[34]
Splinter has the Turtles switch weapons (Leo gets Donnie's bo staff, Donnie gets Raph's sai, Raph gets Mikey's nunchucks and Mikey gets Leo's swords) and having them use whatever is nearby as makeshift weapons in combat. Meanwhile, Shredder learns about the mutagen from the captive Kraang operative where he states that the mutagen has unpredictable results. When Shredder plans to create an army of mutants, the Turtles must rely on the help of the Pulverizer (who was recruited into the Foot) who volunteers to gather information on the inside on their behalf. When he carelessly agrees to be a test subject for a stolen supply of mutagen, the Turtles attempt to rescue him.
23	23	"Parasitica"	Michael Chang	Pete Goldfinger	July 20, 2013	122	2.19[35]
While investigating a destroyed Kraang hideout, the Turtles are attacked by a giant mutant wasp, which stings Leo. After the wasp dies they find an egg, which Leo says should be brought back to the lair. That night, Raph tries to destroy the egg but Leo, who is under the influence of the wasp's toxin, is determined to protect the egg. Leo bites Raph, infecting him as well. Mikey and Donnie attempt to cure them, although Donnie gets infected before he can finish the antidote. Donnie instructs Mikey on how to prepare the cure before succumbing to the infection and biting him. Mikey finishes the antidote and administers the cure to his brothers just as the egg hatches. Mikey then kills the newborn wasps with the Shellraiser's cannon.
24	24	"Operation: Break Out"	Michael Chang	Jase Ricci	July 27, 2013	124	2.15[36]
In an attempt to impress April, Donatello breaks into a secret Kraang detention center alone in order to rescue Kirby O'Neil. He manages to rescue Kirby, although they end up trapped in the detention center with a deadly prisoner called the Newtralizer. Meanwhile, April is hearing sounds that even Splinter can't. The Turtles successfully escape the Newtralizer and bring Kirby to their lair, where he re-unites with his daughter, although they are unaware of the fact that Kirby has fallen under the Kraang's control.
25	25	"Showdown" (Part 1)	Juan Jose Meza-Leon & Sebastian Montes	Joshua Sternin & J.R. Ventimilia	August 8, 2013	125	3.14[37]
After learning that the Kraang are planning an invasion, The Turtles engage in a difficult battle as they make a desperate assault on TCRI to shut down the Kraang's portal before it summons the Technodrome, and in order to save April whom the Kraang managed to capture with the help of Shredder. They destroy TCRI, but not before the Technodrome comes through the portal.
26	26	"Showdown" (Part 2)	Alan Wan	Joshua Sternin & J.R. Ventimilia	August 8, 2013	126	3.14[37]
The Turtles must infiltrate the Technodrome in order to save April. Meanwhile, Splinter faces off against Shredder after defeating Dogpound and Fishface. When he recognizes Karai as his long-lost daughter Miwa (whom Shredder had told that Splinter killed her mother), Splinter retreats in sorrow. Back at the Technodrome, the Turtles must get through Kraang Prime to get to April before Kraang Prime can abduct some human specimens.

References

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