Nickelodeon Reimagines the Iconic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in All-New Animated Series, "Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"

New Series, Launching Fall 2018, Will Expand the Turtles' World, Introducing New Villains and Allies to a More Mystical New York City

NEW YORK -- Nickelodeon, the number-one kids' network, will reimagine its iconic, global franchise, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with an all-new, 26-episode 2D-animated series, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (working title), launching fall 2018. Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles follows this band of brothers as they encounter new allies and villains and discover a magical world they never knew existed beneath the streets of New York City. The new 2D series is co-executive produced by Andy Suriano (character designer, Samurai Jack) and Ant Ward (supervising producer, current Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) at Nickelodeon in Burbank, Calif. The news was announced at Nickelodeon's Upfront presentation, held today in New York City.

"The Turtles is a property that has reinvention in its DNA, which keeps it fresh and relevant to every new generation while satisfying the demand from its adult fans," said Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon Group. "Turtles has been an incredibly important franchise for us since we reignited it five years ago, and we're excited for the new series to take the characters in a different direction with more humor, a younger and lighter feel and all-new dimensions to explore."

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will follow Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo on all-new adventures as they seek to unlock the mystical secrets of New York City. From the tallest skyscraper to the dankest sewer drain, the Turtles will encounter absurd new mutants and battle bizarre creatures all while enjoying their favorite slice of pizza. Tapping into mystic, ninja powers they never knew existed, the four brothers must learn to work together and navigate the perils of the modern age and hidden realms in order to fulfill their destiny to become a team of heroes.

Andy Suriano is an artist, illustrator and performer, and an Emmy and Annie Award-winning character designer and storyboard artist. His past credits include: Star Wars: Clone Wars, The Fairly OddParents, Duck Dodgers, Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends, Disney's Mickey Mouse shorts, Samurai Jack, and The Powerpuff Girls, among others.

Ant Ward is an animator, writer and producer best known for his work as supervising producer on Penguins of Madagascar and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Emmy Award-winner was integral to developing Nickelodeon's CG-animation pipeline.

The new season of Nickelodeon's current CG-animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will premiere Sunday, March 19, at 9 a.m. (ET/PT). Brand-new episodes will continue to air on Nickelodeon.

Considered one of the most popular kids' television programs of the 1980s, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a classic, global property created in 1984 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It first debuted as a successful comic book series and then became a hit animated TV show, a live-action television series and later spawned numerous blockbuster theatrical releases. The property is a global consumer products powerhouse, winning in every category that has hit shelves to date - with toys, apparel, video games, DVDs and more - and generating billions of dollars at retail. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has been the number-one action figure for the past three years and the franchise is a previous recipient of the Toy Industry Association's top honor for Property of the Year at the TOTY Awards.

Nickelodeon year to date is the number-one kids' network, with the top shows on all TV in every key demo--the top 10 among Kids 2-11; nine of the top 10 with Kids 6-11; and six of the top 10 shows for Kids 2-5. Nick recently marked its third straight year at number one with kids, outpacing the competition most recently in 2016 by double digits. Nickelodeon also had the top shows in every demo in 2016: nine out of the top 10 with Kids 2-11; six of the top 10 with Kids 6-11; and six of the top 10 preschool programs.

Nickelodeon, now in its 37th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 20 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).