Pop culture might love nothing more than to toss big personalities together and see what happens, but not all teams are created equal. The Avengers might set their biggest box-office records together, but at the end of the day, they’re solo stars temporarily sharing space. By contrast, the central appeal of the Friends is that they’re, well, friends; split one off from the pack, and you end up with .
Paramount+’s seems, at first, like it might have misjudged where its heroes fall on that spectrum. Its first six-episode arc (of a twelve-episode season) largely separates the core four, losing much of the winsome rapport that defined 2023’s . But it retains enough of that film’s zip to stand as a worthy follow-up — and eventually circles back toward a deeper understanding of what makes the Turtles tick as a team.
The series carries over much of ‘s endearing handcrafted vibe — albeit, understandably, in less elaborate and expensive-looking form. Instead, is rendered in cleaner, simpler lines that dovetail with the show’s half-hearted framing device: These adventures are presented as a comic book scribbled by Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), the katana-wielding leader of the gang. (Does this mean the narrative is therefore not canon within this universe? I have no idea, and frankly, I’m not sure the show itself cares; demonstrates limited interest in Marvel-style cross-pollinated world-building.
) Leo’s story — actually created by showrunners Chris Yost and Alan W.