Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987)

Action · Adventure · Animation

Four turtles fall into the sewers and are befriended by Hamato Yoshi a Japanese man sent to New York who was forced to live in the sewers. One day he sees a strange green glow which transforms the four turtles into human-like creatures. Hamato (now Master Splinter) changes into a giant rat from the green glow and teaches the turtles the skills of the ninja as they team up with news reporter April O'Neil to battle against Yoshi's arch enemy Shredder and Krang, an alien warlord from Dimension X.

IMDb rating: 7.9 (41,235 votes)
Episode average: 7.1 -0.8 vs IMDb
Seasons: 10
Streaming (US): Paramount+
Language: EN
Type: TV series

U-shaped trajectory: strong first and last seasons, a sag between. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well. See every U-shaped show in the explorer →

Browse all U-shaped shows in the explorer → Open in Rising Shows app → View on IMDb

Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 10 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1987)

7.78 avg 5 episodes 8.0 → 8.1 23 min avg

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Turtle Tracks	8.0	754
2	Enter: The Shredder	7.9	577
3	A Thing About Rats	7.6	489
4	Hot-Rodding Teenagers from Dimension X	7.3	471
5	Shredder & Splintered	8.1	475

Season 2 (1988)

7.21 avg 13 episodes 7.4 → 7.7 23 min avg

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Return of the Shredder	7.4	362
2	The Incredible Shrinking Turtles	7.3	335
3	It Came from Beneath the Sewers	6.9	303
4	The Mean Machines	7.0	295
5	Curse of the Evil Eye	7.4	297
6	Case of the Killer Pizzas	7.2	309
7	Enter: The Fly	7.6	299
8	Invasion of the Punk Frogs	7.2	282
9	Splinter No More	7.4	271
10	New York's Shiniest	6.9	266
11	Teenagers from Dimension X	6.8	257
12	The Catwoman from Channel Six	6.9	265
13	Return of the Technodrome	7.7	267

Season 3 (1989)

7.05 avg 47 episodes 7.4 → 7.6 23 min avg

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Beneath These Streets	7.4	237
2	Turtles on Trial	7.2	229
3	Attack of the 50-Foot Irma	6.6	229
4	The Maltese Hamster	7.2	218
5	Sky Turtles	7.2	224
6	The Old Switcheroo	7.5	223
7	Burne's Blues	7.0	212
8	The Fifth Turtle	6.7	217
9	Enter the Rat King	7.2	230
10	Turtles at the Earth's Core	7.3	215
11	April Fool	7.0	201
12	Attack of Big MACC	7.1	214
13	The Ninja Sword of Nowhere	7.4	215
14	20,000 Leaks Under the City	7.2	208
15	Take Me to Your Leader	7.4	208
16	Four Musketurtles	6.9	199
17	Turtles, Turtles Everywhere	6.7	189
18	Cowabunga Shredhead	7.9	230
19	Invasion of the Turtle Snatchers	6.8	190
20	Camera Bugged	6.8	191
21	Green with Jealousy	6.9	193
22	Return of the Fly	7.1	193
23	Casey Jones: Outlaw Hero	7.6	228
24	Mutagen Monster	6.7	187
25	Corporate Raiders from Dimension X	7.4	196
26	Pizza by the Shred	7.4	195
27	Super Bebop & Mighty Rocksteady	7.3	194
28	Beware the Lotus	6.8	180
29	Blast from the Past	6.4	178
30	Leatherhead: Terror of the Swamp	7.1	192
31	Michelangelo's Birthday	7.2	179
32	Usagi Yojimbo	7.2	193
33	Case of the Hot Kimono	6.6	172
34	Usagi Come Home	6.8	176
35	The Making of Metalhead	7.0	179
36	Leatherhead Meets the Rat King	7.5	186
37	The Turtle Terminator	6.5	176
38	The Great Boldini	6.6	170
39	The Missing Map	6.5	163
40	The Gang's All Here	6.6	160
41	The Grybyx	6.7	161
42	Mister Ogg Goes to Town	6.6	164
43	Shredderville	7.4	180
44	Bye, Bye, Fly	7.2	165
45	The Big Rip Off	7.1	162
46	The Big Break In	7.2	166
47	The Big Blow Out	7.6	177

Season 4 (1990)

6.99 avg 54 episodes 7.1 → 6.5 23 min avg

Mid-peak

Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Plan Six from Outer Space	7.1	161
2	Tower of Power	6.9	136
3	Rust Never Sleeps	7.2	133
4	A Real Snow Job	6.9	129
5	Venice on the Half Shell	7.2	126
6	Artless	7.0	126
7	Ring of Fire	7.1	126
8	The Irish Jig Is Up	7.4	126
9	Shredder's New Sword	7.5	129
10	The Lost Queen of Atlantis	7.2	123
11	Turtles on the Orient Express	6.9	129
12	April Gets in Dutch	7.0	122
13	Northern Lights Out	6.6	124
14	Elementary, My Dear Turtle	6.7	122
15	Turtles of the Jungle	6.4	138
16	Michelangelo Toys Around	6.2	149
17	Peking Turtle	6.8	144
18	Shredder's Mom	6.8	147
19	Four Turtles and a Baby	6.4	139
20	Turtlemaniac	6.7	136
21	Rondo in New York	7.2	134
22	Planet of the Turtles	7.1	175
23	Name That Toon	6.9	138
24	Menace Maestro, Please	7.1	131
25	Superhero for a Day	7.1	133
26	Back to the Egg	7.0	140
27	The Turtles and the Hare	6.9	138
28	Once Upon a Time Machine	7.8	134
29	Son of Return of the Fly II	7.4	135
30	Raphael Knocks 'em Dead	6.9	133
31	Bebop and Rocksteady Conquer the Universe	7.5	134
32	Raphael Meets His Match	7.1	143
33	Slash: The Evil Turtle from Dimension X	6.9	146
34	Leonardo Lightens Up	6.9	130
35	Were-Rats from Channel 6	7.4	134
36	Funny, They Shrunk Michelangelo	6.9	129
37	The Big Zipp Attack	7.1	129
38	Donatello Makes Time	6.8	128
39	Farewell Lotus Blossom	7.4	133
40	Rebel Without a Fin	7.0	136
41	Rhino-Man	7.6	128
42	Michelangelo Meets Bugman	7.0	131
43	Poor Little Rich Turtle	6.4	137
44	What's Michelangelo Good For?	6.7	122
45	The Dimension X Story	6.9	130
46	Donatello's Degree	6.8	128
47	The Big Cufflink Caper!	6.8	165
48	Leonardo Versus Tempestra	7.2	138
49	Splinter Vanishes	7.6	144
50	Raphael Drives 'em Wild	6.7	127
51	Big Bug Blunder	6.9	121
52	Beyond the Donatello Nebula	6.7	122
53	The Foot Soldiers Are Revolting	7.4	122
54	Unidentified Flying Leonardo	6.5	118

Season 5 (1991)

7.06 avg 20 episodes 7.6 → 7.5 24 min avg

Season 5 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	My Brother, the Bad Guy	7.6	135
2	Michaelangelo Meets Mondo Gecko	7.2	135
3	Enter Mutagen Man	7.2	133
4	Donatello's Badd Time	6.7	127
5	Muckman Messes Up	7.1	127
6	Michaelangelo Meets Bugman Again	6.7	124
7	Napoleon Bonafrog: Colossus of the Swamps	7.1	123
8	Raphael Versus the Volcano	6.7	128
9	Landlord of the Flies	6.9	124
10	Donatello's Duplicate	7.6	123
11	The Ice Creature Cometh	7.3	123
12	Leonardo Cuts Loose	7.4	125
13	Pirate Radio	6.8	129
14	Raphael, Turtle of a Thousand Faces	6.6	130
15	Zach and the Alien Invaders	6.8	123
16	Leonardo, the Renaissance Turtle	6.8	121
17	Welcome Back, Polarisoids	6.8	120
18	Michelangelo, the Sacred Turtle	7.0	120
19	Planet of the Turtleoids: Part 1	7.3	136
20	Planet of the Turtleoids: Part 2	7.5	140

Season 6 (1992)

7.18 avg 16 episodes 7.5 → 6.9 24 min avg

Season 6 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Rock Around the Block	7.5	123
2	Krangenstein Lives!	7.2	122
3	Super Irma	7.0	127
4	Adventures in Turtle-Sitting	6.9	122
5	Sword of Yurikawa	7.7	122
6	Return of the Turtleoid	7.2	115
7	Shreeka's Revenge	7.2	118
8	Too Hot to Handle	6.9	112
9	Nightmare in the Lair	7.3	126
10	Phantom of the Sewers	7.1	119
11	Donatello Trashes Slash	7.5	121
12	Leonardo Is Missing	7.1	118
13	Snakes Alive!	7.1	115
14	Polly Wanna Pizza	7.1	116
15	Mr. Nice Guy	7.2	111
16	Sleuth on the Loose	6.9	113

Season 7 (1993)

7.37 avg 14 episodes 8.0 → 7.6 24 min avg

Rollercoaster

Season 7 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Night of the Dark Turtle	8.0	129
2	The Starchild	7.2	115
3	The Legend of Koji	7.6	117
4	Convicts from Dimension X	6.7	108
5	White Belt, Black Heart	7.2	108
6	Night of the Rogues	8.1	133
7	Attack of the Neutrinos	7.1	108
8	Escape from the Planet of the Turtleoids	7.3	111
9	Revenge of the Fly	7.1	107
10	Atlantis Awakes	7.4	111
11	Dirk Savage: Mutant Hunter	7.3	112
12	Invasion of the Krangazoids	7.7	113
13	Combat Land	6.9	109
14	Shredder Triumphant	7.6	116

Season 8 (1994)

7.40 avg 8 episodes 7.6 → 7.4 24 min avg

Season 8 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Get Shredder!	7.6	117
2	Wrath of the Rat King	7.7	112
3	State of Shock	7.0	116
4	Cry H.A.V.O.C.!	7.1	106
5	H.A.V.O.C. in the Streets	7.2	105
6	Enter: Krakus	7.6	106
7	Cyber Turtles	7.6	125
8	Turtle Trek	7.4	115

Season 9 (1995)

7.35 avg 8 episodes 7.2 → 7.4 25 min avg

Season 9 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Unknown Ninja	7.2	112
2	Dregg of the Earth	7.2	105
3	The Wrath of Medusa	7.4	104
4	The New Mutation	7.4	109
5	The Showdown	7.3	104
6	Split-Second	7.4	104
7	Carter, the Enforcer	7.5	105
8	Doomquest	7.4	106

Season 10 (1996)

7.46 avg 8 episodes 7.2 → 8.0 24 min avg

Big finale

Season 10 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Return of Dregg	7.2	118
2	The Beginning of the End	7.3	122
3	The Power of Three	7.7	113
4	A Turtle in Time	7.4	108
5	Turtles to the Second Power	7.5	114
6	Mobster from Dimension X	7.2	114
7	The Day Earth Disappeared	7.4	116
8	Divide and Conquer	8.0	137

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987)

Cast

Seasons

Shows like this