Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation



Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation is a television show that ran from 1997 - 1998 on Fox Kids. It was produced by Saban Entertainment. The Turtles made a special appearance on Power Rangers: In Space, Shell Shocked. This proves that Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers share the same universe.

The series was supposed to follow the 1987 cartoon series, but that wasn't the case. It follows the events of the first three films.

A fifth turtle, Venus de Milo was added to the team. Also introduced was an army of humanoid dragons called "The Rank" led by the Dragonlord.

The show never caught on and was canceled after one season of 26 episodes. There were plans for an animated 3rd season, but they never materialized. The events of the show aren't considered "canon."

April O' Neil and Casey Jones were gonna appear in the 3rd season while it was Unproduced, but they were absent. Some Villains such as: "Krang" and "Rocksteady and Bebop" did not appear in the series either.

Episodes can be veiwed here.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

 * Leonardo
 * Donatello
 * '''Raphael
 * Michelangelo
 * Mei Pieh Chi/Venus de Milo

Allies

 * Master Splinter
 * Chung I
 * Andre

Villains

 * Dragonlord
 * Silver
 * Shredder
 * Dr Quease
 * Bonesteel
 * Wick
 * VamMi
 * Bing
 * Chi Chu

Venus de Milo
The most interesting contribution the show made to the Turtle's mythos is a fifth turtle, Venus de Milo. Venus, a female, is shown as being an adept of the mystic arts of the Shinobi. Her fighting style sometimes resembles Kung Fu more than Ninjutsu. Venus is a controversial character and many fans didn't like her.

At the time, many fans believed that Venus was created by Fox and Eastman and Laird were forced to use her. Others say that Kevin Eastman created the character because he has a positive opinion of her. Either way, Peter Laird does not like Venus and removed her profile from the official site, but it has since been restored.

Tidbits
This series featured two vehicles; a jeep & a motorcycle. Mikey drove the jeep while Raph drove the motorcycle.

On the closing credits (and a promo ad for the series), you'll see TMNT playing as a band (Raph & Leo; guitars, Don; bass & Mikey; drums).