O.J. Simpson's Trial & Power Rangers Got A Beloved Disney Cartoon Canceled, According To Co-Creator

It seems like an impossible combination, but both the O.J. Simpson trial and "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers" had a major effect on the forgotten 1990s cartoon, "Gargoyles," according to the show's co-creator Greg Weisman — and could very well be considered the reason why the fantasy series was canceled.

"The O.J. Simpson trial meant we were constantly being preempted for trial coverage, because we were on syndicated stations, and syndicated stations still primarily lived off local news in the 1990s," Weisman explained to Polygon of the television landscape when the cartoon began in 1994. "Every day it ran, we were being preempted, and in any given city, people were missing episodes of 'Gargoyles,' and falling out of the habit of watching it."

Additionally, the rise of the "Power Rangers" franchise complicated things for the fantasy show. The first season of "Gargoyles" was a success, consistently charting first in its time slot. But according to Weisman, Season 2 regularly placed second in its time slot because of "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers."

"We weren't a failure, but we'd gone from being a home run to being a double. 'Power Rangers' was the big news and the home run. Our toys fell off," Greg Weisman told Polygon. "The viewership was fractured." The series, which originally aired in first-run syndication during the Disney Afternoon programming block on local independent channels nationwide, went on to air a third season after "Power Rangers" co-opted its audience. It was an unexpected renewal that came about because ABC needed a a boy-centric series for their Saturday morning cartoon block. 

The network then decided to rename the show "Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles," to give it some distance from the first two seasons after it had faded in popularity. Despite being one of Disney's best animated shows ever, Season 3 on ABC ended up being its last. Ultimately, Weisman blames both O.J. and "Power Rangers" for the demise of "Gargoyles," a show that critics have since showered with praise for being original and unafraid to be mature in its themes, with impressive animation and poignant messaging. "It sounds bizarre that O.J. Simpson helped destroy Gargoyles, but it's true," Weisman said — but interesting enough, the show might just be rising from the ashes soon.