| Teen Titans | |
|---|---|
| Season 4 | |
 Digital cover art | |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Cartoon Network |
| Original release | January 17 (2005-01-17) – July 16, 2005 (2005-07-16) |
| Season chronology | |
← Previous Season 3 Next → Season 5 | |
| List of episodes | |
The fourth season of the animated television seriesTeen Titans, based on theDC comics series of the same name byBob Haney andBruno Premiani, originally aired onCartoon Network in the United States. Developed byGlen Murakami,Sam Register, and television writerDavid Slack. The series was produced byDC Entertainment andWarner Bros. Animation. It starsScott Menville,Hynden Walch,Khary Payton,Tara Strong, andGreg Cipes as the main characters.
The series focuses on a team of crime-fighting teenaged superheroes, consisting of the leaderRobin, foreign alien princessStarfire, greenshapeshifterBeast Boy, the dark sorceressRaven, and the technological geniusCyborg. The season focuses on Raven, whose destiny to be the key to the world's destruction causes secrets about her past to unravel and the return of her father and old enemy,Trigon.
The season premiered on January 15, 2005 and ran until July 16, broadcasting 13 episodes. The season marks the first time aTeen Titans season has never aired onKids' WB. On its sister network, it was replaced full-time by its related showThe Batman (2004–08) andWhat's New, Scooby-Doo? (2002–06).Warner Bros. Home Video released the fourth season on DVD in the United States and Canada on November 20, 2007. Upon its release, the season received critical acclaim particularity for its main storyline and its level of maturity.
Season four ofTeen Titans aired onCartoon Network from January 15 to July 16, 2005. The season was produced byDC Entertainment andWarner Bros. Animation, executive produced bySander Schwartz and produced byGlen Murakami,Bruce Timm and Linda M. Steiner. Staff directors for the series included Michael Chang, Heather Maxwell and Alex Soto.[1] The episodes for the season were written by a team of writers, which consisted of Richard Elliott, Melody Fox, Rob Hoegee, Greg Klein, Thomas Pugsley, Simon Racioppa,David Slack, and Amy Wolfram.[1] Producer Murakami worked with Derrick Wyatt, Brianne Drouhard, and Jon Suzuki on character design while Hakjoon Kang served as the background designer for the series.[1] The season employed a number of storyboard artists, including Eric Canete, Colin Heck, Kalvin Lee, Keo Thongkham, Scooter Tidwell, Alan Wan and Matt Youngberg.[1]
The five voice actors for the main characters -Scott Menville,Hynden Walch,Greg Cipes,Tara Strong, andKhary Payton - reprise their roles in the fourth season asRobin,Starfire,Beast Boy,Raven, andCyborg, respectively.Dee Bradley Baker recurs in the season, providing voices for several characters, including Space Monster in the episode "Stranded" andPlasmus in the episode "The End" Part 1.Kevin Michael Richardson returns to the series, providing the voice forTrigon, Raven's father and the season's main antagonist as well as voices for various roles, including The Bear and The Snake in the episode "The Quest" and reprises his role asMammoth andSee-More in the episode "Mother Mae-Eye".Ron Perlman reprised his role asSlade in the season.
Season four ofTeen Titans featured numerous guest actors providing voices for recurring and guest characters. In the episode "Don't Touch That Dial",Alexander Polinsky reprises his role as the villain Control Freak.[2] The episode also features the voices ofJeff Bennett,Rob Paulsen, andJames Arnold Taylor for various roles.[2] Veteran actorsTakayo Fischer andKeone Young provided voices for the characters Chu-Hui, Katarou and The Monkey in the episode "The Quest".[3]Rodger Bumpass reprised his role as the villainDoctor Light in the episode "Birthmark".[4] The episode "Cyborg the Barbarian" features the vocal talents ofKimberly Brooks as Sarasim andMichael Clarke Duncan as both Krall and Hayden.[5] The episode "Employee of the Month" featuredTom Kane voicing Beast Boy's boss Bob andRob Paulsen voicing the villain The Source.[6] In the episode "Troq",Stephen Root provides the voice of Val-Yor, an alien fighting a militia of robots while harboring hate towards Starfire and her race.[7] The episode "The Prophecy" featuresVirginia Madsen voicing the characterArella.[8]Jason Marsden played the villainBilly Numerous in the episode "Overdrive".[9] In the episode "Mother Mae-Eye",Billie Hayes provided the voice for the villain Mother Mae-Eye whileLauren Tom provided voices for the charactersGizmo andJinx.[10]
The fourth season ofTeen Titans performed well on Cartoon Network. The episode "The Quest" garnered a high 4.1 rating in the Kids 9-14 demographic (1.03 million viewers).[11] The episode "The Prophecy" garnered a 2.3 Nielsen rating in the Tweens 9-14 demographic (569,000 viewers) and a 2.0 in the Kids 6-11 demographic (482,000).[12] The episode "The End (Part 1)" garnered a 3.1 Nielsen rating in the Tweens 9-14 demographic (755,000 viewers) and 2.7 rating in the Kids 6-11 demographic (662,000 viewers).[13] The episodes airing in July average a 2.1 Nielsen rating in the Tweens 9-14 demographic (507,000 viewers).[14]
The season received critical acclaim. Mac McEntire ofDVD Verdict awarded the fourth season a score of 87, commending the writers for creating "smarter, deeper, and emotionally rich stories", highlighting Raven's story arc, and added that "the Terra storyline in Season Two showed that this series could handle bigger, more serious storylines. In Season Four, that's exactly what it delivers. For everyone who's waited for this show to grow up a little, this is the season in which that happens".[15] John Sinnott, writing forDVD Talk, deemed the fourth season release as "Highly Recommended". Sinnott commented that "the show continues its run of strong shows in this season. There's a lot of action, a good amount of humor, and even a few touching scenes. A fun show that's guaranteed to bring out the comic geek in everyone".[16] Randall Cyrenne of Animated Views was mixed in his review of the season, praising the variety of stories being told but found the stories either too comedic or too intense.[17]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 1 | "Episode 257-494 (a.k.a. Don't Touch That Dial)" | Heather Maxwell | David Slack | January 17, 2005 (2005-01-17) | 257–494 | 1.36[18] | ||||||||||||||
The Titans discover Control Freak is out of jail and in the television, hopping from channel to channel. Using the same device, The Titans get inside the television dimension and chase after Control Freak. The chase between the Titans and Control Freak, as well as his monsters, are causing damage to the viewers brain waves. Beast Boy, the couch potato of the group, leads the Titans in taking down Control Freak. Villain(s): Control Freak | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 41 | 2 | "The Quest" | Heather Maxwell | Amy Wolfram | January 29, 2005 (2005-01-29) | 257–495 | 1.73[11] | ||||||||||||||
After losing a fight of martial arts with the villain Katarou, Robin travels to Asia to find the True Master to train him in martial arts. While there, he encounters an elderly woman who prepares him for his meeting with the True Master through a series of tasks. Once complete, Robin faces off against Katarou, who followed him there to steal his apprenticeship with the True Master. Robin, along with the woman who reveals herself as the True Master, defeats Katarou and begins training. While Robin is away, the other Titans try to fill in the gap left by Robin by trying out his clothes and gadgets. Villain(s): Katarou | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 42 | 3 | "Birthmark" | Michael Chang | David Slack | February 5, 2005 (2005-02-05) | 257–496 | N/A | ||||||||||||||
Raven's birthday approaches, but she has no interest in celebrating it, wanting the day to pass. The Titans throw her a surprise birthday party, but Raven shuts it down, destroying the decorations. When the Titans respond to an alert, they face off againstSlade, who has acquired new powers and has a message from Raven's father, foretelling her destiny. During the battle between Slade and the Titans, Raven stops time, with only her, Slade and Robin unaffected. Villain(s):Dr. Light,Slade,Trigon | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 43 | 4 | "Cyborg the Barbarian" | Alex Soto | Richard Elliott & Simon Racioppa | February 12, 2005 (2005-02-12) | 257–497 | 0.90[19] | ||||||||||||||
Cyborg is accidentally thrown five thousand years into the past, and by coincidence comes to the aid of a young woman named Sarasim, whose tribe is under attack by a horde of creatures. While simultaneously becoming the tribe's savior, the battle wears out his batteries, and there is no place for him to recharge. Villain(s): Krall | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 44 | 5 | "Employee of the Month" | Alex Soto | Rob Hoegee | February 19, 2005 (2005-02-19) | 257–498 | N/A | ||||||||||||||
Amidst a series of UFO raids on farms (with the targets being cows, to everyone's mystification), Beast Boy wants a moped but has no money to get one of his own. Robin won't buy him one and Cyborg won't build one, so he gets a job at Mega Meaty Meat, a restaurant which sells nothing but meat. Beast Boy manages to overcome his distaste for meat in order to get the job, but his workplace proves to be more than just a restaurant, which turns out to be the home of an evil alien tofu leader, known as Newfu, who threatens to destroy the earth. Villain(s): Newfu | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 45 | 6 | "Troq" | Michael Chang | Amy Wolfram | May 9, 2005 (2005-05-09) | 257–499 | 0.94[20] | ||||||||||||||
Val-Yor, an alien, enlists the help of the Titans to fight an enemy of vicious-fighting machines called the Locrix. Despite his strength, courage and bravery, he displays a noticeable hatred for Starfire and otherTamaraneans, giving her the nickname "Troq", causing some discomfort among the team. Note: This is aspecial episode about racism. Villain(s): The Locrix | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 46 | 7 | "The Prophecy" | Heather Maxwell | Greg Klein & Tom Pugsley | June 4, 2005 (2005-06-04) | 257–500 | 1.05[12] | ||||||||||||||
Raven has been hiding a dark secret, but her secret is putting her teammates in danger. Slade is after her again and still wants her to become the portal. She finds that she is unable to escape the prophecy of her birth and decides to tell the rest of team her secret: she is Trigon's daughter. Villain(s): Slade, Trigon | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 47 | 8 | "Stranded" | Alex Soto | Melody Fox | June 11, 2005 (2005-06-11) | 257–501 | N/A | ||||||||||||||
When being attacked by an alien in outer space, the Titans inadvertently split the T-Ship apart. Stranded and separated on several different areas of an alien planet, the Titans must now find each other again. Beast Boy displays a bad hand in technological skills, even with simplified instructions from Cyborg, Raven is being followed around by small alien creatures, and Robin and Starfire must come to terms about their strong romantic feelings for each other. Villain(s): Shrieker the Space Monster | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 48 | 9 | "Overdrive" | Michael Chang | David Slack | June 18, 2005 (2005-06-18) | 257–502 | N/A | ||||||||||||||
Cyborg installs a new computer chip into his circuits, greatly strengthening and increasing his speed and efficiency eight times over. When a multiplyingmetahuman, Billy Numerous, appears on the scene, Cyborg may give up a lot to try and catch him. Villain(s): Billy Numerous, Adonis | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 49 | 10 | "Mother Mae-Eye" | Heather Maxwell | David Slack | June 25, 2005 (2005-06-25) | 257–503 | 1.23[21] | ||||||||||||||
Summoned through an enchanted pie delivered to the Tower, Mother Mae-Eye manages to induce mind-control over all the Titans, mentally regressing them into obedient, sweet "children" who regard her as their mother. When Starfire is accidentally knocked out of the villain's mind-control during a mission against the H.I.V.E. Five, she realizes the truth behind Mother and attempts to bring her fellow Titans' minds back. Villain(s): H.I.V.E. Five (Gizmo,Jinx,Mammoth, See-More, Private HIVE), Mother Mae-Eye | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 50 | 11 | "The End" | Alex Soto | Amy Wolfram | July 2, 2005 (2005-07-02) | 257–504 | 1.41[13] | ||||||||||||||
| 51 | 12 | Michael Chang | Rob Hoegee | July 9, 2005 (2005-07-09) | 257–505 | 1.02[18] | |||||||||||||||
| 52 | 13 | Heather Maxwell | David Slack | July 16, 2005 (2005-07-16) | 257–506 | 1.36[18] | |||||||||||||||
Part 1: The day Raven has feared has come and Raven does her best to make her final day with the Titans the best. When Slade comes to claim her, the rest of the Titans won't let go without a fight. Villain(s): Plasmus, Trigon, Slade Part 2: Raven and the Earth have been destroyed and Trigon takes over, casting Slade out with the rest of the Titans. With Raven's "farewell blessing" and the mystical ring of Azar, the rest of the Titans spread out to fight off Trigon while Slade and Robin search for Raven. Villain(s): Nega Starfire, Nega Cyborg, Nega Beast Boy (all 3 negative-selves), Slade, Trigon Part 3: Robin rescues a seven-year-old version of Raven, who has been stripped of both her powers and her memories, but still thinks she must hold the key to Trigon's defeat. Also down in Trigon's realm, Slade fights a demonic guard to regain his "flesh and blood". Meanwhile, the three other Titans are fighting for their lives against evil doppelgangers of themselves. The originals find that they are not successful trying to fight the darker and evil doppelgangers, so Starfire suggests that they switch opponents. They later re-join with Robin and a young Raven to face their strongest and most powerful enemy yet: Trigon the Terrible, and Raven's true power may not be all gone. Villain(s): Slade (temporary ally), Trigon, Nega Starfire, Nega Cyborg, Nega Beast Boy (all three negative-selves) | |||||||||||||||||||||
The DVD boxset was released on November 20, 2007 in the United States and Canada. It features a series title "Teen Titans: Know Your Foes", a featurette which is segmented for each of the series' main villains.[22]
| Teen Titans - The Complete Fourth Season | |||||
| Set details | Special features | ||||
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| DVD release date | |||||
 United States |  Canada | ||||
| November 20, 2007 (2007-11-20)[23][24] | |||||
