When the destiny of the planet is endangered, only one legendary team is brave enough to engage: the Power Rangers. In addition to being one of the cheesiest children’s shows of all time, it is also one of the most loved. After appearing on television for more than 30 years, Power Rangers, created by Haim Saban and based on the Japanese tokusatsu series Super Sentai, has become a cultural phenomenon that transcends the passing of time, space, and nostalgia. As of 2022, Power Rangers consists of 29 television seasons of 21 different themed series, as well as computer games, and blockbuster movies. The biggest news for fans is that a relaunch entitled Power Rangers: Cosmic Fury is coming to Netflix in 2023.
Anyone who has watched Power Rangers will tell you they have a favorite color and a favorite incarnation of the rangers. What makes the Power Rangers special is that many of us, even as adults, continue to feel a connection to the series that made such a lasting impression on our childhood imaginations with a bond that extends to people all over the world. We’ve listed the top five Power Rangers television programs below. It’s morphin’ time!
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
5 Power Rangers: S.P.D.
Buena Vista Television
Power Rangers: S.P.D. is set in 2025, 21 years after the events of the first season when Earth is a peaceful member of an interplanetary republic. However, the Space Patrol Delta (S.P.D.) police squad is dispatched on a mission to foil the wicked Troobian Empire’s cunning plans to rule the galaxy. Power Rangers S.P.D. was the first Power Rangers program to adopt the ABC Family (now Freeform) programming style after being taken up by Disney. This series’ character growth and plot development are excellently done, earning it a position on our list. With a daring new story arc, S.P.D. reinvents the franchise by fully embracing its odd sci-fi themes. It’s like the original Power Rangers model crossed with Star Trek.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
4 Power Rangers in Space
Saban International
After capturing Zordon in Power Rangers in Space, the wicked Divatox smashes the Power Chamber and departs the planet to join Dark Specter’s army of evil in their attempt to take over the known universe. With the help of Andros, an alien humanoid from the planet KO-35 who joins former Turbo Rangers T.J. Carlos, Ashley, and Cassie to become the Space Rangers. The new team journeys to the furthest reaches of the cosmos to stop Dark Specter. The legendary Zordon era comes to an end in Power Rangers in Space. It’s a wacky series that completely embraces the Power Rangers’ alien roots while retaining the spirit of its forerunners.
3 Power Rangers: Time Force
Saban Entertainment
Power Rangers: Time Force should be commended for its efforts in creating a mature version of the Power Rangers. The goofy humor from the early seasons has been removed, and the program now has enough time-traveling quantum physics to satisfy experts from all over the world. The Pink Ranger was the team’s leader for the first and only time in the storied series during Power Rangers: Time Force. Before killing Alex, the Red Time Force Ranger, the mutant bad guy Ransik and his daughter Nadira travel through time to the year 2001 from the year 3000, when they escaped the hands of the Time Force police. In order to permanently thwart Ransik, the Time Force squad members break ranks and journey across time.
2 Power Rangers: Dino Thunder
With the return of Tommy Oliver, who is now a paleontology professor and serves as a mentor to the new team, Power Rangers: Dino Thunder brought the Power Rangers back to their dinosaur beginnings and acted as a loving homage to the first season. Dr. Oliver of Reefside recruits Conner McKnight, Ethan James, and Kira Ford to serve as the Dino Rangers to stop the villainous Mesogog from bringing Earth back to the Mesozoic era. The reappearance of actor Jason David Frank, who passed away in 2022, as the Black Dino Ranger will be the major attraction for the most devoted Power Rangers fans. In the Power Rangers series, Frank portrayed a variety of other characters, including the Green Ranger, the White Ranger, the Red Zeo Ranger, and the first Red Turbo Ranger.
1 Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers
Without the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, there would be no Rangers to celebrate. This is where it all began and where the nostalgia factor is by far the strongest. It’s difficult to overstate the significance of Haim Saban’s original series to so many kids, particularly the youngsters of the 1990s and the early 2000s. One of the things that make Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers work is the style of the show. With explosions, fireworks, and mutant huge monsters destroying a small city, the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers mixed elements of a 1990s after-school program with the elevated craziness of a Japanese live-action show.
In an investigation into the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, Jacob of Slash Film’s Nostalgia Bomb noted, “One thing I do appreciate about the monster-of-the-week storylines is that they’re very much about teaching a lesson to the kids watching.” Similarly to the impact of George Lucas’ Star Wars, the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers series had an unequaled impact on children’s entertainment and the cultural mindset. It was a true milestone that will go down in history as one of the most spectacular Hollywood career triumphs. Saban had an idea and followed through on it. Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers is so awful that it’s fantastic! It’s also something to be shared with friends, preferably a big bunch, to laugh and remember, and not to be taken seriously unless you really want to. And that is what makes it number one.
