16 Years Ago Today, The Disney Era’s Best Power Rangers Show Debuted

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers introduced a generation of fans to the Power Rangers franchise, and thanks to seasons like Zeo, In Space, Lost Galaxy, and Time Force, the franchise continued to expand the franchise in compelling ways. Then, in 2003, the Disney era of Power Rangers began with Ninja Storm and continued for 6 more seasons before eventually returning to Saban, and 16 years ago, the Disney era’s best Power Rangers show made its debut.

After Power Rangers Jungle Fury, there would be one last season of Power Rangers under Disney ownership, and that series was Power Rangers RPM. Power Rangers RPM premiered on March 7th, 2009, with the episode The Road to Corinth, and it introduced a new team of Rangers set against a sci-fi villain on a post-apocalyptic Earth, which was a huge shift in theme and setting for the franchise. Those reasons and more are why RPM resonated with fans at the time, but also why the show has grown in popularity and cult favorite status over the years since its premiere as well, and it sent the franchise’s Disney era out on a high note.

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Power Rangers RPM Doesn’t Feel Like Any Other Season, And That’s Why It Works

Few episodes set the tone for an entire season as well as The Road to Corinth, as fans are quickly introduced to the last human city and the war-torn world that lies outside of its walls. This is a world that has been taken over by a rampaging computer virus named Venjix, which not only infected every computer on Earth with a virus but then started creating its own robotic army of drones and soldiers to take over the planet, and it’s been quite successful in that ultimate goal. Things look understandably bleak for Corinth and its inhabitants, especially as the intense battle plays out outside the city’s walls.

It’s quickly clear that this is a darker and edgier take on the franchise, as it blends Mad Max and science fiction elements into the traditional Power Rangers formula. There’s an unpredictability and welcome tension throughout RPM that few other Power Rangers seasons are able to recreate, but it still feels unquestionably Power Rangers. That’s a difficult line to walk, but RPM does it incredibly well.

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Fans meet the core members of the team throughout the first episode, but only three of them actually morph into full Rangers. The three Rangers include Ranger Operator Series Red Scott Truman (Eka Darville), Ranger Operator Series Yellow Summer Landsdown (Rose McIver), and Ranger Operator Series Blue Flynn McAllistair (Ari Boyland), though we also meet future Ranger Operator Series Green Ziggy Grover (Milo Cawthorne) and Ranger Operator Series Black Dillon (Daniel Ewing) during the episode as well.

Between the science fiction theme, the post-apocalyptic setting, and a welcome edge, Power Rangers RPM is easily the best Power Rangers series of the Disney era, but it is also in the conversation for the best Power Rangers series of all time. You can watch episodes of Power Rangers RPM for free on YouTube, and you can stream the entire season for free on Tubi.

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