This petition is to revive the animated series "Rise of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" which was shut down in 2022.

“Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”  (Rise) is an animated series based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) franchise, released in 2018 by Ant Ward and Andy Suriano and produced by Nickelodeon. It replaced the animated series “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” by Ciro Nieli in the channel's lineup, which came to an end in November 2017.

Although the series received a lukewarm reception from critics at first, its popularity has continued to grow over the years. Indeed, with this project, Ant Ward and Andy Suriano wanted to bring something new to the franchise by offering an adaptation that was radically different from its predecessors. 
Unfortunately, this didn’t appeal to a large part of the community, until the arrival of Season 2 in the fall of 2019, which finally seemed to win over the fans. But that’s when Nickelodeon decided to shut down the series, cutting Season 2 to about twenty episodes instead of the fifty in the first season. And thus pushing the series into oblivion.
The main reason ? Merch sales weren’t high enough to secure the series’ future.

According to several reports, the first wave got off to a pretty good start but then sales dried up completely (likely because 3/4 of sales were made for Christmas 2018 : if all the kids had already gotten their Ninja Turtles under the tree, why would they buy the exact same thing nine months later ?). This observation was made by JJ Conway, one of the series’ recurring directors.
But maybe Rise wasn't a TMNT series to be considered on par with the others. It was created to appeal to both longtime fans and newcomers. Perhaps a medium like a 2D fighting video game would have been better suited for a series that is beloved for its animation quality and combat. Especially considering that in the same year, a game like “Dragon Ball Fighterz” in 2,5D sold 2 million copies worldwide.

That said, in August 2022, the series was given a fitting “ending” with a movie on Netflix. However, the events depicted in the movie were not originally planned as part of the series’ canon, this was done to appeal to a wide audience, including both fans and casual viewers. In fact, the series was originally intended to run for at least five seasons.
We know this thanks to Bilal Morri’s thread on X, but it was also confirmed with the release of "The Art of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"  this past April 2026 by Colin Stein, which many Rise fans and even TMNT fans in general, rushed to order.

To sum it up, "Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" suffered from :
 
- the popularity of its predecessors
- a lack of marketing
- and botched merchandise

Everything was lined up to ensure the series wouldn’t succeed. And yet it had so much to offer.
For everyone who gave it a chance to watch it, at best, it became his favorite version, and at worst, it's a cool show. After 31 years and a dozen different iterations, only Andy Suriano and Ant Ward dared to offer something different and unique, and it's for that Rise deserves to exist. Personally, I’ve never met anyone who came away from Rise untouched. It’s a series that has had an impact on every fan who’s seen it. You only have to look at viewers’ reviews and nominations today, in 2026 (link at the end of the petition)

It’s been four years now, and in that time the fanbase has grown significantly. Curious to see this one show the franchise is trying, somewhat sheepishly, to move away like it never existed.
Since then, Nickelodeon has also released a new film adaptation of the franchise : 
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles : Mutant Mayhem” which spawned a sequel in the animated series “Tales of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” aired on Paramount+ : canceled. 
The movie “The Last Ronin” an adaptation of the famous TMNT comics, produced by Paramount : also canceled. 
As for the sequel to “Mutant Mayhem”, its release date has been pushed back to 2027.
This has been the franchise's fate ever since the Ciero Nieli series in 2012.

“Shut down Rise” means closing the door on the possibility of growth and innovation, it dooms the entertainment industry to never renew itself. It's a series that is deeply in love with art and animation, an ode to creativity and tolerance, the combination of great artists, from whom everyone draws a formative and unique experience from Rise, but above all, a deep sense of gratitude for having been able to experience an adventure like this one. 
We are heading toward a world where capitalism prevails over artistic values, endlessly repeating the same things in the hope of recapturing a past glory : but that's not progress, it's a step backward. 
Change can be scary, but it’s necessary. That’s what Ant Ward and Andy Suriano wanted to convey when they created Rise : not to change that franchise forever, but simply to look at it from a different angle, to draw new lessons from it or amplify certain ones. It's because they love TMNT so much that they wanted to portray the values of family, sacrifice, and legacy with humor but also with pain… because it’s normal to be afraid, to be sad, to feel anxious, to be misunderstanding but it’s by facing the unknown that we can draw out its full light and rise.

Signing this petition is a way to show our love for Rise, for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but even more so for entertainment. You don't need to be familiar with the series to support it, signing this petition isn't just about saving a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series : it's about fighting to preserve art. It’s only by fighting and speaking out that we can do it.
And even if Nickelodeon sticks with its decision to shut down the show, they could at least sell the rights to another studio that could take over.
Thank you to everyone who has signed this and other petitions. Let’s show that we deserve to have such wonderful shows on our screens for both current and future generations.

 "Man, I really, really miss working on Rise" Josh Brener (Donnie Voice Actor)

 "This show impacted me in ways I can't even explain" Brandon Mychal Smith (Mikey Voice Actor)

"Home is where you find the most comfort. For the Turtles, it was sewer, the smell of pizza, and 122/8. For me, it was Rise" Thanh Dang (Color Stylist) 

"We told stories from the heart, from our own experiences as fathers, sons, brothers, and friends, and we got to tell them with an incredible backdrop of hidden cities, battle nexuses, ans bonkers action sequences" Andy Suriano (co-creator)

 "when Ant and I presented our talented, hardworking team with the unfortunate news that the series was prematurely ending [...] or attempt to do the near impossible : Wrap up two-plus seasons of stories in four episodes with half the time to do them. The response is one I will cherish forever - every single crew member emphatically wanted to stay [...] In my nearly 30 years in this industry, this was completely unheard of" Andy Suriano (co-creator)

"This was never a reboot but rather a reimagining. To the futur generation of artists and storytellers, stick to your guns, tell the stories you want to tell, and don't let the Hollywood machine beat you down" Ant Ward  (co-creator)

"There it is gentleman…Our home, what a town"

"And if it needs defending, we'll always rise to the challenge"

Let's them rise again

 

IMDB - Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (movie)
IMDB - Rise of theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Rotten Tomatoes - Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 
Rotten Tomatoes - Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (movie)
Wikipedia - Awards and Nominations Rise
X - Bilal Morri Thread
Amazon - "The Art of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" Colin Stein