It’s been two months since our last TMNT cartoon review. Two months. In that time, we’ve covered the release of Out of the Shadows, several comic releases, brand new toys, figures, costumes, and many other subjects. We’ve had crossover events and blu-ray announcements. But in all of this Turtle awesomeness it feels like the one thing we haven’t gotten is a new episode of Nick’s TMNT. There’s not even a date for when it returns. The most I’ve seen so far is a post on the show’s official Facebook page from June 8th, showing the cast back in the studio recording. In that post is a reply stating new episodes will air in the fall, with previews to hit this summer.

I don’t want to start off on the wrong foot here (pun intended). I understand that it takes a lot to put together a tv show, especially an animated one. The creators have been really solid each season too, so I want them to take their time and put out the best product they can. This opinion isn’t about wanting new episodes right now, although that would be nice, rather it’s about the lack of communication companies like Nickelodeon have with their fans.

I don’t want to minimize the difficulty of Nickelodeon’s job either. Not everybody watches television the same way anymore. Some people have cable, some people DVR everything, and some people stream. I personally bought the season on Google Play and watch on my Chromecast or PC. It can’t be easy advertising to all of these venues. Even so, Nick’s website doesn’t have any information on when episodes will continue. I seek out information and the best I’ve found is the above mentioned Facebook post and a fan mentioned an Instagram account. The TMNT wiki doesn’t have any information. It feels like the collective internet is void of official information.

That is insanely frustrating. Not just as someone who writes reviews, but as a general fan. Our younger fans might not be familiar with this line, but TV used to follow the statement “same time, same channel.” For my parents, who watched the original Batman show in the 60s, it was “same bat time, same bat channel” and for me growing up with wrestling, it was “same warrior time, same warrior channel.” Shows rely on consistency. If I don’t know when a new episode is coming, what is supposed to keep me interested? The rumor right now is that new episodes will return in September. That will make it five months with no new episodes. They didn’t even take advantage of a new Turtle movie in theaters. What are they thinking?

This isn’t the first time Nick has done this either. They pulled similar shenanigans with The Legend of Korra, with unannounced breaks between episodes, a move from Sunday afternoons to Friday nights, and finally pulling the show from TV altogether and showing it online only.

Nick isn’t the only channel guilty either. Does anyone know when Steven Universe episodes will air? Cartoon Network holds episodes for what feels like a month, only to drop five episodes in five days, and then put it on hiatus again. Adventure Time has moved day and time slots so many times I lost count.

I’m also a big fan of The Flash and Arrow. I know exactly when those shows air. I know exactly when the midseason break is happening, itself a recent invention, and I know exactly when it ends. I’m eagerly looking forward to new episodes of each show, because I know when to expect them. Was “Earth’s Last Stand” a midseason finale? Was it a season finale? Does anyone know? When do I tune in again?

Apparently Nick is going to answer these questions soon. But with a market stacked with Ninja Turtles, and a less than stellar performance for Out of the Shadows at the box office, will anyone still care?

What do you think? Do you share my frustrations with the state of animated shows? Do you enjoy the surprise of new episodes? Or would rather be informed about when your favorite shows will air? Let us know in the comments!