Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation

Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation (abbreviated to NT:TNM) or Saban's Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation is a live-action 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: in the episode Shell Shocked but were first introduced at the end of the episode Save Our Ship. The short-lived series was based loosely from Mirage Studios' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Allies

 * Splinter
 * Chung I

Villains

 * Shredder
 * Dragon Lord
 * Wick
 * Rank Lieutenant
 * Dr. Cornelius Quease
 * Silver
 * Monkey Thief Mick
 * Monkey Thief Dick
 * Vam-Mi
 * Bing
 * Chi Chu
 * Simon Bonesteel

Episodes

 * East Meets West, Part 1"
 * "East Meets West, Part 2"
 * "East Meets West, Part 3"
 * "East Meets West, Part 4"
 * "East Meets West, Part 5"
 * "The Staff of Bu-Ki"
 * "All in the Family"
 * "Silver and Gold"
 * "Turtles' Night Out"
 * "Meet Dr. Quease"
 * "Truce or Consequences"
 * "Unchain My Heart, Part 1"
 * "Unchain My Heart, Part 2"
 * "Unchain My Heart, Part 3"
 * "Unchain My Heart, Part 4"
 * "Mutant Reflections"
 * "King Wick"
 * "Like Brothers"
 * "Going Ape"
 * "Trusting Dr. Quease"
 * "The Good Dragon"
 * "Sewer Crash"
 * "Enemy of My Enemy"
 * "Who Needs Her"

Power Rangers crossover
Outside of The Next Mutation, the Turtles also guest-starred alongside the Power Rangers in [[Power Rangers in Space. The end of the episode "Save Our Ship" leads directly into "Shell Shocked," where the Turtles are summoned and brainwashed by Astronema to fight the Rangers. Her control over them is later broken, and they team-up with the Space Rangers to battle Astronema's forces. Before returning to New York, the Turtles have one request from the Rangers: space surfing on the Galaxy Gliders.

Trivia

 * The series introduced many new elements to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles saga, including new central antagonists, an army of humanoid dragons known as "The Rank" led by the vicious Dragonlord. It was touted (in some of the promotional material) as a continuation of the 1987 TV series, but by the period of time it aired it turned apparent that this was not the case. Instead, the series apparently followed the continuity of the live-action films. The Turtles lived in the same abandoned train station featured in the second and third films, and Splinter's ear is slashed as it was in the original film. However, most fans tend to regard the films and the series as two separate entities, citing differing styles, The Shredder being alive (and no longer Super Shredder), the absence of April O'Neil and Casey Jones.
 * The most prominent new element was the inclusion of a female mutant turtle called Venus de Milo; named after the famous statue. Other notable differences were found in the Turtles' weapons; Leonardo carried one double-bladed ninjatō instead of two katana (though he was shown to own two in a few episodes); Raphael's twin sai could combine to make a staff; and because nunchaku are outlawed in several places, Michaelangelo's signature weapon in this series was a pair of tonfa.
 * Similarly, the name of the series was amended in several countries to Hero Turtles: The Next Mutation under censorship ruling.
 * According to TV.Com's NT:TNM page, had there been a second season, April and Casey were to return to the Ninja Turtles universe, and Shredder would have returned either to join forces with Dragon Lord or be at war with him. There would have also been a storyline involving the government discovering the turtles, and hunting them down, possibly ending with the death of a family member, most likely Splinter.
 * The story of The Next Mutation was later continued in the "Turtle Tracks" letter column of the official website.