15 Years Ago, Power Rangers Went Behind the Camera

The names, songs, and networks whitethorn person changed implicit the years, but the Power Rangers ever stuck to the aforesaid playbook. Whatever play you watched, you beauteous overmuch knew what you were getting connected a week-to-week basis, which helped marque it a reliable unchangeable for kids astir the satellite backmost successful the day. Surprisingly, the bid offered up a genuinely unsocial alteration of gait erstwhile during its 30-year run, and it made for a beauteous memorable occurrence connected apical of what’s already a well-liked season.

Earlier this week, the Power Rangers RPM episode “And…Action!” turned 15 years old. Originally aired connected September 12, 2009, it’s a down the scenes occurrence that shows however the non-Ranger fights and archetypal scenes of an RPM episode—aka, not from the Japanese bid Go-Onger—are made. But there’s an other gimmick to things: the formed are inactive successful character, truthful it’s Ziggy (Milo Cawthorne) is giving you the know-how connected however a country plays retired arsenic Ziggy, it’s Flynn (Ari Boyland) talking astir stunt driving, and truthful on.  (There’s besides a blooper reel, due to the fact that however could determination not be?) And astatine the end, the Rangers themselves ticker the completed enactment bushed portion giving commentary and munching connected popcorn.

Since RPM was initially meant arsenic the final Rangers season play earlier Nickelodeon stepped in, the amusement decided to bash thing wholly unconventional. This is the archetypal and lone clip the franchise has breached the 4th wall, and the lone occurrence successful its full tally to bash thing similar this. The 1995 Power Rangers movie and a 2007 occurrence of Operation Overdrive had their ain idiosyncratic glimpses down the curtain, but those were fundamentally beryllium arsenic down the scenes featurettes you’d easy find connected the DVD. That viewers larn what goes into making the amusement portion besides inactive being canon with the remainder of RPM gives it an other spot of charm, truthful hats disconnected to writer Judd Lynn and manager Mike Smith for uncovering a mode to person immoderate fun.

In the aforesaid mode immoderate radical went into martial arts due to the fact that of Power Rangers or Dragon Ball, it’s casual to ideate this sparking the thought of moviemaking successful immoderate kids’ minds, adjacent briefly. (Inspiration tin travel from anywhere!) Its beingness besides underlines however overmuch TV’s changed successful the past 15 years. As occurrence 23 of a 32-episode season, “And…Action!” relies connected RPM’s bulky occurrence count. Back then, longer occurrence counts meant shows could bash a quirky small one-off each present and past that played with look oregon adjacent conscionable offered up a breather from the large play plot. Not each shows needed that galore episodes per season, but it helped them felt similar fuller experiences regardless. These days, TV seasons tally overmuch shorter; the franchise’s astir caller (and final) halfway series, 2023’s Cosmic Fury, had conscionable 10 episodes.

“And…Action!” isn’t a groundbreaking episode, but it’s a fascinating, endearing plaything for the franchise, and what much bash you request from the Power Rangers than that?