I started out being a turtles fan thanks to the 2003 series. It was the first animated series where I saw a decapitation, characters dying, and grotesque imagery from a failed cloning experiment. I still need to read the Mirage comics, but I do like how the 2003 series adapted them. Fast Forward and Back to the Sewers completely ruined the series for me, and it's a shame that it ended that way.

The 80's/90's turtles show is a show I more appreciate than I do like. Yeah, it may be too corny for me to really get into, but aspects like Splinter being a human before turning into a rat is something I preferred over the original origin.

The 2012 series is the best of both worlds for me. It has good action like 2003 and the comedy of the old series, but the comedy is more refined, and the show knows when or when not to take itself seriously. I also like how they're establishing the "Teenage" part of the turtles, because with the exception of Mikey and maybe Raph, none of them really acted like teenagers. I also love what they did with Leo in the series. He was just a bland character at first, but they really helped making Leo more than just a character who gives orders. Donnie's relationship with April adds more to the socially awkward part of Donatello, which helps because not only is Donnie my favorite turtle, and this makes me relate to him more, but it's also the most logical for Donnie to be in love with someone he can't really do anything with, if you know what I mean.  

I started out being a turtles fan thanks to the 2003 series. It was the first animated series where I saw a decapitation, characters dying, and grotesque imagery from a failed cloning experiment.

The cloning expiriment was a reference to the original comics actually, The Shredder was originally intended to be killed off but he was so popular that it was retconned that the Shredder that was decapitated was actually a clone of the real Shredder. The turtles eventually had to face other Shredder clones and the real Shredder, there are some subtle references to this with Tengu Shreddder calling himself "the one true Shredder" which he indeed was.

Fast Forward and Back to the Sewers completely ruined the series for me, and it's a shame that it ended that way.

The sad thing is they were made as a knee jerk reaction to the really dark themes of the Tengu Shredder arc. 4 Kids who was involved with the creation of the cartoon felt that they went a bit far with that one which is why it took a while for the Tengu Shredder arc to actually air. I am going to definetely agree that Fast Forward and Back to the Sewers was a step backwards. There was a few good things and a couple of things that had potential but overall it felt very rushed to me and makes me think that the Tengu Shredder arc should have been saved for the series finale because after that stuff like that don't really even begin to compare.

I also love what they did with Leo in the series. He was just a bland character at first, but they really helped making Leo more than just a character who gives orders.

I really started to like Leo during the 2003 series because was saw him at his most vulnerable state. We saw him have doubts, lose his cool and even lose his mind. We saw him overcome fears and challenges, we saw a human side to him that before that was only present in the original comics.

Donnie's relationship with April adds more to the socially awkward part of Donatello, which helps because not only is Donnie my favorite turtle

Donatello has always been my favorite turtle though Raphael comes in a very close 2nd. I always thought it was really cool that he knew kickass ninja moves and could make gadgets.

What I mainly don't like about the 2012 series is their depiction of Michaelangello, he seems kind of stupid kind of really stupid and way too two dimensional. His doofus side is present in nearly every incarnation of him but I think they turn it up way too much in this one.

Mikey never really annoyed me in the 2012 series, but then again, I don't really get annoyed with characters like Mikey, but I will agree that this isn't my favorite version of him.

Yeah, Leo had a lot of dimension in him in the 2003, especially in Season 4 after he thinks he failed his family.

The cloning thing was about Baxter Stockman, in the episode "Insane in the Membrane," one of the most fucked up episodes of any animated series out there in my opinion. 

The cloning thing was about Baxter Stockman, in the episode "Insane in the Membrane," one of the most fucked up episodes of any animated series out there in my opinion. 

I know, I saw that but I am saying that that episode was indeed a reference to the Shredder clones in the comic even if the clone in question was Baxter Stockman instead of the Shredder.