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If you've been following my for blog for the past 10 years, then you would know I've been a big of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles since 1987. Like many kids growing up in the late 1980s, I watched the original TMNT animated series. While the cartoon has unfortunately aged quite a bit over years, it's still my favorite TMNT series; though, I did enjoy the 2012 computer-animated series.

Last year, Nickelodeon debuted the fourth TMNT animated series, titled Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,which is oddly similar to the first episode of the 2012 series, Rise of the Turtles. The pilot episode, Mystic Mayhem, was also released "free" on YouTube. Since I love anything that is free, I did watch Mystic Mayhem when it debuted. Let's just say the new animation style didn't appeal to me right away, as well as the many unnecessary character changes; so I made no attempt to watch the new series. That being said, after seeing the art cover for the Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles DVD, my interest was reignited and I thought it would give the series another chance.

Nickelodeon; 89 minutes; Amazon

The current Nickelodeon TMNT series is coming to the end this year. The fifth season, which is retitled as Tales of the Teenage Mutant Turtles, has been a rocky one for fans, as Nickelodeon has been airing only two or three episodes at a time before going on hiatus for several weeks. The most recent episodes have been airing on NickToons.

Now available on DVD is Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady, featuring the upcoming special "Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady," the flashback episode "Lone Rat and Cubs," and an exclusive Ice Cream Kitty music video.

"Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady" is technically three episodes (Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady, The Foot Walks Again!, and The Big Blowout), but it's featured as 67 minute movie/special on the DVD.  The plot involves the 1987 Krang and Shredder bringing the technodrome to the Nickelodeon TMNT's dimension, where they enlist the new Bebop & Rocksteady, along with the 1987 robot foot soldiers, to help them conquer New York City by opening a portal to Dimension X. To stop the Shredder and Krang, the turtles must join forces with the 1987 teenage mutant ninja turtles.

"Lone Rat and Cubs" is a flashback episode that takes place fifteen years prior, where Master Splinter is telling the young turtles the story of how he found them as babies (back when they were first mutated) and how he survived a fight against the Kraang.

Nickelodeon; Not Rated; 247 minutes; Walmart

Now available on DVD from Nickelodeon is Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Super Shredder, featuring the final seven of the episodes from the fourth season of the current TMNT series, as well as the first four episodes from the fifth season, retitled "Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." There are no special features or extras on the two-disc set.

The final episodes of the fourth season introduces the turtles (Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo) to the Supper Shredder, aka the mutated version of Shredder, who is determined to destroy the turtles and their master Splinter once and for all. By the season's end, Shredder finally gets his revenge; all leading to a final deadly confrontation with the turtles.

Other storylines during the season includes the turtle's human friend April O'Neil becoming possessed with the evil spirit Aeon in "The Power Inside Her"; an alien named Tokka arrives on Earth looking for her baby boy in "Tokka VS. The World"; and a fox-mutant name Alopex comes to New York City to kill Tiger Claw in "Tale Of Tiger Claw."

The fifth and final season has a new opening theme song and title sequence, and has been renamed to "Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." The first four episodes are included on the second discs. The main plot of the episodes involves Tiger Claw summoning the demon Kavaxas (voiced by Mark Hamill) in the attempt to resurrect Shredder from the dead. Of course the turtles and their pals will do anything they can to save the day.

The eleven episodes on the two-disc set are:

With the last fragment of the Black Hole Generator in the Triceraton's possession, the Turtles race back to New York City for a final showdown against the alien threat. But even if they save Earth from total annihilation, will their city ever be the same?

Not Rated; 267 minutes; $19.99; Amazon

As I'm writing this, it looks the Michael Bay produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows will have a decent opening weekend at the box-office. The sequel is coming out while the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles computer-animated series is on hiatus. In the meantime, TMNT fans can enjoy watching the recent Nickelodeon DVD release - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Beyond The Known The Universe, featuring the first 12 episodes of the fourth season. The 2-disc set has one special feature, TMNT: Kicking Shell and Taking Names.

At the end of the third season, an alien race called the Triceratons activated the a black hole device that destroyed Earth. Seconds before the destruction of the planet, Fugitoid, an android, arrives in his spaceship in the nick of time to save Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Donatello, April O'Neil and Casey Jones. The android needs their help to travel back in time six months earlier to stop the Triceratons from creating the black hole generator.

Season four picks up exactly where it left off, with the turtles and their human friends traveling across the universe to retrieve the parts to the black hole generator, so they can change history. Sadly, upon their first visit to another planet, the turtles accidentally run across a new enemy, Lord Dregg. Later, they also encounter a cyborg bounty hunter shark, Utroms, Salamanders and other aliens on their journey.

The episodes on the 2-disc set are:

Disc1 Beyond the Known Universe The Moons of Thalos 3 The Weird World of Wyrm The Outlaw Armaggon Riddle of the Ancient Aeons Journey to the Center of Mickey's Mind The Arena of Carnage

Disc 2 The War for Dimension X The Cosmic Ocean Trans-Dimensional Turtles Revenge of the Triceratons The Evil of Dregg