It was episodic like most action cartoons at the time. All the characters, villains, supporting cast all had well defined personalities and played off each other well. The wacky sci-fi elements made the show fun.
As for the 2003 one, that's your complaint? It was a nice plot twist to see the origin of Shredder (if you didn't spoil yourself online before you got to that ep), and there's more Shredder origin explained later on.
As for the 2003 one, that's your complaint? It was a nice plot twist to see the origin of Shredder (if you didn't spoil yourself online before you got to that ep), and there's more Shredder origin explained later on.