Transformers: Prime

***Transformers: Prime*** (retitled ***Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters*** for its third season) is an American computer-animated television series based on the *Transformers* toy franchise by Hasbro. It was produced by Hasbro Studios and aired for three seasons on The Hub from November 29, 2010 to July 26, 2013. A television film serving to conclude the show's storyline, *Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising*, aired on October 4, 2013. A stand-alone sequel series, *Transformers: Robots in Disguise*, was released to Cartoon Network in 2015.

## Premise

The series is set in the franchise's "Aligned" continuity, which includes contemporary books and video games, and is the first within said continuity to not focus on the Autobots and Decepticons' war on their home planet of Cybertron, and instead takes place primarily on Earth during modern times.

The series focuses on an Autobot team known as Team Prime, led by Optimus Prime and originally consisting of Arcee, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Ratchet, and Cliffjumper (who is killed off in the series premiere), as they operate from a former American military missile silo near Jasper, Nevada, and continue their fight against the Decepticons while trying to keep their existence hidden from humanity. The team has several human allies who help them throughout their missions, including Jack Darby (and later his mother June), Japanese transfer student Miko Nakadai, computer prodigy Rafael Esquivel, and American government agent William Fowler. More Autobots join the team during the second half of the series. The Deceptions are led by Megatron, and briefly by Starscream during the former's absence, and operate from their warship, the *Nemesis*, and briefly from a base called Darkmount, which is built in the second season finale but destroyed in the third season premiere. At first, the only notable Decepticon members besides Megatron and Starscream are Soundwave, his minion Laserbeak, and the duo Knock Out and Breakdown, with identical drones called Vehicons making up the rest of the Decepticon forces. Later members join this team as well.

## Cast and characters

* Peter Cullens as Optimus Prime
* Jeffrey Combs as Ratchet
* Sumalee Montano as Arcee
* Kevin Michael Richardson as Bulkhead
* Will Friedle as Bumblebee
* Nolan North as Smokescreen
* James Horen as Wheeljack
* Michael Ironside as Ultra Magnus
* Dwayne Johnson/Billy Brown as Cliffjumper
* Frank Welker as Megatron and Soundwave
* Steve Blum as Starscream
* Daran Norris as Knock Out
* Adam Baldwin as Breakdown
* Gina Torres as Airachnid
* Tony Dodd as Dreadwing
* David Sobolov as Shockwave
* Peter Mensah as Predaking

## Episodes

Main article: *List of Transformers: Prime episodes*

 1
 2
 3
 TV Movie

## Reception

### Ratings

*Transformers: Prime* was aired alongside *G.I. Joe: Renegades* in a programming block on Friday from 3:30 to 7:00 pm that gained significant audience gains in audiences from the previous week among households and key demographics: HH (+111%, 97,000), Persons 2+ (+133%, 142,000), Kids 2-11 (+130%, 62,000), Kids 6-11 (+78%, 32,000), Adults 18-49 (+117%, 50,00), and Women 18-49 (+120%, 11,000).

Special back-to-back airings of new episodes of *Transformers: Prime* from 6 to 7 pm delivered significant audience increases versus the previous week: Kids 2-11 rose by +102% (76,000/223,000). Against the prior four weeks, Kids 2-11 increased +219%; Kids 6-11 by +140%, and Adults 18-49 by +507%.

### Critical

*Transformers: Prime* received critical acclaim throughout its run and was one of The Hub's most successful programs. Praise was given to the visuals, voice acting, characterization, and mature storytelling. As a result, it has often been considered one of the best *Transformers* shows.

## Home media

Main article: *Transformers: Prime (videography)*