Power Rangers Samurai is now in production in New Zealand thanks to Saban and Nickelodeon. After years of uncertainty, the franchise will stay alive, at least for the next two years.
But what does the Nickelodeon/2nd Saban Era hold for Power Rangers?
For a definitive answer, we’ll have to wait a few more months. But there are a few things I do hope for.
Maintain RPM’s Step Forward
Power Rangers RPM’s balls to the wall attitude, a considerably more mature attack to the franchise in which story and a good cast mattered and the audience didn’t have to be limited to the Boys 6-11 demo.
With Disney no longer breathing down their necks and Nickelodeon not treating their audience like 1 year olds, Power Rangers should have a lot more freedom to explore stories they couldn’t under Disney. Thought provoking drama, romance, as well as…
Take a Page from Cartoon Network
… be mature. Cartoon Network’s two live action regular series so far have blown both Nickelodeon and Disney Channel out of the water even just in terms of scope and ambition. They are not afraid to appeal to older audiences but they still keep the young target audience at the top of the list. Power Rangers is definitely a franchise that lends itself to allowing that mix of “cool and fun for young boys” and “appealing and smart enough for older audiences.”
Don’t Be Afraid to Take Risks. Go For It
Since this is supposed to be a “reboot” of the franchise, why not take risks and go all out. One of the reasons why Power Rangers floundered the last couple of years (in addition to Disney’s inability to handle the franchise) was that it failed to grow up with its audience to appeal to the kids and kids at heart.
With big budget action blockbusters attracting family audiences in droves, they could do the same with a rebooted Power Rangers franchise.
Stay Consistent
Nickelodeon tends to be very erratic in scheduling new episodes of its shows. They could air on any night at any time with anywhere from new episodes every week to a crazy four week hiatus. Nickelodeon should develop a set timeslot (and action-adventure block with their newly picked up Supah Ninjas series) that they will maintain through its run.
Start of a New Era
And finally, I hope this reboot is the start of a new era in Power Rangers history. A looong new era where the franchise finds big success once again. I hope everything from the cast to the writing to the production to network support all clicks together to make that happen.