The Power Rangers franchise has gone on for more than 35 years for a reason, and it’s because many of its oldest shows still hold up to this day. Power Rangers is a very unique kind of series within television history thanks to the way it actually came to screens. Adapted from Toei’s Super Sentai franchise of Tokusatsu shows in Japan, Saban Entertainment blended Japanese footage together with new story material and footage for American audiences. It ended up creating a show that stood on its own with a distinct voice that made it an entirely different kind of experience for kids across the world.
Power Rangers was also no stranger to shake ups and reboots as following the first three seasons of the series tying together the original cast, the franchise then revived itself with completely new stories and teams in the years that followed. It was such a successful move that this pattern continued through the rest of its 35 year run, but here are seven of the original Saban Entertainment produced Power Rangers shows that still hold up today if you wanted to check out episodes now streaming with the likes of Tubi and other platforms.
7.) Power Rangers Turbo
Power Rangers Turbo was a very distinct era of the Power Rangers franchise. It was the first season to feature a brand new cast that was switched out halfway through, and the first season to introduced an actual child to the main team. It was also sparked following the premiere of Turbo: A Power Rangers Movieand ended up ushering in what could have been the end of the Power Rangers franchise overall because of its cast and tone changes. Still, it does hold up even with these issues thanks to the camp level that has really been pronounced in the years since. It’s hard to beat that cheese factor.
6.) Power Rangers Zeo
Speaking of shake ups, Power Rangers Zeo was a memorable series from this original era because it was the first major season to fully shift the team’s suits and power sets. While the second and third seasons of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers introduced ninja powers and the like, this was the first real time that fans saw a full evolution of the show as a whole. Not only were the Power Rangers “stronger than before,” but this series has a lot of stand out arcs that still hold up. There’s the “King for a Day” arc that made Tommy evil again, the Gold Ranger reveal where Jason came back, and the finale where everyone turned giant and fought that way. Just cool stuff all around.
5.) Power Rangers Lost Galaxy
Power Rangers Lost Galaxy was also at a very distinct place in the Saban era as it was the first series to completely distance itself from the original timeline. While there are still connections to the events that happened before, Lost Galaxy detached itself and started out adventures within its own canon. It also holds up in a distinct way from the others thanks to some of its biggest events such as a major character death that resulted in the replacement of one of the team’s members, a former villain coming back to serve as that replacement, a thought dead brother becoming the sixth ranger, an Alien inspired episode, and much more. It’s just full of cool and experimental ideas.
4.) Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue
One of the shows that benefitted the best from this shift away from the connected timelines was Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescueand it was able to carve out a very distinct identity. The cast was skewed towards older adults (and that meant they would be dealing with more adult issues), and its Red Ranger is honestly one of the best Red Rangers of all time. This team was all formed by experienced First Responder professionals and athletes, and that made for some excellent stories that have aged very well as a result. This is even before factoring in the Sixth Ranger who was an entirely original creation for Lightspeed Rescue itself. It was hard to beat.
3.) Power Rangers In Space
There are a few shows that beat the others of the Saban era, however, and one of the biggest was Power Rangers In Space. This series not only sent the Power Rangers into space for a huge new adventure, but also served as what could have been the finale for the series on a whole. Turbo was so poorly perceived that Saban threw a hail mary for its next season, and In Space was entirely different than what was seen in its original Super Sentai source series. This show had an evil empress, brought in older villains for one last ride, had a compelling brother and sister story at the center of it all and one of the best finales in Power Rangers history. Definitely make some time to check it out.
2.) Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
But if we’re talking about Power Rangers shows that are perfect to revisit, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is the top of the list. It’s become such an icon over the years for a reason, and it’s because of all the moments that have become historic in the decades since. The original “Green With Evil” arc that introduced the late Jason David Frank as Tommy Oliver, the entire Green Candle saga that lost his powers, his debut as the White Ranger, their debut with ninja powers, the transferring of those powers, the different Megazords, the theme song, and much more. You can pick pretty much any episode and still enjoy to this day, but there’s still one more show that has aged even better.
1.) Power Rangers Time Force
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers might have been the icon for many reasons, but when it comes to aging not every single episode still holds up. It’s got plenty of cheese factor that helps fans enjoy it on a whole new level in the modern day, but it was concrete within its “monster of the week” formula. When it comes to Power Rangers Time Forcehowever, it was built with a single story in mind. Sure it had plenty of episodes that ended within a week, but this was the first season in the series to feel like it had a proper season long story.
Its older cast evolved through the course of its episodes, and every one of them felt like they found a great place as it all came to an end. It had burgeoning romances, time travel, imagery that brought up themes of race, and much more. It’s got a lot going on under the hood, much more than any of the other Power Rangers shows from the Saban era. What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
