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Published Jan 27, 2026, 2:04 PM EST
Tom is a Senior Staff Writer at Screen Rant, with expertise covering all things Classic TV from hilarious sitcoms to jaw-dropping sci-fi.
Initially he was an Updates writer, though before long he found his way to the Classic TV team. He now spends his days keeping Screen Rant readers informed about the TV shows of yesteryear, whether it's recommending hidden gems that may have been missed by genre fans or deep diving into ways your favorite shows have (or haven't) stood the test of time.
Tom is based in the UK and when he's not writing about TV shows, he's watching them. He's also an avid horror fiction writer, gamer, and has a Dungeons and Dragons habit that he tries (and fails) to keep in check.
Disney has quietly become one of the most reliable engines for franchise reinvention in the streaming age. From Disney+'s Percy Jackson and the Olympians to the Alien universe living on in Alien: Earth on Hulu, the House of Mouse has repeatedly proven it can modernize beloved IPs. Now, Disney+ is turning its attention to another small-screen legend: Power Rangers.
Developed in conjunction with Hasbro, the Power Rangers reboot has been in the works for several years. While official updates have been scarce, momentum has steadily built, and it’s now expected to arrive in 2026. For longtime fans who grew up with morphers and Megazords, anticipation for the Disney+ reboot of Power Rangers couldn’t be higher.
Concrete details remain limited, but few properties feel more suited to a streaming-era revival. Power Rangers defined ‘90s after-school television, blending kid-friendly heroics with charming low-budget spectacle. A modern glow-up, backed by Disney’s resources and long-form storytelling model, could easily transform Power Rangers into one of Disney+’s biggest hits yet.
Disney+'s Power Rangers Will Revive The Franchise
When The Rangers Return It Will Be For A Complete Reset
Unlike many legacy revivals that attempt to stitch new stories onto decades of continuity, Disney+’s Power Rangers is starting over from scratch. The upcoming series will be a full reboot, wiping the narrative slate clean rather than continuing the sprawling timeline that began with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in 1993.
For years, the Power Rangers franchise operated in a semi-connected universe. Teams changed, powers evolved, and new cities were introduced, but threads often circled back to the original Angel Grove mythology. Characters like Jason Lee Scott (Austin St. John), Tommy Oliver (Jason David Frank), and Kimberly Hart (Amy Jo Johnson) became legacy touchstones.
That history is beloved, but it also became intimidating for newcomers. Disney appears to recognize that barrier. The Disney+ reboot will be kicking off a fresh Power Rangers timeline, allowing the creative team to reintroduce the Rangers without decades of lore weighing things down. It creates room to redefine the tone, the rules of the morphing grid, and even what being a Ranger means in a contemporary setting.
More notably still, the new Disney+ Power Rangers show will abandon the long-standing practice of repurposing footage from Japan’s Super Sentai. For over 30 years, Power Rangers relied on action sequences lifted and re-edited from the Japanese series, stitching American-shot scenes around them. It was cost-effective but creatively limiting.
By eliminating that constraint, Disney and Hasbro can design every fight, suit, and monster specifically to fit their vision of Power Rangers. The result should feel cohesive rather than patched together. It also signals a larger ambition: this isn’t a budget children’s import anymore, but a flagship original show tailor-made for Disney+ and the age of prestige streaming TV.
Disney Once Owned Power Rangers
The Franchise Has Thrived Under Disney’s Stewardship Before
There’s a key reason many fans are hopeful for the upcoming reboot - this isn’t the first time Disney has been involved with Power Rangers. In fact, the company previously owned the property outright from 2003 to 2009. During that stretch, the brand produced several seasons that many fans still rank among the very best.
The previous Disney era began with 2003’s Power Rangers Ninja Storm, which refreshed the tone with self-aware humor and sharper character dynamics. It was followed by ambitious entries like Power Rangers Dino Thunder, which even brought back Tommy Oliver as a mentor figure, bridging old and new generations.
Then came Power Rangers S.P.D., a futuristic, police-themed take that leaned into serialized storytelling and ensemble drama. Later seasons such as Power Rangers Mystic Force and Power Rangers RPM pushed genre boundaries further, with the latter delivering one of the Power Rangers' darkest and most character-driven narratives.
What stood out during this period was experimentation. Disney allowed each season to feel distinct, whether that meant magical fantasy, post-apocalyptic sci-fi, or straight comedy. The brand didn’t feel stuck repeating the same formula.
Even with modest budgets, the Disney era Power Rangers shows often displayed stronger writing and more confident world-building than earlier years. Many alumni from this era still credit Disney’s hands-off but supportive approach for the creative upswing.
That history bodes well for the Disney+ reboot. The House of Mouse has a proven track record when it comes to understanding how to nurture Power Rangers without sanding down its weirdness. With a larger streaming budget and modern production tools, the new series could capture that same inventive spirit on an even bigger scale.
What Will Disney+'s Power Rangers Show Look Like?
The Reboot Is Expected To Be Bigger, Sleeker, And More Mature
One of the most intriguing aspects of the Disney+ Power Rangers revival is how radically different it’s expected to look. By ditching Super Sentai footage entirely, Disney+ and Hasbro aren’t locked into pre-existing costumes, choreography, or monster designs. Everything will be created specifically for this version of the story.
That freedom could fundamentally transform the aesthetic and tone of Power Rangers. Past seasons often had to match American footage with Japanese action scenes shot years earlier. The seams sometimes showed. Now, cinematography, lighting, and fight staging can be planned as one unified whole.
The result should feel closer to a prestige superhero TV show than syndicated kids’ programming. Think larger sets, more detailed suits, and battles that feel grounded in the same world as the characters rather than spliced in from another series.
Tone is also expected to evolve when Power Rangers returns. Instead of skewing exclusively toward young viewers, the reboot is reportedly targeting a broad, all-ages audience. That suggests deeper character arcs, higher emotional stakes, and consequences that linger beyond a single episode.
Serialization is expected to be a key way the Power Rangers reboot is distinct from previous versions. Rather than purely episodic “monster of the week” plots, the Rangers’ story may unfold across an entire season, with relationships and conflicts building over time. That format aligns perfectly with how Disney+ structures many of its genre hits.
In short, the Disney+ reboot won’t just look like Power Rangers with better effects. It could resemble a full-scale sci-fi action drama that happens to feature morphers and Megazords, finally giving the concept the cinematic polish it always deserved.
Power Rangers Desperately Needed A Fresh Start
A Long Hiatus And Decades Of Lore Made Reinvention Essential
The timing of the Power Rangers reboot couldn’t be better. The franchise has been in a strange limbo for years, with momentum steadily fading. The most recent live-action entry, Power Rangers Cosmic Fury, wrapped in 2023, and since then, the brand has gone quiet on television.
For a property that once dominated toy aisles and after-school blocks, that silence has been noticeable. Without consistent new content, even the most recognizable franchises can slip out of the cultural conversation. Power Rangers risked becoming pure nostalgia rather than an active series.
Continuity was also becoming unwieldy. Even with soft resets each season, the broader Power Rangers mythology stretched back decades. Returning villains, legacy crossovers, and anniversary events delighted diehards but made jumping in feel increasingly complicated for casual viewers.
A clean reboot solves both problems at once. It provides a clear entry point for newcomers while giving longtime fans something genuinely new instead of another variation on the same template. It’s easier to build hype around a bold relaunch than a quiet continuation.
The brand itself still has enormous potential. Color-coded heroes, giant robots, and team-based action remain timeless hooks. With Disney’s marketing muscle and Hasbro’s toy ecosystem, Power Rangers has all the ingredients for a major resurgence.
What Power Rangers needed most was a reset with ambition. Disney+ appears ready to deliver exactly that, positioning the 2026 comeback as not just another season, but the start of a true second life for the franchise.
Created by Haim Saban, Shuki Levy, Shotaro Ishinomori
First TV Show Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers
First Episode Air Date August 28, 1993
Power Rangers is a long-running multimedia franchise that debuted in 1993 with the TV series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Created by Haim Saban and adapted from the Japanese Super Sentai series, Power Rangers became a cultural phenomenon by combining action-packed footage from Super Sentai with new scenes featuring American actors. The franchise follows teams of young heroes who transform into Power Rangers to battle various villains, using martial arts, special powers, and giant mechas called Zords. Over the decades, the franchise has expanded into multiple TV series, films, comics, video games, and merchandise, becoming one of the most successful children's franchises in the world.
English (US) ·