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Teen Titans GO! Tara Strong on Celebrating 400 Episodes, Show's Legacy

Teen Titans GO! star Tara Strong spoke with us about why the animated franchise has endured, her favorite Raven moments, and so much more.

It's hard to top the filmography of Tara Strong, one of the most venerable voice artists of all time. The 660+ projects – past and upcoming – she's been involved with include Powerpuff Girls, My Little Pony, Marvel, The Fairly OddParents, and the huge impact that she's had on DC, voicing various characters with major roles as Batgirl and Harley Quinn. One of the series she's sustained her longest legacy in is Teen Titans and its less-serious counterpart, Teen Titans GO!, reaching a milestone mostly unheard of in animation, much less live-action TV – 400 episodes, making it the longest-running DC animated series ever. It's far more impressive to think about considering the only other American animated series to reach that milestone is Fox's The Simpsons – and as a point of reference, Comedy Central's South Park sits at 325. To mark Teen Titans Go! 400th episode, Strong spoke to Bleeding Cool about a variety of subjects, including what she feels is the secret to the franchise's longevity, why the series doesn't get the recognition it should, and her favorite Raven moment.

Tara Strong on 'Teen Titans' Franchise's Secret to Success

Bleeding Cool: What do you think is the secret to the success of the 'Teen Titans' franchise?

The magic of 'Titans' is this extraordinary cast that's been together for over 20 years, and we ARE a family. We've been through marriages, divorces, children, loss of parents, all kinds of life things together, and we authentically love each other. That translates on the show, whether it's the original or 'Go!' Longevity comes from keeping it fresh, right? We had a different show in the original one, and hopefully, we'll get to revisit that someday. We then have 'Go!' This super fun show that makes people laugh and brings families together and brings joy.

Keeping it fresh is something 'Go!' is proficient at. With the 200th episode, we had ourselves [actors] animated, talking to ourselves [the characters]. Now, we have this fantastic one for the 400th episode, which is going to be on November 30th, where there's stop-motion done by Stoopid Buddy [Stoodios]. It's so well done and so fun, and they keep it fresh, funny, and silly. It's one of the few shows that's pure enjoyment for the entire family. If you're not laughing, you're a grouch [laughs].

There's so much animation out there that's got shorter spans, and yet you maintain. Even as an animated institution, you guys belong on the pantheon of other [long-running] shows, and it's not talked about enough. 'The Simpsons' and 'South Park' get all the mentions, but 'Teen Titans' doesn't get the recognition it deserves because you only did one reimagining from the original 'Teen Titans' to 'Teen Titans Go!' Meanwhile, you have tons of 'Superman' and 'Batman' reboots from live-action, animated, and other stuff. You guys have maintained this entire time. How do you keep it fresh for so long?

Thank you for saying all that. We feel that way, and we are DC's longest-running animated series, which is astounding when you think of it. When I was a kid, I would watch 'Wonder Twins' or 'The Super Friends Hour' and stuff like that; it's amazing that 'Teen Titans Go!' IS the longest-running, but also, I attribute it to the team. We have incredible writers, animators, musicians, and producers, just everybody on the team is phenomenal and should be rewarded and talked about.

It takes a lot of people to put together a show and sustain it. They're constantly, when someone leaves, making sure that someone fits that part. The truth is to sustain this long, there must be an element of magic, right? You're right; other shows maybe should have got to go longer, and there was some serendipitous moment where a producer didn't get more seasons, somebody decided to do something else, or whatever happened where shows maybe should have had a longer lifespan.

I think 'Chowder' (2007) and 'Sym-Biotic Titan' (2010) should have had longer lifespans. Maybe had they been given the chance, they would have longer lifespans. All these magic components went together with the magic of the cast and everybody behind this show, and then the fans being so wonderful and supportive. One of the things the writers are good at is finding absurd things to make funny in 'Teen Titans Go!' There's never something you can't watch with your kids, and they can make the most mundane things funny, like being stuck in an elevator and having to go to the bathroom. It's random, insane stuff that you don't think about.

When you think about it, you must laugh at it. The scripts are always so funny. Every time I read a script, I laugh every time we have a group recording, which we did on Zoom since Covid, I'll ruin takes. I'll be laughing out loud at something Greg [Cripes], Khary [Payton], or Scotty [Menville] does because it's funny. It's light, and it doesn't take itself too seriously. That's another problem with critics and comedy. It's always taken so seriously, and 'Teen Titans Go!' is not afraid to be self-deprecating and give a lot of eggs to the fans. They're very conscientious of who their fans are, and I don't know, it's like the perfect storm of the most wonderful ridiculousness ever.

What's your favorite Raven moment from either show?

I love the colors of Raven in both [laughs] because it's so fun to explore her different personalities. I love 'Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo' (2006) when any time Raven is facing [her father] Trigon (Kevin Michael Richardson). That's another reason why season six would have been so important to see what happens in that storyline and with Slade (Ron Perlman) and with Terra (Ashley Johnson). In 'Go!' I love Lady Legasus (Raven's Alternate Persona). I loved the 200th and 400th episodes so much. I love 'The Night Begins to Shine' (by B.E.R.). There are so many memorable fun moments that stick out, and fans at cons always say, "Remember this? Remember that?" Some things stick in your mind about this show and create fond memories for a long time.

Teen Titans Go!, which also stars Hynden Walch, airs its 400th episode on Cartoon Network today. The series is also available to stream on Max.

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