For many of us growing up, the Power Rangers were the original superhero team - do-gooders fighting crime and evil space aliens, whilst trying to lead an ordinary life.
Of course, the show was anything but ordinary. In addition to being one of the only live-action superhero series around, it is also one of the first and only series to address hot topics such as diversity, multicturilsm, religion, love, bullying, even drugs, in an easy-to-understand children's TV format.
This past weekend, after 16 years, 17 seasons and 700 episodes, the long-running series came to an end, as Power Rangers R.P.M. (the then-current season) had its big finale, which also acted as the series finale.
Kind of.
Instead of continuing the series with another season, Disney and BanDai have opted to take some time-out. Of course, unlike Hasbro and the Transformers brand, these guys have absolutely no desire to kill their multi-million dollar franchise and annoy their loyal fans.
So instead, Disney have only just gone back to the original masters, and remastered Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (the 1993 season) in glorious HD.
This is a pretty big deal: very few primetime series get the luxury of being remastered in today's economy, let alone children's series. There are many rumours circulating the web that Disney have added CGI enhancements to the series, similar to CBS's remastering of Star Trek, but I'm doubtful. Either way, I'm sure MMPR 2.0 will keep fans happy between now and whenever the show returns from its break.
The action kicks off with a double-bill (in HD!) this Saturday morning/afternoon on ABC. Check local listings for exact times.
I'll be posting a review or opinion piece each week, as well as reviewing past series highlights (feel free to suggest episodes in the comments!).