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It’s hard to believe that the perennially popular show Teen Titans Go! is celebraing its 400th episode this month (Nov. 30) on Cartoon Network. Created by Michael Jelenic and Aaron Horvath and starring adolescent versions of Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, Raven and Beast Boy, the brightly colored 2D-animated show launched on April 23, 2013 as a comedic reboot of the flagship Teen Titans series that ran for five seasons. It continues to be a hilarious fixture on Cartoon Network with its Seinfeld-like silliness centered on minutiae, which still elicits infectious laughs from its loyal followers as it charges confidently through its current eighth season.
This aged-down iteration revolves around DC’s close-knit superhero team while they kick back at their tower headquarters in Jump City, playing video games, munching on pizza, doing laundry, singing about their love of various foods, unleashing silly pranks, sharing embarrassing secrets and fears and occasionally fending off diabolical criminal plots.
Over the years, its core vocal cast members of Scott Menville, Khary Payton, Hynden Walch, Tara Strong and Greg Cipes, who first performed together in Teen Titans, have forged an unbreakable bond that mirrors the same family dynamics Teen Titans Go! regularly depicts.
Funny for All Ages
Seasoned Teen Titans Go! executive producers and co-showrunners Peter Michail and Peggy Regan have been entrenched in all the unorthodox mayhem and kooky alchemy from the onset.
“I’m 47, and we’re writing stuff that makes me laugh as a 47-year old,” Michail admits to Animation Magazine. “The subject matter a lot of the time will be adult in nature, but once we really start diving into the script we never forget that our core audience is eight years old. Even though we might be talking about Hot Salad Water, we never forget we’re catering to them, but also catering to mom and dad, because if they don’t love the show they’re going to turn it off.”
Regan is the series’ capable ringmaster who originally hired Michail after delivering the basic pitch that it was about what the Titans were doing when they weren’t fighting crime.
‘A lot of the stories play on real-life stuff, like what you’ve got going on. Even if it’s mundane you could make it into something.’
— Exec producer/showrunner Peggy Regan
“That first season was safe in that we kept it in the DC world,” she adds. “Sure, they might go out and look for the missing sandwich, but it was played pretty safe. We were just reintroducing these characters to everyone, and once we had a season or two under our belt, Michael Jelenic, one of the showrunners, really did just open up the stories to anything. You can fight the Brain and Brother Blood in one episode and then the next episode can be about teaching healthcare.
“I have to credit Sam Register and Jay Bastian, and our bosses here at Warner Bros. Animation and the good folks at DC. They really support us. They trust us and leave us to create and just do what we do. There’s not a lot of meddling. That part of it is really cool, actually.”
As the series inches toward its 400th episode, titled “Bookyman,” it gets more and more difficult to develop original ideas without any hint of repetition, an obstacle Regan is well aware of.
“I think things like the 401(k) episode are relatable, and that’s how it gets the older crowd,” she explains. “We get away with a lot of stuff on Titans with them whacking each other. Kids are drawn to that physical mayhem. Pete will say, ‘Here we are at 400-plus, and it gets harder to figure out what the next script is.’ A lot of it plays on real-life stuff, like what you’ve got going on. Even if it’s mundane you could make it into something.”
Veteran voice actor Tara Strong (Rugrats, The Powerpuff Girls, The Fairly OddParents, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic) has been giving life to the telekinetic, human-demon character of Raven since Teen Titans kicked off back in 2003. She perfectly embodies the moody loner with a pitch-perfect presence that’s steadfast and introverted in her enchanting oddness.
“We’ve all been together as a cast for over 20 years, so when we go to comic cons we meet people in their 80s that watched the original with their kids who are now watching Teen Titans Go! with their grandkids,” says Strong. “I think there’s a few things that make a franchise magical, and all of those elements have to come together for longevity. It’s the writers, the visual artists, the voice-over actors, the directors and the engineers in the studio. There are so many pieces to a puzzle that go into making something a success. There’s something extra special about a cast that is like a family that authentically loves each other and grows together.”
‘We’re definitely looking at a Season 10 where we will hit that mega-milestone, and the studio is planning on doing something special for that. It’s not lost on us; we’ve been in the industry for decades, and we recognize that this is a rare thing to happen.’
— Exec producer/showrunner Peter Michail
Per Regan’s observations, that innate synchronicity and organic camaraderie shared by the show’s exceptional vocal cast was much more than simply a happy Hollywood accident.
“Andrea Romano cast them all in the original Teen Titans show,” Regan says. “Then Sam rebooted it as Teen Titans Go!, and he brought back the whole cast. That’s a machine that’s been running for 14 seasons together.”
Strong considers Raven and her idiosyncrasies to be an indelible component of her own personality, a symbiotic relationship that has evolved into a multifaceted role she relishes.
“I also love to meditate and love magic,” she says. “I love my alone time and I connect with her on a lot of different levels. We’ve grown together over the years, although some might suggest that Teen Titans Go! isn’t really an intellectual growth. To me, the most rewarding and important thing about Raven is how much she means and has meant to people throughout the decades. I’ll go to comic cons and meet people that say that they wanted to end their life until they met Raven. Or, ‘This got me through my parents’ divorce,’ or ‘This helped me make friends.’ It’s one of the No. 1 cosplays I see at comic cons. I take that honor very seriously. To have touched people’s lives around the world in this way feels very special.”
When pressed to choose which of the Teen Titans they identify with most, Regan immediately picks the optimistic alien princess Starfire, and Michail agrees wholeheartedly.
“I would say Starfire for Peggy, too,” he offers. “Peggy is the heart that holds the whole thing together, the same as Star. Starfire is the heart of that team. For me, I’m a mixture between Robin and Cyborg. There’s a lot of Robin-isms that I love. That character cracks me up the way Scott plays him. And I just love Khary’s optimism and his energy. He brought Cyborg to life.”
More Fun Ahead
After ushering in the arrival of Teen Titans Go!’s 400th episode this fall and the confetti settles, Michail and Regan consider what future milestones the series might march toward.
“We end this season with 458 episodes, so that is really close to 500, and 500 just sounds so good to everybody’s ears at Warner Bros.,” Michail muses. “So we’re definitely looking at a Season 10 where we will hit that mega-milestone, and the studio is planning on doing something special for that. Something Peggy and I are also proud of is that a lot of our crew has been with us since 2012 for Season 1. It’s not lost on us; we’ve been in the industry for decades, and we recognize that this is a rare thing to happen. We feel blessed and we’re so glad folks enjoy it.”
Episode 400 of Teen Titans Go! premieres Saturday, November 30 on Cartoon Network, which is celebrating with a month-long Titans takeover as part of its quadricentennial celebration (read more).
You can watch Teen Titans Go! on Cartoon Network and Sling. The show is also available to stream on most premium services.
