What I liked about Rescue Bots was that the team were not soldiers or warriors, but service members. This allowed you to see what the world of Cyberton was possibly like before the Great War.
I wouldn't mind seeing something like that again; Just a bunch of Bots somewhere in the Galaxy, far from the War, working jobs and just helping another civilization like its nothing. Could make for some interesting parallels, if done correctly.
Agreed, I saw a few episodes with my kid and there was one moment I realized it got dark when you think about it. One line from Peter Cullen voicing Prime where he wasn't aware of any Rescue bots still functional after the war. I told my kid how, in just one line for a kid's show that gives you an idea of how long this war was going. If Prime can't remember any first responders anymore, geeze that's super dark and sad.
Rescue Bots admittedly became a guilty pleasure show for me. It felt surprisingly Episodic and Serialized at the same time, decent amount of adherance to continuity and did some interesting stuff on its own despite being aimed at younger audiences.
No guilt it’s honestly one of the best I watched when I was younger and really loved then rewatched it not too long ago and was surprised it was just as good as I remembered
Agreed completely. I started watching it out of boredom and I was quickly hooked. Great characters, the fact it was serialized (And never interrupted the ongoing plot for too long), the clever rescues that still made sense, competent villains (honestly felt like more of a threat than Prime Decepticons sometimes), and one of the best versions of Optimus Prime, finally wise with his years but still letting him have a few jokes.
@@bluescat581I was just thinking this! Rescue Bots, Friendship is Magic, and Bluey all are genuinely well written and entertaining shows that both strike that balance between preschool/kindergarten edutainment and some more complex and interesting concepts and storylines that both kids and adults of all ages can enjoy! And even more impressive is that the educational aspect is written for both kids and adults in mind, as just because you’re grown up doesn’t mean you stop learning, or don’t need a few reminders or some different perspectives of things you might already know! That’s one of the things I loved about My Little Pony: it did reuse some ideas and concepts and retaught similar or the same lesson in a few different episodes, but while there were a handful of episodes that were pretty much the same thing with only a few minor differences, often times there were episodes that actually used different aspects like new or different characters or settings to kinda flip the theme on it’s head and re-examine the question or problem in a different context. Like, say, sharing for example: one episode might be the typical lesson of “sharing is caring” and all that stuff, and the context reflects that lesson. Like someone hogging all the potato-chips. But another episode (or even the same episode) might tackle a slightly more complex situation: what if the person you’re sharing the potato-chips with is in turn hogging all those chips, and those chips were either yours, someone else’s or meant for everyone? Or even more intense, what if the person isn’t malicious or careless, but just genuinely confused. But for some reason you don’t want to interrupt that person as they seem intimidating, or you seem intimidating and you don’t want to seem rude, mean, or whatever? Long story short, these kinds of “preschool” shows are some of my favorite types of shows!!!
I've been into Transformers since the beginning, but my son was exactly the right age for Rescue Bots when the cartoon started and absolutely loved the whole thing. We've had many happy hours watching Rescue Bots together and I think I enjoyed it just as much as he did. As an older fan it was also nice to see some media which followed characters who were not combatants in the great war and just focussed on protecting innocents. An excellent premise well executed.
I feel like one of the marks of a good preschool show is whether the parents, or really any adult, can enjoy it too. And this is definitely one of the best examples. When I first tried it out, I was surprised how competent the writing was and how perilous it could get. No wonder it became such a success. Chase is my favorite.
As an adult, I didn't care much for this cartoon, when I gave it a shot, I was impressed on how good it was! Even for a kids show. I ended up watching it all in Netflix.
I was also impressed I watched two episodes and found myself going, "Wow nicely done Hasbro you did it. You made a good show for the demographic age group while it is also accessible and fun for us OG fans." and I found myself eager to watch more episodes as the show went on. Even at its most 'pre-school kiddy show' presentation it seldom felt overly preachy or that it talked down to the audience. The show looked good for what it was, and had a great voice cast, and as an OG fan I was tickled pink when Michael Bell got to return in later seasons. Seeing him get to voice in Transformers again outside of fan-stuff or the Devestation video game made me smile given how much the man had vocalized he'd love to return to the Transformers universe while he still had the juice in him to voice act. I also should give props to the fact the story had continuity and did some daring things for a show with the intended pre-school demographic. Overall one of the best Transformers outings.
I like that you can still give a dark undertone to the Rescue Bots, since the Sigma 17 team being the last Rescue Bots in existence, the others were wiped out by the war
basically a dark horse of the Transformers series, it is really good but most people ignore it due to being originally aimed at preschoolers and toddlers.
It always baffled me how Rescue Bots managed to not only have a consistently higher quality floor than RID 2015, but also feel more mature and enjoyable than the "Prime sequel". May this series be forever remembered, and i wish Rescue Bots Academy luck in keeping up with it's predecessor.
I still remember being 6 years old and watching Rescue Bots every day it came out, and my dad was just like: "Hey, the Transformers comes now" and I just rushed to my living room to watch the Transformers Rescue Bots!
What impressed me most about Rescue Bots was the amount of realism in their rescue situations (in spite of being a kids show full of sci-fi future tech). Chase being involved in wreck while serving as a "driverless" taxi is now a thing (especially when the passenger tried to assert control, assuming he knows better). It's not enough to say the writing outshines fellow kids' first responders shows (PAW Patrol), but even some adult shows seem unbelievable in comparison (such as 9-1-1's calls to help a porch pirate who broke her leg while stealing, or CHiPs's infamously spectacular car pileups). Speaking of 9-1-1, I haven't seen any kids show (since G.I. Joe's PSAs) tackle the importance of not abusing the Emergency Call System as well as Rescue Bots (and its varied Mrs. Nederlander stories). Seriously, who calls Fire, Police, Air Rescue, *and* City Engineers to get a cat out of a tree?
I'm an adult who is a big fan of Rescue Bots, though not in the way you might think. I've always loved rescue work, police, firefighters, EMTs, etcetera. I've also always loved Transformers, and life lessons such as those taught by this show. This is literally the best of all worlds for me, combining nearly everything I enjoy into a series I love. Honestly? I can't wait for The Basics on the sequel series, Rescue Bots Academy.
Just to show how a sister of a show can be as good as the original ones. Sure, it aim at more younger audition but when you have so much war drama with how M.Bay revolutionise 3D Transformers, this show is a breath of a fresh air among any transformers series...
My oldest son grew up with this show and I always loved watching it with him. The cast is amazing and I am BEYOND thrilled to be seeing them in the Generations line. I cannot wait to have all four of the original bots. I just wish they would release more human figures for shows like this and Earthspark.
I started watching it out of boredom and I was quickly hooked. Great characters, the fact it was serialized (And never interrupted the ongoing plot for too long), the clever rescues that still made sense, competent villains (honestly felt like more of a threat than Prime Decepticons sometimes), and one of the best versions of Optimus Prime, finally wise with his years but still letting him have a few jokes. Another thing I liked was that all the bots were paired with a human that was very alike them in some aspects so they get along, and the opposite in others so they could better each other. It was also a huge relief that Cody wasn't the kind of character to always get himself in trouble because he wanted to help like most kid's cartoons do (heck even Transformers Prime did this), he only ended up in trouble by his own fault in select circumstances as trouble usually found him instead.
Rescue Bots as a show was far better than I ever expected it to be. I honestly liked the show more than Robots in Disguise 2015, maybe even Prime. And this is coming from someone whose favorite shows are Beast Wars, Animated, and Robots in Disguise 2001/Car Robots
@@lachauntiswashington231 ı think she is the best " human" lead after the Rescue bots crew. Because she is usefull compare to other leads. Like,she activelly helped and even rescued Outobots. Like in that space particals ep. Anyway,she deffinetly lost all of her annoying traits when she became a teen. And still keep her funny traits. So thats a +
Huh - I never knew that Griffin Rock originated from the storybooks! I had thought that Chief Burns and the 'bots were the only concepts carried over from the pre-cartoon material.
The impression I get is that it was all sort of being worked on at the same time - the toy characters' names hadn't been finalized when the show development began, hence the disparity, but we know Dubuc loves griffins, so she probably WAS the one who named the town during the process, which then carried over to the books. Similarly, even though Book!Charlie is a fire chief and not a police chief, he IS a greying older man with a moustache, like the show, looking nothing like the toy!
@@ChrisMcFeely When Trent and I wrote the coupla RB books we did, we actually weren't aware of there being a cartoon in the works as I recall, but, well, Hasbro wouldn't have really told us, would they? But we were given the names & professions of the non-Burns-family toy-characters to work with, so... it's possible the name came from the showrunners, the name of the locale would definitely be something easily hammered out super-early in development to be passed along, before decisions to change the humans from the toy cast happened. (I don't remember if we got any notes about Chase offhand, whose personality is certainly very different between book and show.)
I never connected with the original Rescue Bots when I was a kid, but I did binge the entire series of Rescue Bots Academy, and honestly loved it. Especially for how many deep-cut references they would include in the show, like Hot Shot’s love for JaAm and Wedge having a figurine of Animated Bumblebee in the background of one episode.
As someone who was there at the very beginning of Transformers in the '80s, I found the series refreshing. It was great to see something new done with the concept other than Autobots vs. Decepticons.
Crazy to think this show accomplished what no Transformers show ever did, surpass 100 episodes. It's not the first Hasbro show to reach that episode count, I think Friendship is Magic did it first and kept going even longer than Rescue Bots but this is an incredible achievement.
When I was younger I absolutely loved this series, and I'm pretty sure I cried at the finale. Seeing that it's now getting new toys is amazing. It's such a good show
To everyone still refusing to watch this show just because it's for young kids - that's a bullshit reason. Truly, do yourself a favor and just watch it, it's genuinely funny, heartwarming and well written. A pure joy to watch. Not every transformers media need to be grimdark and about war and with big explosions :p
i grew up with this series and it's what got me into transformers as a whole, without this show i would never have gotten a crippling addiction to transforming plastic action figures
Even though I was in the age demographic for Transformers Prime when Rescue Bots was airing, I still watched it. Honestly one of the best kods shows out there. The writing was pretty good. It was interesting to see how it tied into the Aligned Continuity as a fan, and it just has a pleasant look. I now have a 1 year old nephew, and I already got him watching it when I babysit him. 😂
I think I found this gem when watching a vid about all of Mark Hamill's voice work. The art style looked cute so I watched an ep with Mark. Then another random one. Then all of season 1 on Canadian Netflix which was all it had at the time. It is for sure one of the best shows Transformers has ever made.
An old adage I firmly agree with goes "A kids show that only kids can enjoy is a bad kids show". On a similar vein I also heard the makers of the first few seasons of Thomas the Tank Engine were specificly making it for both the kids and the poor adults who are going to see these episodes over and over. I never watched Rescue Bots myself, but I've heard nothing but good things and fond memories whenever I hear it brought up. The Rescue Bots series may not have been what they intended to make the Aligned Continuity run for a decade, but I'd say it worked out very well indeed.
I still can’t believe this is tied to the Aligned Continuity. I saw a few episodes with a couple including Optimus and Bee and I just assumed Prime and Bee having their Transformers Prime voices was just..synergy with another Transformers cartoon on the Hub, Y’know like how Kevin Conroy would voice Batman in different continuities for example. Never would I have guessed Rescue Bots took place in the same universe as Transformers Prime, a series where Transformers have been shown being brutally ripped apart 💀
I binged the cartoon on Netflix, and it was FAR better than it had any right to be, with great stories, an amazing theme song, and some of the best human characters in any version of Transformers. I -really- hope we at least get the rest of the core four Rescue Bots in Legacy.
My kids were the perfect age for the show at the end of the 4th season and into Rescue Bots Academy. The flying lobsters episode sticks out with me even today. It’s great how Transformers continues on as time goes on with different storytelling approaches.
RescueBots was how I introduced my toddler son to Tranformers. It quickly became his favorite show for years and he still plays with the toys along with more older-age Transformers. Thank you for this one.
This was awesome! Best episode to date! Sweet and endearing, I never knew how beloved the series was. I had my reservations…being a G1er and enjoying the more adult versions of Transformers. But when I did catch it, Rescue Bots started to grow on me; and I could see it love & appeal. Good on you Chris for this one. And unexpected gem 💎 ❤
Big fan of Rescue Bots and RB Academy. I thought you might mention the Academy episode that reintroduced Laswerbeak in his G1 form (to the confusion of the Aademy kids who had no idea what a cassette tape was), which was also the episode where we find out that Rescue Bots aren't ALL Autobots, and what casual prejudice against Decepticons looks like.
13:26 I grew up watching this for the Optimus prime cameos. Because of how much I adored transformers prime. RB was still very much a part of my childhood because I got to see more of the aligned continuity. My younger brothers played with their rescue bots while I had my tfp optimus prime. I remember seeing them playing with the giant optimus play set, and thinking it was as the coolest thing. This hit me with more nostalgia than I was expecting.
I was in my early teens when Rescue Bots came out, but the cartoon was my introduction to Transformers. I am so happy we're finally getting them in Generations/the collector line (at least, I'm hoping we'll get more than Medix and Chase)
Rescue bots, got my now 11yr old son into Transformers at the age of 3. He's now watched most of the tv series and movies produced, starting g1 either on tv, DVD or you tube etc... He saves up and spends most of his pocket money on Transformers and I'll let you guess what he asks for for birthdays, Christmas and etc...He's got a significant amount of them now and in pride of place are his Menasor and Ark. I was 4, when the original series came out and I sat and watched it with my brothers and I really wasn't that bothered about Transformers, either way, I was more into MLP. Now I'm a mum, my son has slowly pulled my interested into his obsession, so that I now collect too, but only in a small way!!! But we do spend great bonding time together!
I was already an adult when this series came out but I did end up liking it and Academy a lot when I saw them later online or streaming. I think what first made me even aware of this series wasn't so much show or toy ads but seeing Twitter discourse about characters or fanfiction featuring these characters. One thing I like about it is that the bots can be characters that hold attention without there being an obvious ongoing war to create conflict. So we can just see them and their human companions as people who deal with their own disasters. Not that there aren't real life children being exposed to real life war in our world. There are. But I sometimes feel like a lot of toy-related kids' shows (at least in past) gravitate toward sides of assigned good and bad guys and that doesn't really encourage as much critical thinking and possibility for nuance and learning to model solutions other than fighting. Rescue Bots still had zany adventures and interpersonal issues enough to challenge them.
So. Much. Nostalgia. One of the best Transformers shows ever. I didn't realize it was the longest running show though. For obscure characters month, you should do the basics on TriggerHappy.
What's weird is Rescue Bots Academy is what got me into Transformers. In 2017, everytime I go to Toysrus, I would always hear (Transformers: The Last Knight) I was kinda sick to deaf of hearing that. Also, the designs didn't interest me but it's The Last Knight so, I'm not surprised. I saw a trailer for the second season of RBA and it kinda interested me, maybe because it kinda reminded me of Paw Patrol which is another rescue show for kids.
About a month ago i was watching some videos about transformers opening themes and when the rescue bots theme pulled in i just cried of nostalgia for the series, i've still got my energize boulder and blades and i remember telling my dad i wanted chase, but he brought me rid's jazz
When I first saw Rescue bots I was like “man they turn transformers into a kids show” and that went to hell yes! A new episode of rescue bots is on! That how good if show it was cause it brought in not only little kids but grown men and women to watch this and I was sad to see it end
One thing I realized with shows that tend to have appeal to children. It should have appeal to adults as well. Phineas and Ferb, along with this cartoon are good examples. Which is even better because adults can get into it as much as their children and watch the shows together.
This was the first transformers show I’ve ever watched as a kid, and it’s one of the main reasons I became a transformers fan today. I even had a boulder toy growing up 🙂
When i started watching Transformers one year ago, i left Rescue bots among the last series i'd watch because of how not my thing it looked... Turns out it has been sitting in my top 3 and it just won't leave. Actually pretty great cartoon, i love rewatching it!
At the time this show came out I was it’s target demographic in about every way. I also loved Transformers Prime at the time, despite maybe being a little too young for it. As I’ve observed Transformers fans on the internet it’s made me very happy that TFP is so beloved, but hardly anyone talks about Rescue Bots. After Legacy Chase reveal I started to rewatch Rescue Bots to see if it was as good as smol child me thought….and it actually was! Definitely recommend to any Transformers fan who might enjoy a cheesy kids show.
RB was my son's intro to Transformers. At the age of 6 he never had any of the toys, but loved the show. Transformers Prime was appointment viewing for me, but RB won me over with it's amazing writing. I'd advise any parents with small children to pass on the current series ( Earth Spark), and seek out Rescue Bots as it is far better for kids in terms of teaching as well as entertaining.
I was already grown up when this show premiered but I loved it, I like how they presented the world of transformers in a way that was suitable to little kids and also that they didn't set it in a reality where Decepticons didn't exists but showed us that not all Autobots are soldiers and some can be civilian heroes who do good deeds, I also like how the show emphasised the importance of responsible behaviour. This is a show adult Transformers collectors can watch with their kids. 😁
Hey, Chris? Thanks for this video. Rescue Bots was pretty solidly not on my radar (no shade, just, y’know, I’m not the target demographic) but your giving it a spotlight here convinced me to give it a try, and I’m fifteen episodes in now and I’ve loved every minute of it. It’s fun, funny, really sharply written, and has some of my favorite voice actors in the business. Thanks for helping me give it a chance. Though, full disclosure- being a Maine resident, the instant you told me that the series takes place in my home state, that pretty much locked it in.
RescueBots inadvertently got me back into collecting transformers after I "grew out" of them in the 80s. My son got into them, and, for Father's Day, he bought me a Rescue Bots Bumblebee that he then absconded with and effectively took possession of. So, I decided to buy the Fall of Father's Optimus for myself, and an obsession was born.
@@syabilaazri7834 Laserbeak was the first and only Decepticon to appear in the RBA cartoon. Spoiler Alert! Laserbeak finally became an Autobot at the end of the RBA cartoon.
Rescue Bots was the first TF show that I watch the entirety of, it hold a soft spot in my heart. I was absolutely elated when Legacy revealed Chase and I’m definitely getting him
I LOVED this show as it was something me and my little brother could watch together, the undertones of real emergency’s lead to him constantly asking questions I could answer
I remember reading somewhere that the rescue bots were supposed to help with the evacuation of Jasper in the prime series. Around the time the giant decepticon tower appeared in the desert. Sadly it didn’t happen, but I would DIE to see how these two series’ characters can interact. There’s so much potential beyond what we got with Bee and Prime, which alone was fun to watch.
Rescue Bots has the greatest achievement I can give a Transformers show. It is the only cartoon in the franchise where there's no human characters I hate. Every single human character is one I enjoy in some form of another. Kade however, is my personal favorite of the bunch. He has all the best lines.
Transformers Rescue Bots is how i first got into transformers at age 10. I usually overlooked the series but I was bored that day. It was such a good show. My favourite characters are still Quickshadow and Blades. I'm now very far away from the age demographic but it's still a show I'd happily rewatch (though I've yet to watch Rescue Bots Academy). Thank you for this video, it was nice to be reminded of this show
I've only seen a few episodes of this show (the two-part pilot and the one where Cody and Blades got trapped in a video game/virtual reality), but I was still impressed with what I saw. The characters were likable and I like how they dealt with genuine conflict, while also learning to cooperate when actual danger occurred. Hopefully I'll get around to watching more of this show soon enough.
I found out years later that Sideswipe and Bumblebee(with voice) appeared in Resuce Bots and their appearances answered my questions like how long RID15 takes place after Prime and it's answered in all things a show aimed towards preschoolers. Also i was surprised one day Alex Kingston had a TFWIKI page long after the show ended. I knew Optimus turned into a T-Rex but I'm not sure it addressed why he didn't use it in Prime. I'm guessing he lost that form
If I remember correctly, the 3 year gap (between Season 3 and 4) was intended to cover the space between Prime and RiD 2015. (Although RiD 2015 would have you believe a decade or two had passed, which explains the futuristic look of some of the vehicle modes.)
@@Quintesson05 It make more sense that decades or centuries passed but a only a mere three years. Why didn't Bee contact his human friends or Agent Fowler to help catch the Decepticons?
@@DarkknightChris I would've liked to see Bumblebee reconnect with Raf. Arcee, I could understand. (Being attached to anyone has been traumatic for her.)
I enjoyed the Rescue Bots show. It was a different use for the Autobots and had some great characters. I don't buy the notion that kids shows are bad stories simply because it's made for an audience who hasn't been exposed to as many tropes and plots as we adults or because it lacks boobs and gore. This version of Whirl is one of my favorite Autobots, there was a story about accepting Decepticons post-war when it's learned one of the recruits is a former Decepticon, and the main series did have complex characters at a level that interest kids but holds adult attention. In my head canon the reason the Rescue Bots disappeared (except for the four bots in stasis) was due to the war, their multicog designs meaning they were used for more combat situations. And yet groups like the Protectobots would exist who would continue the rescue operations despite still being warriors now.
Adult fan since 1984. The Rescuebots cartoon was not my cup of tea, but I have enjoyed reading about the characters on TFWiki. I always enjoy the addition of new characters even if I don't necessarily get into their source media. I was very happy to see Chase appear in the Legacy line and I hope we get all of them eventually.
My head cannon as to why the Decepticons never went to Griffin Rock is because Megatron told them (read demanded and punished anyone who disobeyed) to not cause harm to the Rescue Bots/Rescue Force because when he was a miner he was trapped by a cave in and because he was of the lower caste of Cybertronian no one tried to rescue or help him except for a few members of the rescue force so even the joined the Autobots’ side in the war Megatron order his troops to leave the Rescue Force alone treating them like netural cybertronian
More realistically he just wouldn't know they even existed, rid 15 sideswipe and even optimus was startled there was still a rescue team in existence (sideswipe didn't even believe it for a while)
I really like Rescuebots because it was the first true break away from the whole Cybertronian war. For once we get a new cast of main characters, the big characters like optimus and bumblebee were barely seen, and it was just all fresh. It's also why i love earthspark so much, a new cast of original characters doing new things.
Guys… I’m pretty darn sure… I’ve found the toy commercial that introduced me to transformers in general! Right here! 0:27 This one! And this squat red Autobot is the toy I’ve been looking for decades! Thank you so much Chris for unintentionally helping me find the long lost red transformer toy that I saw on a commercial once, and ignited my love for the Transformers in the first place!💖💖💖💖💖💖💖
though made for preschoolers, i liked how they tied it with aligned and showed them as service workers and not fighters. It shows that cybertron was too a functional society before the war with jobs and peace.
the OG rescue bots are such a guilty pleasure and got me into transformers. So excited for the Chase figure (my fave character alongside Blades). Hope they make all the Bots, including the others such as Quickshadow etc.
I recognize two of the characters, the white one being Transit and the green one definitely reminds me about Toxitron, the red one feels familiar but I can't put my finger on who and same with the purple one who is definitely female and a decepticon
I think purple is antagony. Someone suggested it and i was able to make out the structure of that character. Red is probably apelinq (who was red primal)
You know, it’s really crazy that the show that rescue bots took the record from the for longest show in the franchise was the original G1 show a record that took 30 years to break
Rescue bots was my introduction to Transformers, I watched only season one as lil girl when it came out, but somehow I remembered them and rewatched it on October 2022 and That is when I became a Transformers Fan 😊 Rescue bots is one of my most Favorite TF shows (with TF Prime), and I loved this video so much ❤ I think that this show is like a mix between Transformers and Paw patrol
In my early years of knowing the transformers franchise from the live action movies, the rescue bots show was the first cartoon show I saw in my tv channel in Spanish dub. (Although I the animated show on CN, but i only remember once.) Watching this show on both tv and RU-vid was the best thing to watch growing up as a new fan. A little fun fact about some of the rescue bots, one of them were part in the G1 cast line like: Blurr, blades and chase. Thank you Chris, for doing the basic of one of my childhood shows.
I like how Medix, Hoist, and Brushfire were also eventually added into Rescue Bots Academy. Makes me wonder if they had ideas for Whirl, Hotshot, and Wedge too
Fun little story: this show was the first Transformers show I watched for more than just a few episodes, so for a little while I thought Optimus' name was Artemis Prime.
