First Priority: “The Tone”
Future Power Rangers seasons or maybe even upcoming projects should be more self-aware and good examples of this include, Time Force and RPM. These seasons were very successful with fans because they prioritized story before selling toys. Successful toy sales were a byproduct of excellent story telling. The story didnt build around selling the toy, merchandising was an after thought. The story was so good that you wanted to buy the toy.
For example, Star Wars Clone Wars (2003) mini-series was cool because of the aesthetic, but more importantly it was a war story first and delivered Star Wars fan service second. Power Rangers Time was compelling not because they beat up the bad guys, but it explored societal issues such as prejudice, inner conflict, and personal issues between its Rangers and villains.
Then for RPM the series showed that superb writing in character development, mature but appropriate themes and inner struggles can be a foundation of a great season. The awesome battles, action and conflict came second. Basically make the Rangers actual human beings, relatable aliens, or even robots that the audience can relate to or look up to. But mainly future iterations of Power Rangers must treat audiences with respect.
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What made past Power Rangers seasons such In Space, Lost Galaxy, Lightspeed Rescue, Time Force, Wild Force, Ninja Storm, Dino Thunder, SPD, and RPM was that its Rangers were relatable. They told the audience a story that challenged them, while making it grounded and relatable. If you do that, older fans would probably appreciate the new stories as well.
Power Rangers High
Another angle they could focus on is modern day interest. Dino Thunder pretty much represents what high school was like in the early 2000s. So for another high school series they show what modern day high school is like and the challenges of having a secret identity. They could tackle insecurities, social media, and different backgrounds. Maybe they could explore how Ranger life effects their work and the stress of covering it up. Which is something no high school setting really done before. In recent seasons such as the Neo-Saban era the writing was very underwhelming.
The biggest issues with the Nickelodeon era of Power Rangers is simple: Slapstick. The Neo-Saban writing also had mixed to negative reviews from fans, casual audiences, and even younger viewers who felt that their intelligence felt disrespected. One of the main reasons for these underwhelming Neo-Saban seasons is the childish humor given to these characters.
In the Fox and Disney era of Power Rangers, you’re bound to run into a couple of jokes that were bound to get a chuckle. However, during the Neo Saban era, It has become more of a issue than relief. For example, In Power Rangers Ninja Steel, the side characters, Victor and Monty, make a pointless slapstick joke in every scene. Everything from running into doors to long, very repetitive fart jokes. I get it, Power Rangers is aimed at children, but when your targeted audience does not find it funny, then as a writer in the writing room, you run into a very serious situation.
Today’s demographic are not going to laugh laugh at a joke that was used in 90’s. Another great example was Power Rangers Samurai, when they brought back fan favorite Bulk, with his best friend in the series Skull’s son Spike. Bulk and Skull were the original comical duo in Power Rangers. However what made them so great and memorable was that they had great character development and excellent writing.
They were able to balance the tone during darker or tense moments in Power Rangers In Space. When Bulk came back for Power Rangers Samurai fans hard core fans were excited. However as Samurai went on Bulk’s character and Skull’s son was underdeveloped and fell victim to bad writing and no development. The only memorable highlight was when Bulk and Skull were reunited in Samurai’s finale.
