It's no secret I'm a fan of the old Teen Titans. There's a lot of great stories and Marv Wolfman really established who these characters were. We've seen a Teen Titans animated series before and now they're back...sort of. Teen Titans Go! isn't necessarily a continuation of the previous run but it does feature the return of the main voice cast.
Before the show even aired, many were quick to condemn it. The assumption is this show is directly responsible for the cancelation of Young Justice and Green Lantern: The Animated Series. Animated shows don't work that way. People shouldn't make assumptions without having all the facts.
While there has been some hate over this show, the viewing numbers have been released. How did it do?
It was the #1 kids program of the day on basic cable among boys 2-11, 6-11, 9-14 and male teens. It also ranked #1 in its time period among kids 2-11 and 6-11 as well as boys 2-11, 6-11, 9-14 and male teens. It also did better in its time slot than its competitors on Nickelodeon and Disney XD by double- and triple-digits among the shows key demos of kids 6-11 and boys 6-11.
There are more numbers from NHI Galaxy Explorer, Live+Same Day U.S. AA rating. Teen Titans Go! had more than two million viewers. Among boys 6-11, the rating score improved Cartoon Network's performance in that time slot by 117% versus the previous week.
Is the show perfect? Is it everything we comic fans would want in a Teen Titans show? Of course not. Did I chuckled several times? Yes. Did my daughter enjoy a special night of TV viewing (she doesn't normally watch TV during the week)? Absolutely.
Here's the thing, Teen Titans Go! is a light-hearted show. That doesn't mean I didn't like Young Justice or the New 52 'edgy' versions. I'm just totally okay with a show that's meant to be fun. Comics are getting to be too serious as it is. Some may argue over that but that's why we're all entitled to our own opinion.
You can't argue that the show has a great voice cast. Khary Payton as Cyborg did crack me up. Saying a line like "You're gonna need a drink of water with this hot sauce, baby!" when he's shooting his canon makes no sense but in his boisterous delivery, it's over the top and hilarious. Another scene had Beast Boy falling so what does he do? He turns into a cat so he could land on his feet. Absurd but, again, it made me laugh.
The show is split into two 11 minute episodes, in the vein of Adventure Time. The first episode, "Legendary Sandwich" has the team in search of the elements for the perfect sandwich.
I will admit when I first saw this clip, I wasn't won over. But check out our interviews with Khary Payton and Greg Cipes (Beast Boy) to get an idea of the energy and passion they have for the show.
The second part, "Pie Bros" was actually written by Will Friedle (voice of Terry McGinnis and others). Again, it's a ridiculously absurd episode but you will not be able to get that pie song out of your head.
Check out poor Beast Boy's dilemma.
The show is not for everyone. It's not meant to be. Look at the demographics from the numbers released. You can see who they're aiming for. But that doesn't mean it can't be for everyone. I love these characters. These sort of shows all seem to have a limited run. It's the way the industry works. Blaming the next show for the end of a previous one just doesn't make sense. I will continue to watch the show and simply have fun while doing so. That's the important thing for me. Hopefully you'll give it a shot. If it's not your thing, that's fine. Hopefully you can find something else to enjoy.
When I say "I want" you say "pie!" I want...