Speaking of another comic book property, will you ever do a show about Malibu comics and the Ultraverse? Maybe talk about the Live Action Nightman show and that cartoon? Thanks for making great videos, I wish Marvel and DC would handle their properties better, sheesh.
I was the Associate Producer on this series (Seasons 2 - 5, plus Trouble In Tokyo). One of the highlights of my career. There were a number of reasons the series was cancelled after Season 5. Ratings were down. Toys sales (Bandai) never took off. I’m thrilled the series still resonates with fans to this day.
Which regions where the Toys stored and sent-to-buyer because those are serious factors even a 90's Extra-Financial Officer should know? But from your nervousness, Tennessee. The one of few states with lie-filled history of factory failures.
Honestly this show was my introduction to the titans and let me say, the writers for this show need to be applauded cause man oh man adapting the Judas contract for a kids show took some insane creative writing
I was 27 when _Teen Titans_ started, and instantly loved it. I could see exactly what they were going for and it worked. And once they started getting into stuff like Raven's story and the Terra/Judas Contract storyline I _really_ loved it.
I much prefer the 2003 version. Despite being in my 40s then, I loved watching it with my young daughter, who would sing along to the theme tune. In the UK we got both Japanese and English lyrics and she learnt both. Neither of us liked the later version, as it made no sense to appeal to an ever younger audience, instead of trying to keep the original audience and appeal to the new generation of 6 to 11 year olds.
To each their own, I grew up on the Wolfman/Perez run and had no problem with the younger skewing '03 show and had no problem with the even younger skewing '13 show. Just as I liked Young Justice (both the comics and the cartoon) for what it was trying to do.
People often talk about "seeing themselves in cartoons" and I struggled to think of times where I felt like that. But Raven possibly was as close as it got. Despite being a boy, I was reserved, measured, introverted and fascinated with the macabre. The times she snapped at her friends when they tried to reach out mirrored my own. I started meditation because of this show and how she said it helped control emotions.
I loved Wolfman and Perez' comic run so ive been a Teen Titans fan for a long time. I really liked the show as it was a fresh take that could do either dramatic or comedic stories with equal aplomb. My personal favorite was the one where Starfire goes forward in time and sees how her absence affects the team and their friendships. Absolutely brutal episode. To this day i think this is the coolest Cyborg has ever looked. I loved how chunky he is, and the look of the semi translucent coverings that let you sort of see his inner mechanics making him look like some sort of product from Apple was a great idea
I think my first instance of shared universe, was when Static Shock asked Batman where Robin was when he was brought to the Batcave. Batman said he was with the Teen Titans, not explaining anything after that. That line was meant for the audience, and I knew exactly what this meant!
six to eleven year olds??? my wife and i used to watch this on ytv in our mid-twenties and now we happily watch it on dvd with our teenagers, who ask to rewatch it every six months or so! we love this show!
Read the Teen Titans Academy series ! It’s not the continuity of the show but Red X is a huge part of the story & they do eventually reveal his identity.
I was already after my teen years when I first saw the animated series and because I had no connection to the source material (also a marvel person) i did not care about the "legacy", I loved it and especially raven and starfire (THE BEST EVER). I was always wondering why it got cut and this episode provided me with an explanation about the "why" ... thank you...
With a very few tragic exceptions it's usually money/ greed in almost every case. Young Justice was canceled because the toys weren't selling. Just classic WTF corporate stuff usually.
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu Good series being canceled because too many young girls were buying the toys for a series aimed at young boys (because, you know, it was Good!) is a long running and oft repeated bit of stupidity... You'd think they'd adjust their models Eventually...
Really excellent show. The character dynamics were well developed and engaging throughout. It felt authentic and effective, despite the wide range in tones that the episodes could have. A perfect coming of age series
I always assumed the main reason the show was cancelled was because it reached the syndication episode number of 65 episodes. A lot of shows wouldn't get past this number back then. Now, they would be lucky if they got that far.
I was in my early 20s when this came out and was glad to see a return to better animation and bring more comic book characters to the screen. I have grown up on series like Sonic the Hedgehog on Saturday mornings, and Batman the Animated series, Teen Titans, Ben 10 and Megas XLR were all right up my alley. It is stupid for the people who run the company to think it is bad for a show to bring in more than what the target audience is, or that it is somehow stealing from other shows. Like I said, I watched TT along with Ben 10 and Megas XLR. At the time, there was not that much in collectables or merchandise outside toys. So, I bought figures to both TT and Ben 10. Would have also gotten Megas figures at the time if they had them out and Walmart carried them. Walmart was the only place in my town that you could find such things.
Magnas XLR was a a very unique one and a sad situation unfortunately. It was a show commissioned by CN/Toonami made specifically for them. Much like that other show (that for some reason I can't remember the name, the one about people who ran in mechs.) It was a show made for using the guidelines of Toonami, essentially a show/anime made with none of the issues a regular anime would have.
@@TheNewRobotMaster It was given one season and was essentially the first show I can think of that Cartoon Network supposedly did the tax write-off thing with. I mean they really buried that show and buried it deep.
I watched the show when I was 19 after I graduated from High School and the 2003 series blown me away. I was so bummed that Cartoon Network cancelled the series because of toy sales being so poor and Season 4 was a bit too violent, mature and dark along with my other favorite show Megas XLR as CN buried the show deep to the ground by moving it to Miguzi which is a huge mistake and move Yu Yu Hakusho off of Toonami same with Gundam Seed by burning off the last remaining episodes as my brother was so pissed off that he threw a temper tantrum and slammed the door right in front of my mom and my dad back when he was still alive. Teen Titans Go! is an insult to Teen Titans and it is rotting people's brains.
i'm not even a twentager anymore and i'd still watch a new season of these og teen titans. these characters are timeless and fun, the action is cool and fun and the topics they discuss can be serious or fun. hands down one of the best animated series ever made
I still have my old DVDs, and the Gamecube game. I had a ton of the 3 inch figures. I kick myself for getting rid of those, because they're rare and expensive now.
i've actually researched this topic myself in the past, from my understanding the many reasons that are often cited, such as CN thinking too many girls watched the show, or toys not selling well enough, are actually untrue- according to people who actually worked on Teen Titans, the real reason is that the show simply had gotten to the 65-episode limit that was the norm for animated shows at the time, so it just ended. It wasn't "cancelled" like many people believe. The last episode of the show wasn't meant to be a cliffhanger or setup for future seasons, they just wanted to give the series an ambiguous ending.
But the title says it depends on who you ask, so who did you ask for this information? Not saying your are lying or anything, it could just mean there's no one reason why it was canned.
I know in general with cartoons they don't usually give shows a true ending either typically. I never really heard any of that stuff about this show, Young Justice was the only one that I ever heard brought up as far as toy sales causing it's cancellation which I completely believe as I never heard any better more believable reason.
and youll believe them? the REAL reason is that CN didn't like girls watching. everything else was backtracking after the backlash they received for that
@LynnHermione It was never because girls watched it. There’s no source that says this. It got mixed from the reason Young Justice got cancelled, and even THAT was debunked by the creator.
This was one of my favorite shows as a kid. I actually named one of the kittens that my old cat Pandora had after one of the characters. I've also found out that they have the series on Amazon Prime Video now.
From one of your subscribers. My children loved both shows growing up and still revisit the shows on streaming every once in a while - they are adults now. But this was the lasting impact of a well written and wonderfully voice acted show.
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu My favorite work George Perez did was the cover for Champions 4th edition. And from what I seen, his bondage art was never self insert, but sometimes the subject is male.
@@stanleyteriaca2184 Well, always good to know what you're getting into I guess. I'm never that surprised when these artists have some kind of kink though, it's usually pretty obvious.
Cartoon Network cancelled the classic Teen Titans believing it will eventually grow stale. But in reality they actually cancelled it because they want to bring in new and fresh shows and really don't care how popular their past shows really are.
I tend to blame our old friend production cap. 5 seasons/65 episodes was basically the standard at the time, and they could just make money off of reruns at that point.
And of course this was before the big shake-up to the channel before we got things like CN real that completely destroyed the channel's credibility as a whole. (yes seriously) Around the time they started cancelling things like Young Justice because the toys weren't selling.
@@rayshawnwilliams5673 Yeah I know I have to always be the bad guy and mention the worst times and the times when the channel was in steep decline of which it's never gotten out. When they canceled Toonami for the first time I knew things were going in a very bad direction and I was not wrong.
As a fan of the original content it was based off of...I hated it lol. But... I will say, From what episodes I peeked on, they actually kept to important plot points and storylines. Like Slade having a certain character infiltrate the titans. And one thing I respected about the series from the4 get-go ,however. Was the voice acting. The voice acting is one thing, to me on there that was perfect. *Edit* Also, the reason given for cancelling it even as a someone that hated it, is so damn ignorant. Isn't it supposed to be a hit ? God I hate demographics...
Teen Titans was a great show. I got to meet Greg Cipes at the Port City Pop Con last year. Slade was my favorite villain and Raven was my favorite hero. And I still think Teen Titans GO is still a fun show as well.
Go has it's moments especially when it's not spending the entire runtime crapping on fans of the original show. I hate how much would the original couple seasons of go seem to be entirely about pissing off the original fans of Teen Titans for whatever reason. Yes they and the fans eventually (mostly) got over it more or less but it didn't mean what they did was called for or cute.
I really liked Teen Titans. And i didn't want to like Teen Titans Go! But a 3 hour marathon later with my kids and i was hooked. Hate all you want, it made me laugh. And nothing will ever compare to watching them slap a string of pearls on Martha Wayne, shove her and Thomas into Crime Alley, and Robin give the "thumbs up" to young Bruce as gunshots and screams are heard...all with Huey Lewis' "Back in Time" playing.
Both are great. Just like Batman: The Animated Series and The Brave and the Bold are both excellent. You can have more than one take on a given property.
While this show and the New Teen Titans that this was inspired from are fundamentally different, has the heart and soul of what makes the New Teen Titans so great and this show nailed that spirit brilliantly
Hearing who the people in charge of the show where seems to explain that quite well. The reason the show had the "flavor" it did is definitely because of the people behind the scenes and also the state of the animation industry as a whole worldwide. The fact there was influenced by anime like FLCL among others really shows through.
IMO this show has the single best adaptations of Deathstroke, Trigon and the Judas Contract storyline Though to be fair them removing the child grooming is half the battle on that last one
If you aren't inside the demographic, and want to criticize it, don't. You aren't the target audience. I had no opinion on it as a 20 year old man when it dropped.
Got to see this one (2003) when it came out and loved it, but by the time Go! came out I no longer had access to cable to see it. I enjoyed the willingness to have season-long stories that built up to the end of the series. Having gotten used to that prior with the Timm-verse brought me to expect it. The difference in animation style took getting used to, but I fully appreciated the often self-referential humor further making it distinct from the rest of the DCAU of the day. And having gotten used to the Shonen anime the channel had been airing? Payoff moments, like when everyone went Super Saiyan Titan with powers and skills they developed earlier in the season were SO satisfying. Side note: Your "Suicide Squad" joke? *chef's kiss*
I used to be embarrassed to say the 2003 cartoon got me into the Teen Titans and Outsiders comics back in the day. But it feels like the 2003 show has a distinct reverence to it now, and most people would get it. I read the Titans and related comics up til Brightest Day, when I quit buying DC comics regularly. I expected you to note that time Batman told Static Shock about the Titans 😂
2003 Titans all the way! The storyline was fantastic! Everything was always exciting with all of the various villain's, especially the more out there but fun ones like Mad Mod! The series was far to short, and could have used far more in depth looks into the conflicts of Red X and Slade. Ive always been hoping for more episodes, and maybe one day in the future someone will pick up this series again and keep the 2003 animation style.
I was at the right age when Teen Titans began airing on KidsWB. At the time, i didn't know it originally aired on Cartoon Network, nor had access to cable television. So after the Terra story arc (The shows version of the Judas Contract) and seeing her Sacrifice to save the city, Kids WB for some reason, decided to repeat the episode airing from episode 1. I did not know there had been more episodes post season 2, until years later when i had cable once again and seeing more seasons. funny enough, Cartoon Network promoted the final episode just like any other regular episode, no gran finale announcement, no celebration, just "catch the new episode!" alongside other shows.
I was watching this with my kids. It had a very dark side…I fucking loved it. When they brought teen titans go…that shit was garbage 🗑️ Do Generator Rex please. They left that on a cliffhanger and I was so hooked into that series.
I loved the 2003 version, and what few episodes I saw of Go! were not engaging. Then I watched Teen Titans Go! to the Movies, and Teen Titans Go! vs Teen Titans, and they were both hilarious. Still haven't felt like chasing down the Go! episodes, but those movies were amazing!
Born in '73. I read the Teen Titan comics produced in my day. I enjoyed the last 2 Titan cartoons series as well. The earlier one myself as an adult & the newer one with my son that loved the show. Wasn't there also a Teen Titans cartoon in the 60s? 66 or 67, I think.
Yeah I enjoyed both from a similar vantage through hand me down older comics. The angst from some fans of the '03 cartoon about the '13 version is endlessly amusing especially holding it up as dark and mature when the OG comics are out there. You don't have to like everything but similarly not everything has to be for you given these characters have long outlived their own creators.
To this day one of my favorite cross-over comic is The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans, seeing Kitty and Beast Boy hang out was awesome, and seeing Deathstroke take down the X-Men was just God-tier.
It's crazy that while they revived 'Young Justice', they did not revive 'Teen Titans'[2003]! Come on, WB! I wanna see Terra get her memory back and become a permanent member of the team! I wanna know who Red X is! I wanna know how Ding Dong Daddy got Robin's secret prized possession and I want to know what it is!
@@ninjetti9898 Yep, that's life in a nutshell ain't it. That's the sad thing you don't know the rides over, till the rides over. Enjoy the ride, don't think about where it's going or when it's going to end just enjoy it as long as it lasts.
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu the bigger these corporations get the more it becomes about the bottom line and less about the "fans". That's why I am grateful for my childhood, for a short period of time we had greatness before everything started to be reimagined for a "modern" audience.
@@ninjetti9898 The last five years especially but probably as much as the last 10 have felt like watching things I enjoyed as a kid wheeled out in front of me and doused with gasoline and lit on fire and burned to ashes in front of me. I feel completely helpless as I watch things I once truly loved and cherished just completely ruined in front of my eyes. I don't mind it so much when people come and join the fandom but when the entire fandom gets ruined by people trying to change it to make it something completely different for a totally different audience that's when I really get fed up. I've felt so hollow and empty watching once beloved things completely destroyed and it does become more numbing than anything after a while. The fact this stuff continued during a pandemic made it so there was no respite, no escape and it made it so the anger just built up to the point where I just had to let it all go. Corporations don't care it's just a bottom line to them. There's no integrity, no artistry simply bottom line and following trends and as you put it "current times" modern thinking nonsense. I feel like I got the best stuff before everything was completely tainted and became a commodified bunch of garbage.
It sucks that they canceled TT and replaced it with GO! instead of continuing the original 2003 series. I also wished Teen Titans had a crossover with Legion of Superheroes.
I was heartbroken when Teen Titans was cancelled. When Teen Titans Go came out, my knee-jerk reaction was "They cancelled Teen Titans for this garbage?" and my knee jerked quite a lot at first. It took some time, but I have come to love some of the things they've done. Such as how the animators are constantly putting in little visual easter eggs. Meta/stunt voice casting and/or appearances (Weird Al as Darkseid still kills me). Also, they kept the original cast together.
I remember seeing images of it in College and was put off by it, but gave it a watch anyways and really enjoyed the series. Wish it would have continued
I heard the demographic issue before. Also heard it killed off the Thundercats reboot, which is absolutely criminal. As good as Teen TItans was, that show was leagues better. Season 5 of Teen Titans was lacking big time, as well. Didn't have any of the excitement of the previous seasons. Boring new villains, boring new heroes, many returning heroes and villains that didn't speak a single syllable because of the lack of budget, etc.
A sixth season could’ve closed some unsolved plot holes and lores needed either closing or expanding upon. Maybe if that season were to focus on Starfire, like the previous seasons did before, perhaps we could’ve concluded this sibling rivalry against Blackfire. Who knows. She could’ve ended up sacrificing herself to save starfire and the team to redeem her antagonistic arc. Maybe Slade could’ve chosen hell over living again. That he fought for too long in life and that he had enough bloodshed and deserves to rot in the underworld. Thanks Robin for showing the light to his life. Those character arc stories in need of finishing. Maybe they grown and would separate and maybe decide to make their own lives. At least for the better ending of it all.
The Teen Titans were a better, more cohesive team than the Justice League, which always just felt like a team of individual superheroes with godlike powers (plus Batman, and the two Hawks) who were more colleagues than actual teammates.
I was, like, 21 when Teen Titans started and loved it. Lord know what them reviewers were on at the time. Loved it enough that i got the Puffy AmiYumi album just to have the song on cd.
I was twice the age of the target demo... But who doesn't like the theme song?! I did always think it was hilarious that they called the villain "Slade", because "Deathstroke the Terminator" might be a little too edgy for the kids.
Yeah we can't go having main characters called death something. I mean nowadays we can but back then apparently that was still a big No-No which I have to admit is hilarious given how edgy Toonami and anime as a whole we're at the time.
RIP to my real life friend and fellow from my hometown Derrick J Wyatt who was the Lead Character Designer for this and many other shows. He passed away a year or two ago. RIP
Those Raycons are the absolute truth. Comfort, affordability and functionality are top notch. You’re definitely able to have a spare pair due to costs and they look super cool.
The cancelling of a show because TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE WATCHING is beyond idiotic. The people behind Young Justice mentioned that. They were getting too popular with girls, which wasn't the target. So the network said it had to die.
The early 2000s to up about 2007-8 were amazing on toonami. The golden age before one of the greatest falls I've ever seen. Once adult swim took toonami it was never the same. Cartoon Network was in a bad way by then.
My kids run the gamut in ages, but they all love(d) the original Teen Titans series. When it was cancelled and replaced with the GO! version, they quickly lost interest. From what little I've seen of the series, I can totally understand why.
I loved the Teen Titans 2003 series. Though we never found out about the identity of the 2nd Red X ( Not our Robin DG) and many others mysteries like how Terra came back from a stone statue 😢😢
The fact we never got a proper complete conclusion to the Slade/deathstrike storyline is hella annoying to this day. The fact go had the cojones to joke about it and throw it in the fans faces still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
I prefer the Young Justice animated series. Its writing is more inclusive of a larger cast of characters. The animation is fine, but I would like to have seen them do a season in the style of its predecessor.
This cartoon series was amazing! TTG is forever an abomination for me as opposed to this series! This is the one true Teen Titans for sure! All 5 seasons are pretty wild! Also I have to give a shout out to the anti-racism episode they did! The episode with Lance Valor and his insulting comments to Starfire was very well done. It’s so cool to watch Starfire show how truly amazing she is throughout that episode and then leave Lance agitated about it in the end and the rest of the team backing her up in pushing him away in the end despite the fact that he seemed like such an amazing hero when they first met him! That episode is just brilliant! It will forever be one of my favorite superhero cartoon stories!
The funny thing is that the more humorous Teen Titans was inspired by a more serious comic, while the serious-as-a-heart-attack Young Justice was inspired by (or at least named after) a comic book that was a lot closer to the Teen Titans show in tone.
The fact that they made a show with based on teens from the 60s and 80s to thumb their noses at those same people who were teens then and were now adults is pretty funny.
I remember when the show was advertised for WB, then changed into a Cartoon Network exclusive ( which would later appear on WB,months later!) At first, the show struggled as Bruce Timm's Justice League was popular and many people were turned off by its 'americanime' art style( even though it was anime influenced, much like Kappa Mikey, it was made with what America thought anime was.) Luckily, the show proved popular and when the second rolled around, everyone was hooked! Even Speedies design was used in the last episode of Justice League Unlimited!
My opinion, Teen Titans was aimed at a older audience (teens) who had no interest in the toys, which were clearly aimed at children, but made up a bulk of the audience. The games, quite frankly, were forgettable cash grabs. They might have stood out more if they went for a fighting game or some kind of racing game, we clearly weren't gonna get anything ambitious given the production values of both the console and handheld games, something that would give you ability to play as villains as well as the heroes. There was no real cool Teen Titans clothing merch available until after the series was finished. Basically, I don't think they know what demographic they were really trying to appeal to. Teen Titans Go was more clearly aimed at children, and gained that audience as result. Allowing them to capitalize on merch more. Hell, I see TTG birthday cards available, and it's perfect for kids who love that show.
Season 1 is by far the weakest season, so I was glad it found itself right before introducing Terra. As a fan of the DCAU I loved how this was a counterpoint show. Season 5 always felt tacked on, like it was extended at the last moment. Giving Teen Titans a JLU treatment would have been fun, though!
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It's been like almost 2 decades since the OG Teen Titans was first aired.
Speaking of another comic book property, will you ever do a show about Malibu comics and the Ultraverse? Maybe talk about the Live Action Nightman show and that cartoon? Thanks for making great videos, I wish Marvel and DC would handle their properties better, sheesh.
@@cedricboykins9328he did actually, a few years ago, just search Toy Galaxy Toxic Avengers, it was a fun entertaining video.
Keep making great content Secret Galaxy, formally know as Toy Galaxy,.
I was the Associate Producer on this series (Seasons 2 - 5, plus Trouble In Tokyo). One of the highlights of my career. There were a number of reasons the series was cancelled after Season 5. Ratings were down. Toys sales (Bandai) never took off. I’m thrilled the series still resonates with fans to this day.
Which regions where the Toys stored and sent-to-buyer because those are serious factors even a 90's Extra-Financial Officer should know? But from your nervousness, Tennessee. The one of few states with lie-filled history of factory failures.
What do you think about my older ideas for Teen Titans season 6?
I honestly don’t even remember seeing the TT merch in stores back in the day.
Videos games were steady gaining popularity and kids were losing their interest in action figures.
@@dedheddred1773 today we have the colectors market.
Honestly this show was my introduction to the titans and let me say, the writers for this show need to be applauded cause man oh man adapting the Judas contract for a kids show took some insane creative writing
agreed
I was 27 when _Teen Titans_ started, and instantly loved it. I could see exactly what they were going for and it worked. And once they started getting into stuff like Raven's story and the Terra/Judas Contract storyline I _really_ loved it.
I much prefer the 2003 version. Despite being in my 40s then, I loved watching it with my young daughter, who would sing along to the theme tune. In the UK we got both Japanese and English lyrics and she learnt both. Neither of us liked the later version, as it made no sense to appeal to an ever younger audience, instead of trying to keep the original audience and appeal to the new generation of 6 to 11 year olds.
To each their own, I grew up on the Wolfman/Perez run and had no problem with the younger skewing '03 show and had no problem with the even younger skewing '13 show. Just as I liked Young Justice (both the comics and the cartoon) for what it was trying to do.
Teen Titans, original 2003 is what I was watching in High School and continued to watch it in College.
Likewise. Except for the college part.
People often talk about "seeing themselves in cartoons" and I struggled to think of times where I felt like that. But Raven possibly was as close as it got. Despite being a boy, I was reserved, measured, introverted and fascinated with the macabre. The times she snapped at her friends when they tried to reach out mirrored my own. I started meditation because of this show and how she said it helped control emotions.
I was in the demographic in 03’ nothing else stands a chance. I still rank Teen Titans as one of my top 2 animated series’.
I loved Wolfman and Perez' comic run so ive been a Teen Titans fan for a long time.
I really liked the show as it was a fresh take that could do either dramatic or comedic stories with equal aplomb.
My personal favorite was the one where Starfire goes forward in time and sees how her absence affects the team and their friendships. Absolutely brutal episode.
To this day i think this is the coolest Cyborg has ever looked. I loved how chunky he is, and the look of the semi translucent coverings that let you sort of see his inner mechanics making him look like some sort of product from Apple was a great idea
The Wolfman/Perez run is still my favorite run to this day.
I don't think any design of Cyborg has come close to this "original" design 👍
I think my first instance of shared universe, was when Static Shock asked Batman where Robin was when he was brought to the Batcave. Batman said he was with the Teen Titans, not explaining anything after that. That line was meant for the audience, and I knew exactly what this meant!
six to eleven year olds??? my wife and i used to watch this on ytv in our mid-twenties and now we happily watch it on dvd with our teenagers, who ask to rewatch it every six months or so! we love this show!
I know right! Anyone can enjoy it!
Man, I love this series. It still completely holds up after all this time. I only wish we could learn who Red X was...
Or get a proper ending to the Slade storyline. I mean we kinda did but it was so weak and just sort of ended without a proper resolution.
I’m Red X
My theory is that Red X was a Robin who took Slade's offer but came to regret it.
"I still think he's Jason Todd"
Read the Teen Titans Academy series ! It’s not the continuity of the show but Red X is a huge part of the story & they do eventually reveal his identity.
I was already after my teen years when I first saw the animated series and because I had no connection to the source material (also a marvel person) i did not care about the "legacy", I loved it and especially raven and starfire (THE BEST EVER). I was always wondering why it got cut and this episode provided me with an explanation about the "why" ... thank you...
With a very few tragic exceptions it's usually money/ greed in almost every case.
Young Justice was canceled because the toys weren't selling. Just classic WTF corporate stuff usually.
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu Good series being canceled because too many young girls were buying the toys for a series aimed at young boys (because, you know, it was Good!) is a long running and oft repeated bit of stupidity... You'd think they'd adjust their models Eventually...
My daughter introduced this to me when she was a kid and we were both instant fans.
Really excellent show. The character dynamics were well developed and engaging throughout. It felt authentic and effective, despite the wide range in tones that the episodes could have. A perfect coming of age series
The fact that it was so frequently lighthearted and goofy meant that when the show was serious and deep *_it really extra punched hard._*
I always assumed the main reason the show was cancelled was because it reached the syndication episode number of 65 episodes. A lot of shows wouldn't get past this number back then. Now, they would be lucky if they got that far.
Poor Starfire, she needs her season
I always wished we got a static shock / TT teamup during this time. But i understand the difference in art styles made it hard.
I was obsessed with this show as a teenager. Probably an all time favorite super heroes show for me.
I was in my early 20s when this came out and was glad to see a return to better animation and bring more comic book characters to the screen. I have grown up on series like Sonic the Hedgehog on Saturday mornings, and Batman the Animated series, Teen Titans, Ben 10 and Megas XLR were all right up my alley. It is stupid for the people who run the company to think it is bad for a show to bring in more than what the target audience is, or that it is somehow stealing from other shows. Like I said, I watched TT along with Ben 10 and Megas XLR. At the time, there was not that much in collectables or merchandise outside toys. So, I bought figures to both TT and Ben 10. Would have also gotten Megas figures at the time if they had them out and Walmart carried them. Walmart was the only place in my town that you could find such things.
Magnas XLR was a a very unique one and a sad situation unfortunately. It was a show commissioned by CN/Toonami made specifically for them. Much like that other show (that for some reason I can't remember the name, the one about people who ran in mechs.) It was a show made for using the guidelines of Toonami, essentially a show/anime made with none of the issues a regular anime would have.
Megas XLR is one of the best shows I've ever seen in my entire life. It's a shame it got only 1 season.
@@TheNewRobotMaster
It was given one season and was essentially the first show I can think of that Cartoon Network supposedly did the tax write-off thing with.
I mean they really buried that show and buried it deep.
You know Teen Titans was a massive historical success when their characters still inspire R34 art
Zone says hi. 😏
Truly a legacy that will live for the age.
I watched the show when I was 19 after I graduated from High School and the 2003 series blown me away. I was so bummed that Cartoon Network cancelled the series because of toy sales being so poor and Season 4 was a bit too violent, mature and dark along with my other favorite show Megas XLR as CN buried the show deep to the ground by moving it to Miguzi which is a huge mistake and move Yu Yu Hakusho off of Toonami same with Gundam Seed by burning off the last remaining episodes as my brother was so pissed off that he threw a temper tantrum and slammed the door right in front of my mom and my dad back when he was still alive. Teen Titans Go! is an insult to Teen Titans and it is rotting people's brains.
i'm not even a twentager anymore and i'd still watch a new season of these og teen titans. these characters are timeless and fun, the action is cool and fun and the topics they discuss can be serious or fun.
hands down one of the best animated series ever made
I still have my old DVDs, and the Gamecube game. I had a ton of the 3 inch figures. I kick myself for getting rid of those, because they're rare and expensive now.
Derrick Wyatt goodness. RIP my friend.
i've actually researched this topic myself in the past, from my understanding the many reasons that are often cited, such as CN thinking too many girls watched the show, or toys not selling well enough, are actually untrue- according to people who actually worked on Teen Titans, the real reason is that the show simply had gotten to the 65-episode limit that was the norm for animated shows at the time, so it just ended. It wasn't "cancelled" like many people believe. The last episode of the show wasn't meant to be a cliffhanger or setup for future seasons, they just wanted to give the series an ambiguous ending.
But the title says it depends on who you ask, so who did you ask for this information? Not saying your are lying or anything, it could just mean there's no one reason why it was canned.
I know in general with cartoons they don't usually give shows a true ending either typically.
I never really heard any of that stuff about this show, Young Justice was the only one that I ever heard brought up as far as toy sales causing it's cancellation which I completely believe as I never heard any better more believable reason.
Yeah that is horseshit. And the toy thing came from Paul Dini, who isn't some rando.
and youll believe them? the REAL reason is that CN didn't like girls watching. everything else was backtracking after the backlash they received for that
@LynnHermione It was never because girls watched it. There’s no source that says this. It got mixed from the reason Young Justice got cancelled, and even THAT was debunked by the creator.
One of my favorite animated series of all time! Great job man and keep the good stuff coming.
Dan, the writing on this channel is always so well researched and downright hi-larious -- another winner, thanks!
This was one of my favorite shows as a kid. I actually named one of the kittens that my old cat Pandora had after one of the characters. I've also found out that they have the series on Amazon Prime Video now.
From one of your subscribers.
My children loved both shows growing up and still revisit the shows on streaming every once in a while - they are adults now.
But this was the lasting impact of a well written and wonderfully voice acted show.
RIP George Perez! You were the Greatest artist of DC!
Just be careful searching for his artwork on line, George is known for drawing bondage for himself.
@@stanleyteriaca2184
As long as it's not self insert stuff I could probably deal with it.
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu My favorite work George Perez did was the cover for Champions 4th edition.
And from what I seen, his bondage art was never self insert, but sometimes the subject is male.
@@stanleyteriaca2184
Well, always good to know what you're getting into I guess.
I'm never that surprised when these artists have some kind of kink though, it's usually pretty obvious.
Cartoon Network cancelled the classic Teen Titans believing it will eventually grow stale. But in reality they actually cancelled it because they want to bring in new and fresh shows and really don't care how popular their past shows really are.
I tend to blame our old friend production cap. 5 seasons/65 episodes was basically the standard at the time, and they could just make money off of reruns at that point.
And of course this was before the big shake-up to the channel before we got things like CN real that completely destroyed the channel's credibility as a whole. (yes seriously) Around the time they started cancelling things like Young Justice because the toys weren't selling.
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu danm it
@@rayshawnwilliams5673
Yeah I know I have to always be the bad guy and mention the worst times and the times when the channel was in steep decline of which it's never gotten out.
When they canceled Toonami for the first time I knew things were going in a very bad direction and I was not wrong.
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu This company sucks
As a fan of the original content it was based off of...I hated it lol. But... I will say, From what episodes I peeked on, they actually kept to important plot points and storylines. Like Slade having a certain character infiltrate the titans. And one thing I respected about the series from the4 get-go ,however. Was the voice acting. The voice acting is one thing, to me on there that was perfect. *Edit* Also, the reason given for cancelling it even as a someone that hated it, is so damn ignorant. Isn't it supposed to be a hit ? God I hate demographics...
Teen Titans was a great show. I got to meet Greg Cipes at the Port City Pop Con last year. Slade was my favorite villain and Raven was my favorite hero. And I still think Teen Titans GO is still a fun show as well.
Go has it's moments especially when it's not spending the entire runtime crapping on fans of the original show.
I hate how much would the original couple seasons of go seem to be entirely about pissing off the original fans of Teen Titans for whatever reason. Yes they and the fans eventually (mostly) got over it more or less but it didn't mean what they did was called for or cute.
I like how Go had a crossover with Freakazoid. I can’t believe they brought back Freakazoid.
@@bearerofbadnews1375
Yeah but they also crossed over with thundercats roar, so there's that.
A+ video!
Great overview of the Teen Titans!
Very interesting hearing what happens behind closed doors in the marketing world!
I really liked Teen Titans. And i didn't want to like Teen Titans Go! But a 3 hour marathon later with my kids and i was hooked. Hate all you want, it made me laugh. And nothing will ever compare to watching them slap a string of pearls on Martha Wayne, shove her and Thomas into Crime Alley, and Robin give the "thumbs up" to young Bruce as gunshots and screams are heard...all with Huey Lewis' "Back in Time" playing.
The PEARLS! I fell over in my seat at the theater with that scene! Literally rolling in the aisle laughing!
@@mrgreatbigmoose also a big fan of what I consider to be the best Stan Lee cameo: "DC movie?! Uh...I gotta get outta here!"
Both are great. Just like Batman: The Animated Series and The Brave and the Bold are both excellent. You can have more than one take on a given property.
I will say the stuff they're able to get away with that on any other show would be far too dark is impressive.
While this show and the New Teen Titans that this was inspired from are fundamentally different, has the heart and soul of what makes the New Teen Titans so great and this show nailed that spirit brilliantly
Hearing who the people in charge of the show where seems to explain that quite well. The reason the show had the "flavor" it did is definitely because of the people behind the scenes and also the state of the animation industry as a whole worldwide. The fact there was influenced by anime like FLCL among others really shows through.
Teen titans go sucks it ruins the franchise smh
IMO this show has the single best adaptations of Deathstroke, Trigon and the Judas Contract storyline
Though to be fair them removing the child grooming is half the battle on that last one
I LOVED the Toonami voice announcer from that era! So many great memories. Teen Titans was a great show.
That was Peter Cullen
If you aren't inside the demographic, and want to criticize it, don't. You aren't the target audience.
I had no opinion on it as a 20 year old man when it dropped.
Almost.
Got to see this one (2003) when it came out and loved it, but by the time Go! came out I no longer had access to cable to see it.
I enjoyed the willingness to have season-long stories that built up to the end of the series. Having gotten used to that prior with the Timm-verse brought me to expect it. The difference in animation style took getting used to, but I fully appreciated the often self-referential humor further making it distinct from the rest of the DCAU of the day. And having gotten used to the Shonen anime the channel had been airing? Payoff moments, like when everyone went Super Saiyan Titan with powers and skills they developed earlier in the season were SO satisfying.
Side note: Your "Suicide Squad" joke? *chef's kiss*
Character designs by Derrick Wyatt. Toonami promos voiced by Peter Cullen. This show feels like a cousin to Transformers.
I used to be embarrassed to say the 2003 cartoon got me into the Teen Titans and Outsiders comics back in the day. But it feels like the 2003 show has a distinct reverence to it now, and most people would get it. I read the Titans and related comics up til Brightest Day, when I quit buying DC comics regularly.
I expected you to note that time Batman told Static Shock about the Titans 😂
Man, the toonami bumpers are still gold, the one I love most is the advanced robotics bumper.
2003 Titans all the way! The storyline was fantastic! Everything was always exciting with all of the various villain's, especially the more out there but fun ones like Mad Mod! The series was far to short, and could have used far more in depth looks into the conflicts of Red X and Slade. Ive always been hoping for more episodes, and maybe one day in the future someone will pick up this series again and keep the 2003 animation style.
I was at the right age when Teen Titans began airing on KidsWB.
At the time, i didn't know it originally aired on Cartoon Network, nor had access to cable television. So after the Terra story arc (The shows version of the Judas Contract) and seeing her Sacrifice to save the city, Kids WB for some reason, decided to repeat the episode airing from episode 1. I did not know there had been more episodes post season 2, until years later when i had cable once again and seeing more seasons. funny enough, Cartoon Network promoted the final episode just like any other regular episode, no gran finale announcement, no celebration, just "catch the new episode!" alongside other shows.
Does that mean once Galaxy reaches the ten year mark, Dan will be replaced by an edgier, animated version of himself??? 🤔
"Yeah. Wolf." Is still my favorite Toy Galaxy moment. Nice callback.
I was watching this with my kids. It had a very dark side…I fucking loved it.
When they brought teen titans go…that shit was garbage 🗑️
Do Generator Rex please. They left that on a cliffhanger and I was so hooked into that series.
Good video, I’m angry and full of angst now, how nostalgic
I loved the 2003 version, and what few episodes I saw of Go! were not engaging.
Then I watched Teen Titans Go! to the Movies, and Teen Titans Go! vs Teen Titans, and they were both hilarious.
Still haven't felt like chasing down the Go! episodes, but those movies were amazing!
2:25 Robin made his first appearance in detective comics #38, not #39
Born in '73. I read the Teen Titan comics produced in my day. I enjoyed the last 2 Titan cartoons series as well. The earlier one myself as an adult & the newer one with my son that loved the show. Wasn't there also a Teen Titans cartoon in the 60s? 66 or 67, I think.
Yeah I enjoyed both from a similar vantage through hand me down older comics. The angst from some fans of the '03 cartoon about the '13 version is endlessly amusing especially holding it up as dark and mature when the OG comics are out there. You don't have to like everything but similarly not everything has to be for you given these characters have long outlived their own creators.
I so miss this show.
To this day one of my favorite cross-over comic is The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans, seeing Kitty and Beast Boy hang out was awesome, and seeing Deathstroke take down the X-Men was just God-tier.
I still have that book!
@@ajclements4627 Awesome! 👍
It's crazy that while they revived 'Young Justice', they did not revive 'Teen Titans'[2003]! Come on, WB! I wanna see Terra get her memory back and become a permanent member of the team! I wanna know who Red X is! I wanna know how Ding Dong Daddy got Robin's secret prized possession and I want to know what it is!
Ooh. Dr. Disaster also uses that opening music, but later in his videos.
Teen Titans, Young Justice, cartoon network, Toonami = best childhood ever
And just like your childhood it just stops seemingly for no reason one day. It's just gone with no explanation.
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu all good things come to a sudden, abrupt stop without warning
@@ninjetti9898
Yep, that's life in a nutshell ain't it.
That's the sad thing you don't know the rides over, till the rides over.
Enjoy the ride, don't think about where it's going or when it's going to end just enjoy it as long as it lasts.
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu the bigger these corporations get the more it becomes about the bottom line and less about the "fans". That's why I am grateful for my childhood, for a short period of time we had greatness before everything started to be reimagined for a "modern" audience.
@@ninjetti9898
The last five years especially but probably as much as the last 10 have felt like watching things I enjoyed as a kid wheeled out in front of me and doused with gasoline and lit on fire and burned to ashes in front of me. I feel completely helpless as I watch things I once truly loved and cherished just completely ruined in front of my eyes. I don't mind it so much when people come and join the fandom but when the entire fandom gets ruined by people trying to change it to make it something completely different for a totally different audience that's when I really get fed up. I've felt so hollow and empty watching once beloved things completely destroyed and it does become more numbing than anything after a while. The fact this stuff continued during a pandemic made it so there was no respite, no escape and it made it so the anger just built up to the point where I just had to let it all go. Corporations don't care it's just a bottom line to them. There's no integrity, no artistry simply bottom line and following trends and as you put it "current times" modern thinking nonsense.
I feel like I got the best stuff before everything was completely tainted and became a commodified bunch of garbage.
I definitely grew up with the series, and my favorite change from the comics is that they made Terra more sympathetic and nicer.
I don't wanna get nit picky but I've been collecting Titans comics since the 80s and Robin's first appearance was Detective #38 not #39. Just FYI.
It sucks that they canceled TT and replaced it with GO! instead of continuing the original 2003 series. I also wished Teen Titans had a crossover with Legion of Superheroes.
I was heartbroken when Teen Titans was cancelled. When Teen Titans Go came out, my knee-jerk reaction was "They cancelled Teen Titans for this garbage?" and my knee jerked quite a lot at first. It took some time, but I have come to love some of the things they've done. Such as how the animators are constantly putting in little visual easter eggs. Meta/stunt voice casting and/or appearances (Weird Al as Darkseid still kills me). Also, they kept the original cast together.
I was like 13 when this show came out, and absolutely loved it.
I remember seeing images of it in College and was put off by it, but gave it a watch anyways and really enjoyed the series. Wish it would have continued
I heard the demographic issue before. Also heard it killed off the Thundercats reboot, which is absolutely criminal. As good as Teen TItans was, that show was leagues better. Season 5 of Teen Titans was lacking big time, as well. Didn't have any of the excitement of the previous seasons. Boring new villains, boring new heroes, many returning heroes and villains that didn't speak a single syllable because of the lack of budget, etc.
Original Teen Titans will always be better than Teen Titans Go!
A sixth season could’ve closed some unsolved plot holes and lores needed either closing or expanding upon. Maybe if that season were to focus on Starfire, like the previous seasons did before, perhaps we could’ve concluded this sibling rivalry against Blackfire. Who knows. She could’ve ended up sacrificing herself to save starfire and the team to redeem her antagonistic arc. Maybe Slade could’ve chosen hell over living again. That he fought for too long in life and that he had enough bloodshed and deserves to rot in the underworld. Thanks Robin for showing the light to his life. Those character arc stories in need of finishing. Maybe they grown and would separate and maybe decide to make their own lives. At least for the better ending of it all.
This show meant so much for me, the art style and the music influenced me a lot
The Teen Titans were a better, more cohesive team than the Justice League, which always just felt like a team of individual superheroes with godlike powers (plus Batman, and the two Hawks) who were more colleagues than actual teammates.
10:48 I’ve heard that same argument made about Young Justice, funny enough.
I always heard Young Justice was canceled entirely because the toys weren't selling.
this show deserved a proper ending. Glad we got the movie though. Still criminal with the unfinished cliff hanger
I was, like, 21 when Teen Titans started and loved it. Lord know what them reviewers were on at the time. Loved it enough that i got the Puffy AmiYumi album just to have the song on cd.
I’m shocked that the OG 2003 cast came back for the “GO!” reboot
I love the original style of Teen Titans and I was sad when they stopped airing it..the new one the art style was driving me nuts lol
"pause for laughter".. you got me😂😂😂
I was twice the age of the target demo... But who doesn't like the theme song?! I did always think it was hilarious that they called the villain "Slade", because "Deathstroke the Terminator" might be a little too edgy for the kids.
Yeah we can't go having main characters called death something.
I mean nowadays we can but back then apparently that was still a big No-No which I have to admit is hilarious given how edgy Toonami and anime as a whole we're at the time.
RIP to my real life friend and fellow from my hometown Derrick J Wyatt who was the Lead Character Designer for this and many other shows. He passed away a year or two ago. RIP
Those Raycons are the absolute truth. Comfort, affordability and functionality are top notch. You’re definitely able to have a spare pair due to costs and they look super cool.
Best version of Slade. Especially with Ron Perlman's slighty rage-y, eirrely calm delivery.
The cancelling of a show because TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE WATCHING is beyond idiotic.
The people behind Young Justice mentioned that. They were getting too popular with girls, which wasn't the target. So the network said it had to die.
YET DESPITE THAT, TT Go had air so much longer than either now and is on EVERY DAY
@lulukomadori9651 yeah but Go I think isn't aimed exclusively at boys like the original so it's a different story
They NEVER said that. Young Justice co-showrunner Greg Weisman had said over and over it’s because of the toyline failing.
man I used to love it when Peter Cullen did the voiceovers for the Toonami bumpers.
That commercial had Peter Cullen narrating it. I have now heard “Optimus Prime” say As If.😅
The early 2000s to up about 2007-8 were amazing on toonami. The golden age before one of the greatest falls I've ever seen. Once adult swim took toonami it was never the same. Cartoon Network was in a bad way by then.
GO! is still having more episodes, and I want that show to end already!
My kids run the gamut in ages, but they all love(d) the original Teen Titans series. When it was cancelled and replaced with the GO! version, they quickly lost interest. From what little I've seen of the series, I can totally understand why.
I loved the Teen Titans 2003 series. Though we never found out about the identity of the 2nd Red X ( Not our Robin DG) and many others mysteries like how Terra came back from a stone statue 😢😢
The fact we never got a proper complete conclusion to the Slade/deathstrike storyline is hella annoying to this day.
The fact go had the cojones to joke about it and throw it in the fans faces still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
I prefer the Young Justice animated series. Its writing is more inclusive of a larger cast of characters. The animation is fine, but I would like to have seen them do a season in the style of its predecessor.
I liked both of them
This cartoon series was amazing! TTG is forever an abomination for me as opposed to this series! This is the one true Teen Titans for sure! All 5 seasons are pretty wild! Also I have to give a shout out to the anti-racism episode they did! The episode with Lance Valor and his insulting comments to Starfire was very well done. It’s so cool to watch Starfire show how truly amazing she is throughout that episode and then leave Lance agitated about it in the end and the rest of the team backing her up in pushing him away in the end despite the fact that he seemed like such an amazing hero when they first met him! That episode is just brilliant! It will forever be one of my favorite superhero cartoon stories!
Never knew of the titans until this show, which is the reason I watched the live action show. This show was a lot of fun
When I finally got around to cutting the cord in 2017, Teen Titans seemed to be on 24-hour rotation on Cartoon Network.
The funny thing is that the more humorous Teen Titans was inspired by a more serious comic, while the serious-as-a-heart-attack Young Justice was inspired by (or at least named after) a comic book that was a lot closer to the Teen Titans show in tone.
The fact that they made a show with based on teens from the 60s and 80s to thumb their noses at those same people who were teens then and were now adults is pretty funny.
Is that Peter Cullen doing the ad read?
Yup that is definitely Peter Cullen!
Yeah, I remember it vividly. My thoughts were: This show is so awesome they got Optimus Prime to do ads for it!
Teen Titans cross over was such a well written movie. It truly captured both generations and i enjoy both shows for what they are.
I remember when the show was advertised for WB, then changed into a Cartoon Network exclusive ( which would later appear on WB,months later!) At first, the show struggled as Bruce Timm's Justice League was popular and many people were turned off by its 'americanime' art style( even though it was anime influenced, much like Kappa Mikey, it was made with what America thought anime was.) Luckily, the show proved popular and when the second rolled around, everyone was hooked! Even Speedies design was used in the last episode of Justice League Unlimited!
WoOhOoO! Thanks for this!
Ooh! I've got one for you! Do a video about Invader Zim. That show was so bizarre. My kid loved it, and my husband and I wound up loving it too.
My opinion, Teen Titans was aimed at a older audience (teens) who had no interest in the toys, which were clearly aimed at children, but made up a bulk of the audience. The games, quite frankly, were forgettable cash grabs. They might have stood out more if they went for a fighting game or some kind of racing game, we clearly weren't gonna get anything ambitious given the production values of both the console and handheld games, something that would give you ability to play as villains as well as the heroes. There was no real cool Teen Titans clothing merch available until after the series was finished. Basically, I don't think they know what demographic they were really trying to appeal to. Teen Titans Go was more clearly aimed at children, and gained that audience as result. Allowing them to capitalize on merch more. Hell, I see TTG birthday cards available, and it's perfect for kids who love that show.
Season 1 is by far the weakest season, so I was glad it found itself right before introducing Terra. As a fan of the DCAU I loved how this was a counterpoint show. Season 5 always felt tacked on, like it was extended at the last moment. Giving Teen Titans a JLU treatment would have been fun, though!
Gar Logan went by the Changeling in the 1980 reboot the New Teen Titans, as he himself said, "Beast Boy was for the birds."