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Why Hollywood Declared War on Power Rangers

Dial-Up Days | September 7, 2026



For millions of kids in the ’90s, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was appointment television. We picked our favorite Ranger, practiced the poses, screamed “It’s Morphin Time,” and watched the Megazord save Angel Grove every afternoon.

But behind the bright costumes and giant monsters was a production almost as unbelievable as the show itself.

In this episode of Dial-Up Days, we’re digging into the dark and bizarre story behind the original Power Rangers—including how American producers stitched together footage from a completely different Japanese television series, the stunt performers hiding underneath the helmets, the original Yellow Ranger who disappeared before the show even aired, Jason David Frank’s unexpected rise from temporary villain to franchise icon, and why Austin St. John, Walter Jones, and Thuy Trang eventually walked away from one of the biggest kids’ shows in the world over contracts and pay.

We’ll also look at Zordon’s surprisingly cheap production trick, the unbelievable working conditions described by cast and crew, and the moment Hollywood’s actors union publicly went after Saban Entertainment.

Power Rangers may have looked like pure ’90s magic on television—but behind the scenes, it was being held together by recycled footage, stunt doubles, bargain contracts, and a whole lot of improvisation.

Who was your Ranger growing up? And which behind-the-scenes story surprised you the most?

Drop it in the comments, hit like, subscribe, and as always…

May the power protect you.

Written by Dial-Up Days

Comments

This post currently has 27 comments.

  1. @The1AndOnlyGoldenboy

    September 7, 2026 at 9:29 am

    There's definitely a lot more to the story about the change in S2.

    The story that's gone around for years is that the contracts for the first movie came into discussion and all of them got together and agreed that they deserved better. However, and who is mostly responsible for this greatly depends on who you ask, some people went into business for themselves and got a better deal at the expense of selling out some of the more vocal cast members.

    Austin St. John firmly places the blame on Jason David Frank. He has had no qualms about voicing his disdain for Frank, to the point that it was very rare for them to even be at the same conventions together after Zeo ended. In fact, his attitude has really only changed with JDF's death.
    David Yost and Amy Jo Johnson have alluded to being more willing to "play ball", and while they haven't outright said that Austin, Walter, or Thuy were being unreasonable… they sure have inferred it a number of times.
    Walter Jones has been fairly diplomatic but has certainly hinted at JDF and AJJ being in cahoots to protect themselves ahead of sticking together as a team.
    Karan Ashley has stated she believes they (herself, Johnny Yong Bosch, and Steve Cardenas) were hired mainly because they were all inexperienced actors who agreed to sign bad contracts. Cardenas has shared similar sentiments.

    When you look at the aftermath, well… Tommy and Kimberly became the focal point of the show. Billy was in most episodes and had something important to contribute to the plot, but a lot of episodes focused on Rocky and Adam were just kind of goofy. Aisha, well, outside of a few rare episodes she was mostly just Kimberly's girl friend more than anything. Hell, in all of MMPR, Kimberly is the only one that actually got a proper send off as there was an entire arc about her being at odds with leaving to chase her own dreams. Everyone else had some sort of ridiculous nonsense surrounding their exit.
    Then you look at after MMPR. Walter Jones did a couple of voice roles for a quick buck when he was desperate but didn't actually come back as Zack until Once & Always almost 3 decades later. Austin St. John came back in Zeo, but they went out of their way to write scenes to pretty much humble him and make Jason look he was an outsider rather than part of the team. Karan Ashley just disappeared when she brought up renegotiating her contract, her character went to Africa during the infamously terrible arc where they were transformed into kids… and she just stayed there.

    The first movie definitely blew things up… and Saban being a scumbag definitely didn't help.

  2. @daviddiaz529

    September 7, 2026 at 9:29 am

    Shuki Levy doesn't get the shine he deserves. He's just as responsible for shows and the music 3 generations grew up on. Also, FOX didn't have to risk anything. Haim Saban fronted the money for the show. Even put his house up as collateral. He took all the risk. Miguel Nuñez, Juwanna Man was Zack in the pilot trailer. The cast wasn't broke. None of these figures are adjusted for inflation. Now in 2026, these same Rangers at cons and other interviews say they were getting paid $1200.00 and episode. Their faces weren't on the action figures. Most of the merchandise was the Rangers with their helmets on. Lastly, the toy sales were already allocated to the ones who financed the show.

  3. @Wingcake1

    September 7, 2026 at 9:29 am

    Yeah these video needs a part 2 at least until they became zeo, most say turbo hurt the franchise but by the time pokemon came around kids moved on and fox kids dropped in views to kidswb beetleborgs were hot too but ended too soon and sabans failed cable channel pretty much made him give up on childrens entertainment.

  4. @tomasjephersin84

    September 7, 2026 at 9:29 am

    Zack Was My Black Superhero Growing Up … He Was Upbeat Fun And Was Soooo Smooth….. There Wasn't Any Media With A Character Like Zack Growing Up … Thanks Walter Emmanuel Jones For Being A Great Role Model

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