Paramount+’s 100% RT Franchise Spinoff Just Returned for a Second Season (But There’s Bad News for Fans)

The Paramount+ original content catalog has some heavy hitters. From Landman to Criminal Minds: Evolution, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and more, the streamer has consistently released some great original shows, and one of the best finally has new episodes to stream. Paramount+ just brought back its 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic-rated series spinoff of a decades-old franchise for a new season, but there’s some disappointing news for fans.

All 12 episodes of Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Season 2 started streaming on Paramount+ on December 12th. The series serves as a spinoff of 2023’s Mutant Mayhem and centers around the teenage Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo as they navigate their new life as heroes while also dealing with regular high school life in New York City. Unfortunately, Season 2 is the last for the show, making it one of the shortest-lived TMNT animated shows ever.

Why Is Paramount+’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Series Ending After 2 Seasons?

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Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a breakout hit for Paramount+ when it debuted in 2024, quickly achieving critical acclaim and strong fan reception. Scoring a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes in its debut season (reviews for Season 2 haven’t yet rolled in), the series was described by CBR’s Sayantan Gayen as “the turtles’ most literal and comics-accurate adaptation yet” and “a terrific follow-up that expands the world and sees the four boys grow as individuals” by Collider’s Michael Thomas. Critics praised the nostalgic yet modern 2D animation style, the way the series expanded the lore, and its focus on each individual Turtle rather than a group dynamic.

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Nickelodeon’s New Cancellation Follows Unfortunate Trend for This Classic Franchise

Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is, simply put, a really good show that both longtime fans and newcomers to the franchise will enjoy, which makes its cancellation after just two seasons especially confounding. Paramount didn’t specify a reason for the decision, but the easiest explanation boils down to the fact that the show accomplished exactly what it set out to achieve: bridge the gap between the movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and its upcoming sequel. On a larger scale, it’s likely that the show fell victim to the Skydance Media and Paramount Global merger, which led to the consolidation of Paramount’s linear TV networks into a TV Media division overseen by George Cheeks, including both Nickelodeon and Nickelodeon Animation Studios.

What’s Next for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Franchise?

Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles coming to an end after such a short run is sad news for fans, but there are plenty of other TMNT projects to get excited about. In addition to the upcoming Mutant Mayhem 2, which is set for release on September 17, 2027, there are several other movies currently in the works. Paramount is developing a new live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, which will mark the first live-action TMNT film since 2016’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. A live-action/CG animation hybrid project titled The Last Ronin was also confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter in April 2024, but the R-rated project has reportedly been put on pause for the time being.

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