Beware the Batman isn’t the only new addition to the DC Nation block; Teen Titans Go! is also in the pipeline. Producers Michael Jelenic and Aaron Horvath were at Comic-Con to discuss the new animated series, and they were quick to point out that it’s different from the original Teen Titans animated series. It’s comedic and has absolutely no ties to its predecessor except for the characters (and the actors voicing them) and won’t necessarily follow any continuity established with the characters in that show.
Jelenic explains, “This series basically takes those core characters. We’re going to have the same voice cast, the same characterization as the original Teen Titans and we’re putting them in new situations, primarily comedic situations. There’s almost zero fighting. If they are fighting, they’re fighting over stuff like who gets to make a sandwich. They use their powers, but they use them primarily in a comedic way. And also Robin is kind of made the fool in this series. He’s the only guy who doesn’t have superpowers, so that’s a big insecurity for him.”
Given the changes and that Teen Titans have some pretty dedicated fans, Horvath said, “We’re terrified of what the hardcore fan base is going to think. There’s no continuity. In fact, the marching orders were this is not that series. We’re not linking up. Even if we tried, our tone is so different it wouldn’t match up.” Jelenic knows some fans will be disappointed but offered this reassuring viewpoint: “What I really think the appeal of the old show was is the five main characters and how they interacted. That is definitely carried over. Those five characters were made for sort of a sitcom format. They’re sort of old friends, and that’s what we’re trying to go for. We’re trying to go for a bunch of people’s first year at college sort of tone.” They’re all living together away from adult supervision. Hijinks will ensue.
They producers said they've definitely been influenced by the New Teen Titans shorts that have already appeared in the DC Nation block but added that even those are too inside. Viewers won’t need to know anything about the DC universe to enjoy the show. As opposed to Jelenic, Horvath doesn’t have a comic book background. His background is with MAD TV. They were intentionally paired to play off each other. Horvath says one reason he’s involved is because they knew he wouldn’t be precious about jokes. Jelenic reinforced that: “They want to stay away from being too loyal to these old shows. They don’t want someone from the old show to put in a joke that only they would get. Aaron has no loyalty.” He can look at the universe with a fresh perspective.
As far as the format, the show will consist of two 11-minute stories, a la Adventure Time and Regular Show. They will be self-contained and there won't be any themes or overreaching arcs that stretch across the season. Horvath teased, “We don’t believe in themes.”
At the panel, Jelenic and Horvath reviewed the above and confirmed they won’t be pulling characters from outside the Titans-verse just yet. They’ve got plenty to keep them busy. Jelenic said, “We want to mostly stick to the characters the old show had; I don’t think we’re going to be bringing in outside characters. There will just be a couple of exceptions.” Trigon will definitely appear. They also teased some images of the Titans' apartment, and the humorous tone shined through in the art.
Teen Titans Go! will join DC Nation in 2013.
