Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the original Power Rangers TV show, ended after season 3, raising questions of whether it was canceled. Though there have been dozens of Power Rangers series since 1993, Mighty Morphin will always be the most recognizable era of the franchise. Three decades after its premiere, Mighty Morphin remains the only Power Rangers show to have run for three seasons without being rebranded or replaced.
The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are returning for Once & Always, an upcoming Power Rangers reunion featuring characters from all three Mighty Morphin seasons. That includes Zack and Billy, both of whom had been away from the saga since the Zordon Era. Once & Always will be the first Mighty Morphin-centered Power Rangers project for TV since Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season 3.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Was Rebranded As Power Rangers Zeo
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was not canceled. Instead, Power Rangers was rebranded as Power Rangers Zeo following a short transitional season known as Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers. The Power Rangers franchise works in a way that every few years, a new series begins, adapting a different Super Sentai show. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was based on Kyouryu Sentai Zyuranger, and after 150 episodes, it was time for the Power Rangers brand to adapt another Sentai. To put things in perspective, Zyuranger only had 50 episodes, which is why the later Mighty Morphin episodes had way more original footage compared to Mighty Morphin season 1.
Power Rangers Zeo was based on Chouriki Sentai Ohranger, which had been released three years after Zyuranger. Despite the new costumes and zords, Power Rangers Zeo worked as a direct sequel to the events of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers. Of the Power Rangers lineup featured during Mighty Morphin season 3, only Aisha did not return for Zeo, being replaced by Tanya as the Yellow Ranger. Power Rangers Zeo would then lead into Power Rangers Turbo, and it was only during Turbo season 2 that the franchise had a lineup made entirely of characters who had never appeared in Mighty Morphin.
How Many Times Power Rangers Has Rebranded Since Mighty Morphin
From Mighty Morphin Power Rangers to Power Rangers Dino Fury, there have been 29 Power Rangers TV seasons. Such a number includes each individual Power Rangers season, as in Mighty Morphin season 3 or Dino Fury season 2. In terms of different Power Rangers themes, there have been 21 Power Rangers shows, most of which ran for two seasons before being replaced by a new Super Sentai adaptation. After the Zordon Era, the Power Rangers shows became less connected, with each new series working as a standalone entry by featuring an entirely new Power Rangers cast. Cosmic Fury, Power Rangers' upcoming show, is breaking that trend.
Power Rangers Cosmic Fury releases in 2023, 30 years after Mighty Morphin premiered, and will be the 30th Power Rangers season overall. Cosmic Fury will work as a sequel to Power Rangers Dino Fury, similar to how Power Rangers Zeo picked up from where Mighty Morphin Power Rangers had left off. For the first time since the Turbo Rangers went to space, a Power Rangers cast will return for an all-new show, making Power Rangers’ 30th season a lot more special. The Power Rangers universe also includes three films, of which Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie is the only one considered canon, and the upcoming Power Rangers: Once & Always special.