’80s ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Hits Free Streaming in June

It’s time to embrace nostalgia, as one of the most beloved animated shows from the 1980s is coming to free streaming this weekend. While there have been all manner of reboots and remakes since, 1987’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles remains a favorite among fans, with the tale of the heroes in a half shell making the perfect family viewing as parents still in love with the adventures of the turtles strive to introduce the mutant ninjas to their kids.

Based on the comic book created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, but stripped of their darker sensibilities in the name of family-friendly viewing, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles first began way, way back in the before times of 1987 and stars Cam Clarke as Leonardo, Barry Gordon as Donatello, Rob Paulsen as Raphael, Townsend Coleman as Michelangelo, Renae Jacobs as April O’Neil, and James Avery as Shredder. You won’t have to wait long to shout “cowabunga!” from the safety of your living room, as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is all set to land on the free streaming platform Tubi on June 1.

Following the titular mutant ninja heroes as they leave the sewer behind to fight crime in New York City, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ran for a grand total of 10 seasons, with several holding a perfect rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. The series quickly became a major IP, spawning action figures, breakfast cereals, toys, and merch aplenty. So, after all these years, it’s time for those of a certain generation to tie a colorful piece of cloth over your eyes (ideally with eyeholes cut out) and let that iconic opening theme wash over you in a wave of nostalgic delight.

The Turtles Returned to the Big Screen With 2023’s ‘Mutant Mayhem’

Since the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles of the 1980s, the franchise has grown beyond what anyone could have imagined. Sparking live-action interpretations and various animated shows, the latest we saw of the titular foursome was in the critically acclaimed animated outing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, which hit theaters in 2023.

Directed by Jeff Rowe in his feature directorial debut, co-directed by Kyler Spears, and written by Rowe, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Dan Hernandez, and Benji Samit, Mutant Mayhem cast real-life teenagers as the four main heroes, with the Ninja Turtles voiced by The Walking Dead: World Beyond star Nicolas Cantu as Leonardo, Meet the Voxels star Micah Abbey as Donatello, The Chi star Shamon Brown Jr. as Michelangelo, and finally The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers star Brady Noon as Raphael.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem amassed a stellar supporting cast alongside them, including Jackie Chan as Master Splinter, Ayo Edebiri as April O’Neil, Seth Rogen as Bebop, John Cena as Rocksteady, Hannibal Buress as Genghis Frog, Rose Byrne as Leatherhead, Ice Cube as Superfly, Post Malone as Ray Fillet, Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko, Maya Rudolph as Cynthia Utrom, Natasia Demetriou as Wingnut, and Giancarlo Esposito as Baxter Stockman.

Met with rave reviews (and achieving 95% on Rotten Tomatoes), a Mutant Mayhem sequel is now in the works. Outside the world of animation, a live-action reboot is reportedly in development, as is an R-rated adaptation of Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz’s comic, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin.”