33 Years Ago Today: Fox Kids Launched A Japanese-Inspired Series That Became A Nearly 1,000-Episode Franchise

On August 28, 1993 — exactly 30 years ago today — a massive cultural phenomenon premiered in the form of "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers." 

The Fox Kids TV series, about a group of teenagers (with attitude!) who transform into the titular superheroes, is an American adaptation of the Japanese series "Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger," and the remake even incorporated stock footage from the original show. "Power Rangers" would go on to become one of the longest-running TV shows ever, complete with acrobatic fight scenes, hilariously campy space villains, and a franchise worth hundreds of millions.

What you may not know is that the pilot episode for "Might Morphin Power Rangers" appears to have been somewhat controversial, with allegations of difficult working conditions from the actors. Audri Dubois, who originally played Yellow Ranger Trini before the role was recast with Thuy Trang, said that the desert location shoot led to one of the extras having a heat stroke. She recalled the experience on a 2025 episode of Investigation Discovery's "Hollywood Demons," appropriately titled "Dark Side of the Power Rangers."

"When we're shooting the pilot, we're out in the desert — it's got to be 110 degrees — and someone has a heat stroke," DuBois said. "It was one of the bad guys in a wet suit with a rubber mask over their head with pinholes for the eyes and mouth. He's flopping around like a fish."

A new iteration of "Power Rangers" was once in development at Netflix, but when that fell through, Hasbro (the current owners of the franchise) tried it again at Disney+. As of August 2026, however, Disney+ is no longer developing a new "Power Rangers" live-action series. 

According to Deadline, Disney+'s decision came down to to budget/cost-related reasons. The streamer wasn't prepared to invest the amount of money that would likely be needed for the series while not also having full ownership over the IP.

It's unknown whether Hasbro will continue to shop around for a new home for "Power Rangers," but perhaps a new wave of nostalgia will usher in renewed demand in 2027. Until new information is released, fans can relive the original pilot of "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" on Tubi, as well as a special director's cut of the episode from Adrian Carr on YouTube.