Watch Half-Shell Heroes: Blast to the Past For Free

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When I first discovered that Nickelodeon was going to release a new Ninja Turtles special entitled “Half-Shell Heroes,” I figured that it would be designed primarily for younger viewers. Nowadays, networks like Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network want to make sure they’ve got as wide of an audience as possible, so they take properties designed for an older audience and use them to create new cartoons aimed at younger audiences. For evidence of this, one needs only look at shows like Marvel’s Super Hero Squad or DC’s Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

One could argue that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles already reaches younger audiences, but a studio like Nick isn’t about to leave potential profits on the table. Although that may have been the reasoning behind Nick’s newest interpretation of the TMNT, what we got as a result actually ended up being quite impressive – even if you’re not the primary audience for the show. Don’t believe me? Well, you can check out the Half-Shell Heroes special for yourself on Nickelodeon’s website. Unlike some of their other content, Half-Shell Heroes: Blast to the Past is entirely free to watch and will not require you to verify your cable provider.

Clocking in at just under an hour, there’s plenty of TMNT action to check out here. As a matter of fact, there was so much going on in Blast to the Past that I was honestly shocked by the direction they took. If the Half-Shell Heroes premiere is any indication, we’re in for quite a ride should they develop this into a full series. From the very start of the special, we are greeted with awesome new additions such as a transforming robot turtle (a la Transformers), time travel to the cretaceous period, dinosaur mounts for each turtle and more. It’s as if Brandon Auman decided to take this opportunity to throw in everything he couldn’t fit into Nick’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. Is it a little ridiculous? Sure it is, but it’s also really awesome.

Featuring voice acting from the cast of Nick’s original TMNT series, this truly feels like a proper side story for our beloved heroes in a half shell. If I may be so bold, it’s actually quite nice to see them traditionally animated in 2D once more.

What do you think? Go check out the series for yourself right now and let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Half-Shell Heroes: Blast to the Past is set to air on Nickelodeon in just a few weeks on November 22nd, but you can check it out right now for free! Take advantage of this opportunity while you can, because Nick doesn’t usually keep their free content up for very long. If you miss it, make sure to catch it again when it airs at the end of November.