Green Power Ranger Jason David Frank Is (Apparently) DEAD to ME!

Right, I watched for Rita, her fabulous outfit, her artistically designed Magic Wand, and her fantastic performance!

Sure, R1, but also...

R1 The interesting thing is realizing they took a Japanese show and dubbed it over with stupidity for young American kids.

I never knew as a kid it was all dubbed.

Didn’t one of the power rangers commit a terrible crime, and tie an old couple to an anchor and toss them into the sea?

I just played an imaginary dagger flute which sounds like a trumpet (through my power rangers helmet somehow) in his honor. And also to awaken my giant zord conventionally stored in the bottom of my city’s harbor.

Seriously though, RIP if he is dead. I grew up with him and I still “KIAH” when I do roundhouse kicks because I learned it from him. First Batman, now the green/white/black Zeo ranger. This month is doing a number on my adolescence.

I think the Red Ranger had a ton of problems too?

[quote]Didn’t one of the power rangers commit a terrible crime, and tie an old couple to an anchor and toss them into the sea?

That guy wasn't an actual star, he was like a glorified extra.

[quote]I think the Red Ranger had a ton of problems too?

That was Ricardo Medina, who was on Power Rangers Wild Force. He stabbed his roommate and served 3 years for voluntary manslaughter.

The original did Sean Cody.

Vaccine-induced suicide.

RiP!

R8, who??

He and wife Tammie divorced earlier this year.

R3 the localised American version was a little more than a straight dub--it was recut and edited differently, using only the full-costume/helmet scenes from the Japanese show, and inserting new footage with the American actors around those scenes, which also entailed changes to the script and music cues to make it make any sense.

If you compare each Japanese series with the American, you realise that they have little in common beyond basic theme, costume and fight scenes. E.g. compare Juken Sentai Gekiranger with Power Rangers Jungle Fury--completely different shows, but technically the same premise and same series.

Isn't another Power Ranger dead too? Or am I thinking of a Voltron person?

There is no Voltron person.

The original yellow ranger.

Not to sound insensitive, but 49 seems a really weird and unusual age to kill oneself.

Most longtime suicidal people off themselves before that age, and most senior onset comes a decade or so later.

Confirmed by TMZ.

Poor guy.

That’s sad.

Promoting a Comic-con appearance that was scheduled for this coming week.

Wouldn’t be surprised if I’m eating a gun at 49, too.

[quote]If you compare each Japanese series with the American, you realise that they have little in common beyond basic theme, costume and fight scenes. E.g. compare Juken Sentai Gekiranger with Power Rangers Jungle Fury--completely different shows, but technically the same premise and same series.

The Rita Repulsa scenes were taken from the Japanese original. When the American version ran out of those scenes, they introduced Lord Zedd as the main villian and later recast the role of Rita. Machiko Soga, who played originally played Rita( Bandora in the Japanese version) died in 2006.

R19, Jesus, he looks awful there, like drugs have really took hold of him, Look at his wiki picture from 3 years ago, he looks so much better there. I'm guessing drug addiction played a part in this.

R21 fair point. Lord Zedd was SO camp haha.

Interesting and sad about Machiko Soga, I didn't know she'd died. What's with all these cast members dying so early?

Sidebar though, in the Japanese original Gekiranger (a later series than Zyuranger), the Repulsa-type villainess character was actually called 'Mele', and looked like this:

According to Wikipedia, Jason's brother died in Sep 2001 (around the same time as the death of his co-star Thuy Trang, who played Trini).

Tommy was the coolest Ranger! From what I remember, the Red Ranger was meant to be the leader, but Tommy became so popular that he took over.

I hated it when Kimberly left and was replaced by that drippy Kat.

The Yellow Ranger was played by a man in the original Japanese show.

Lord Zedd was a favorite back in the day tho. I used to make staffs out of stuff like tent poles or broom handles, just so that I could recreate his scenes. Used to piss my mom off to no end.

Then, I forgot about that and threw on a flowing robe, so that so could be Storm/Magneto.

Simpler times.

There was apparently friction between him and Hasbro, who owns Power Rangers now. They didn't include him in the planned 30th anniversary season, which is going to be on Netflix next year, even though most of his castmates from MMPR and Power Rangers Zeo are appearing.

First fellow Power Ranger condolence.

R8 it was proven here, that the person in question was not Austin St. John.

So sad. Tommy was fine as hell and one of the first if not the first man I ever crushed on as a 90s gayling.

r26 VOTN, what kind of bullshit 30th anniversary would it be without Jason David Frank? That's crazy. IMO a Power Rangers documentary for the 30th anniversary would be better, especially now with JDF's passing. The franchise has been full of difficulty from the beginning and still managed to make huge cultural impact in the US.

[quote] According to Wikipedia, Jason's brother died in Sep 2001 (around the same time as the death of his co-star Thuy Trang, who played Trini).

That might have a lot to do with Jason taking his life.

About twelve years ago, someone close to me, a relative, became psychotic with a serious eating/self-harming breakdown, and tried to kill himself (unsuccessfully) while staying at my grandmother's house (where I currently live, due to financial/health/burden of care reasons). To this day it's fucking me up a bit, and was affecting me before I moved here as well. Weirdly and annoyingly, it affects me more than it does him--he's fine now, has moved on with his life and done well and found contentment, while I'm still battling depression and stuck grief and the like. I've had therapy but so far nothing's shifted the gloom off me. I think seeing someone you love and don't expect to lose (say, a very young and previously healthy person) become a frightening monster both physically and emotionally just does a number on you.

Some people are fortunate enough to live the majority of their lives in bliss, with supportive family/friends, the will to participate in society, and the intelligence to be successful. But when those things are no longer present, lots of people fall into the abyss, where dark truths open up to you. You could be there before you know it.

Wait....they were leaving the MOST POPUAR RANGER out of the anniversary celebrations?

No, I don't buy that. I don't even like Tommy particularly and that makes no sense to me.

Popular **

Damn. He was my first proper “crush” I remember getting the warm-and-fuzzies watching him on Power Rangers when I was maybe 6 years old. He was so hot.

His step daughter also died this year.

He seemed sweet on that show. I'll bet most boys had man crushes on him.

Fuck. Poor guy. Why did he do this???

Seriously. Why not Asshole St. John.

There's so much darkness surrounding this show and cast. I followed Jason on social media and had no idea he was suffering from depression. He seemed very friendly and engaged with his fans. Way more than the other cast members. I know he lost his brother and that deeply hurt him. The stepdaughter passing may be the thing that pushed him over the edge. Poor guy. I hope his family is okay.

Agree r38. There has been a lot of tragedy and conflict over the years involving the cast. The show was always so unconventional in every way, and the cast was very diverse, way before diversity in casting was a thing. That's why I'm puzzled as to why Netflix didn't chose to make an in depth documentary.

r34 I remember being mesmerized by his lips as a kid, Jason David Frank and Joshua Morrow from The Young and the Restless. I had a type at 7 years old!

R25: See, I HATED Zedd and was thrilled when they brought Rita back. What's ironic is that their marriage and role as double villains in the 3rd season was more likely than not everyone's favorite combo. It certainly became mine.

[quote]According to Wikipedia, Jason's brother died in Sep 2001 (around the same time as the death of his co-star Thuy Trang, who played Trini).

I wonder if Trang lived long enough to realise what a silly mistake it was to leave the show like that.

[quote]Tommy was the coolest Ranger! From what I remember, the Red Ranger was meant to be the leader, but Tommy became so popular that he took over.

No, I think that's how the Green Ranger was introduced- to replace the Red Ranger as leader of the Power Rangers for no apparent reason, which I always thought as odd.

r41 I thought a lot of the cast was ready to bolt after season 1 or 2 due to poor/unsafe working conditions and low pay.

Saban was a cheapskate who refused to pay the cast higher wages despite MMPR being a ratings phenomenon. They were still too young and inexperienced unfortunately to negotiate higher and Saban just replaced them anyway.

From what I've read and heard over the years online and in interviews, the original 5 rangers were paid a shameful salary. They were leads of a popular show, but were earning the absolutely bare minimum...like barely above day wage. I can't quote anything because I'm not a super huge Rangers fan but I've been interested over the years, especially because Jason, Trini and Zach vanished and were replaced awkwardly, and right before the big movie too. Those three actors stood up to the producers and asked for a fare salary increase, which made sense since the studio and toy people were making MILLIONS off the show. It was a literal phenomenon and they were the faces of it. But the shitty people at the top said "bye!" and hired three new people to replace them. Billy, Kimberly, Jason and Tommy were the ones who stuck around (though Kimberly left next, I believe).

Meanwhile, David Yost, who played Billy and was struggling with being gay, was openly teased by crew. His costars were even called into the producers offices and asked "...is David gay?" He stated all of this in an lengthy interview a few years ago and it just broke my heart. In spite of that, he stuck by the series as long as he could, until "someone called me faggot one time too many" and he walked off. What followed was an attempt at conversion therapy (poor man) and then moving to Mexico I think, to recover from the conversion therapy and attempted suicide (I think). Anyway, Yost has done conventions since and sadly, never seemed as popular as the Red and Green Rangers, probably in part now because he's out and gay and those stupid kids who judged him for not being macho enough are stupid men doing the same thing. He seems like a wonderful person though, and I think was working behind the scenes on reality tv.

Kimberly, as you may recall, ended up on Felicity, a primetime series, playing singer/songwriter Julie - best friend to Felicity - almost all four of the show's seasons on the WB. She did some firefighter/cop show a few years back as a principal character, so she still acts. I have no clue what became of Zach, except that he's also been at conventions.

And Trini, as stated, died in a car accident many years ago.

I hope Bulk and Skull are okay!

I’m fine!

A great summary of the behind the scenes drama involving the show in the 90s.

I wonder if there was any homosex at these wild parties at Austin and Walter's house, only stunt team members and Walter's back up dancer friends???? YASSSSS HUNTY they got down

[quote]Walter Emanuel Jones is well-known for his portrayal as Zack Taylor, the Black Ranger. His co-star, Austin St. John, played the main hero, Jason Lee Scott. After gaining fame from the show, both men lived together in Glendale, California. Their parties ended up being the talk of the town. They resembled wild frat parties, only with stunt team members and professional back up dancers. There were multiple kegs in the backyard, where tipsy party-goers would attempt to play volleyball. With such a large crowd, the police were often called to their house. They could be told to keep it down but would continue the party shortly afterward. If a party got too rowdy, a police helicopter would show up and shine its spotlight on the crowd as a warning.

It's true, it's true.

Any comment from the Red Power Ranger, the one that allegedly did gay porn?

There was a long-running rumour that Trini and Zack were axed due to accusations that it was racist to cast a black man as the Black Ranger and an Asian woman as the Yellow Ranger, which is why the races of their successors were reversed. I'm fairly sure that was just an urban legend, though, and it was just a pay dispute.

R44, reading that was rough. That is terrible about the blue ranger. Seems like he is in a better place now though. Good for him.

[quote][R44], reading that was rough. That is terrible about the blue ranger. Seems like he is in a better place now though. Good for him.

Either Hasbro patched things up with him, or backed a dumptruck full of money into his driveway, because he will be on the 30th anniversary, along with Zack, Adam, Aisha, Cat, Rocky, and a character that's rumored to be Trini's daughter.

[quote] Kimberly, as you may recall, ended up on Felicity, a primetime series, playing singer/songwriter Julie - best friend to Felicity - almost all four of the show's seasons on the WB.

Julie Emrick as a character was so great. Deadpan and snarky without being over the top about it. She had both really funny and really sad moments on FELICITY.

So is there a power ranger curse?

Well, this is weird:

[quote] Jason David Frank, a lifelong martial artist most famous as the Green Ranger on the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, has recently decided to get into mixed martial arts (“MMA”, or ‘cage-fighting’ for the uninitiated). He also has a clothing line…about Jesus.

[quote] Jesus Didn’t Tap was one of the first Christian based MMA clothing companies to hit the scene. In the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, to “tap” is to quit or give up. The message of the Jesus Didn’t Tap line is that Jesus didn’t quit after going through unimaginable suffering and pain when he was crucified on the cross. The company aims to represent both the competitiveness of MMA and honoring God in all of their designs and hopes it will help spread the Christian message of salvation to a whole new audience.

Not to hijack the thread, but here is David Yost telling his story about how he was treated and why he left Power Rangers:

Wow. "He's so happy - he's speechless!"

What a DICK move. Your lead actor walks off the show because you've been TORMENTING HIM for years, and then you use old footage of him, and have some alien chick say he's saying goodbye and is so happy about it, he's speechless?

TRASH. Seriously, those producers are horrible people. It's like they're laughing at Yost. Awful.

Here's what ended up being Billy's final episode on the show, filmed after Yost walked out:

Never watched the Power Rangers, but I saw this and thought this would be interesting if done real - since it seemed realistic what would have happened to child heroes after they aged and the battle was lost.

R30 his brother dying 21 years ago might have something to do with him killing himself 21 years later? Did you think at all before posting?

R44 David Yost said CAST and Crew bullied him on set. The only person he keeps in touch with is Amy Jo Johnson, and has said she was the one who always had his back. The guys, not so much b

R48 that was never a rumor. It’s always been known Austin, Thuy and Walter were axed for demanding more pay. They were barely making minimum wage and working long hours 7 days a week. All three were axed at the same time. Not just the two minorities.

They tried getting everyone together to demand more money but the other 3 wouldn’t join. Austin has said their ego and arrogance made them believe they would get the raises they deserved, because they were the show. Producers showed them they were dispensable by replacing all 3.

That's why the Friends cast was a united front, to negotiate better salaries for them all. And it worked. I don't know if it would've worked in MMPR's case. Saban / Hasbro would've just recast them all with new actors. I mean, they did that throughout the entire run, dropping the old ones and casting new actors and introduced new uniforms and other toy merch into the TV series. Hated the show for what they did to Yost and I didn't even bother with the movie that was released years ago (the one with Dacre Montgomery).

Can’t really compare a show like Friends to a syndicated Saturday morning show for children. It wouldn’t have worked for them.

R58 I didnt want to misspeak or misquote and lump the cast in with the homophobic crew members.

Is that OKAY?

His ex wife is a Trump stan

Looking at his ex wife's Instagram they were pure white trash. Trump stans, religious nutters, teenage daughter getting knocked up etc.

He was always nuts and an asshole. Him and Austin St. John hated one another.

Is Austin any better?

He seems....very BRO-ey.

They’re both terrible.

All the young stars of the show had to have some form of fighting training and/or gymnastics. At least for the early show.

The first yellow ranger was originally a Latina played by Audri Dubois in the unaired pilot. The producers decided that they wanted to sorta honor the original Japanese show and have someone on the team be asian and Audri Dubois was asking for "too much money". So they let go Audri Dubois and replaced her with Thuy Trang.

Austin and Jason have had a sorta complicated relationship over the years.

R37 I believe Austin can't leave the country due to his ongoing legal issues.

David Yost is also on good terms with Karan Ashley,Catherine Sutherland, Johnny Yong Bosch, Nakia Burrise, David Fielding and Walter Jones.

Blake Foster who played the blue turbo ranger supposedly made a homophobic comment about Abraham Rodriguez who played the gold gridforce battle ranger.

Sweetie, it was the 90s. Homophobia was the norm.

Austin recently got into trouble with the law. Amy Jo is now a Canadian citizen.

Pink Ranger tribute.

r60 I think the departure of the three original cast members set a precedent, I think that's the only reason this show ended up having a revolving cast.

It may have worked if everyone was on the same page. It would've been a bit challenging finding a cast that diverse, able to work 7 days a week, low pay, with physical talent in MMA, doing their own stunts, and having the same chemistry as the original 6 cast members if everyone walked at once.

r61 the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers did not start out as a weekly Saturday morning show. It aired every weekday afternoon on Fox. That's why their schedules were so grueling; the show was constantly filming to put out all those episodes.

David is on good terms with a handful but he is only close to Amy Jo. They’ve remained close friends to this day.

Allegedly the original cast only made $60,000 a year. For the leads of a hit show, that's shameful

I think Power Rangers really helped the anime boom in the mid to late 90s. There were attempts at dubbing and airing anime which had some moderate success. But Power Rangers' huge popularity introduced the Sentai setup and many Japanese media cliches to American children. I think that's what led to anime series like Gundam Wing, Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, Pokemon and Digimon getting picked up and dubbed and aired daily. PR showed how profitable they could be especially with merchandise.

Is Amy Jo Johnson the only Ranger that found any other Hollywood success?

r16 I thought you were wrong but you are right.

Once he realized that he had no idea how to pronounce Paraguay, and screwed up the ParaguayComicCom gig, he had nothing left to live for.

[quote]Is Amy Jo Johnson the only Ranger that found any other Hollywood success?

Davi Santos, who was on Power Rangers Dino Charge has done a few series, and is currently on Good Sam on CBS.

I think he may also be gay. He's flamingly liberal, no matter what.

Hungry slut Nico Greetham was a Power Ranger.

Deplorable Austin St John literally wrote “thoughts and prayers”.

[quote]Is Amy Jo Johnson the only Ranger that found any other Hollywood success?

Oh, and Rose McIver who is on Ghosts now and starred in the execrable Christmas Prince movies on Netflix was the RPM Yellow Ranger.

I thought I read a while ago that Jason was one of people bullying David Yost. Is that true?

[quote] Other acting credits for the late star include the 1990s series Sweet Valley High, an episode of Family Matters and an episode of We Bare Bears.

The last one sounds interesting.

^ he cheated on his wife, that's why they divorced, also he bullied the other actor for being gay... a wonderful human being?

R86, and of course, he converted to Christianity. Because that's what ALL shitty people seem to do.

Everyone has their flaws. And everyone has their own perception of someone.

Um yeah, even if that was true I hardly think either of them were holding onto anything that happened 30 years ago.

Wow. Ok. So, to start off 2022, Betty White and Bob Sagat die. Then the drummer for the Foo Fighters dies. Then Aaron Carter. Then Kevin Conroy (voice of Batman for animated series and video games), now the Green Ranger is dead?

Is there anything else from my childhood 2022 is going to kill off? I mean...damn.

Add Nichelle Nichols into that mix for me, mate.

St. John was so hot on the show but his looks practically faded over night.

R90 nothing really changed, people die all the time all year around including celebrities, it's just you are entering the elder gayhood, you start to pay attention to death.

WHO?

R78 big of you to say so.

It's a sad thing to be right about, mind you, but when one has depressive tendencies and has relatives with the same, one learns these things.

Weren't Jason and Austin in a feud?

Why is his name Jason Lee Scott? No one else gets a middle name.

The graph at R78 is kind of disturbing and sad for the way it shows that between 2020 and now, suicide rates for the 25-34 age group overtook those for the 84+ age group. Shows how hard it is to be a young adult out there atm.

[quote] Is Amy Jo Johnson the only Ranger that found any other Hollywood success?

Not Hollywood-Hollywood, but ...

[quote] Nic Sampson is a New Zealand actor mostly known for playing Charlie "Chip" Thorn, the Yellow Mystic Ranger, in Power Rangers Mystic Force. He also was the voice of the Sentinel Knight in Power Rangers Operation Overdrive, and the voice of Whiricane in Power Rangers Jungle Fury in one episode Dash for the Dagger and the voice of Skatana in Power Rangers Super Megaforce

He was in the Brokenwood Mysteries, but left the show before / during the pandemic.

Kamen Rider was always better than Super Sentai/PR, anyway.

R96 yes they previously had a feud. Austin allegedly claiming that Jason was "afraid" to fight him in the ring even for charity and jealous that he was the better fighter. Jason D F. allegedly called Austin fat and jealous that Tommy was more popular than Jason.

Lord Zedd was supposed to be a very dark character but some American parents started to complain that Lord Zedd was "too dark and scary" for their kids to watch and that something needed to be done about it.

Machiko Soga previously appeared in another Sentai in the 80s as the villain Heavenly Arch Saint Magiel. She also later returned in Power Rangers Mystic Force as the high witch known as Mystic Mother.

Magiel was supposed to be a villain in that original series? She looked pretty....good witch to me...

Anyway I thought it was really smart of the Power Rangers people to reuse that footage to give Rita an ending as Mystic Mother once it was clear Soga was dying IRL. I never liked the Rita recast, or the idea that she was "purified" by Zordon's essence cleansing the universe, leaving her and human Zedd to dance off together into the sunset. No. That's super lame. But turning her into a good witch? Awesome.

r101 see that's what I'd heard to but never from a reliable outlet.

In fairness, Austin did get huskier, but who cares? I care more about whether or not he made fun of David Yost.

It really does seem now that JDF was left out of the Power Rangers anniversary stuff. Why? Did he piss off Hasbro? Did they know he was spiraling or something?

Sigh. Every morning before school. And then also every [some weekday I can't remember] afternoon after school.

I miss simpler times.

R103 the non story reason for Zordon's "purification wave" was due to the belief that the Power Rangers franchise would be coming to an end. Power Rangers in Space end up proving to be very successful which in turn saved the franchise and allowed more series to be produced. The other thing about Zordon's purification wave was that it didn't destroy all evil because you later had sorta campy and vain Trakeena, ruthless Queen Bansheera and others.

Danny Slavin who played the red galaxy ranger only did the show in order help pay for law school. He didn't really have much interest in acting. Danny almost didn't come back for the Wild Force Forever Red episode due to a dispute with show.

Pua Magasiva who played the red ninja storm ranger is suspected of committing suicide.

[Quote] Kimberly, as you may recall, ended up on Felicity, a primetime series, playing singer/songwriter Julie - best friend to Felicity - almost all four of the show's seasons on the WB. She did some firefighter/cop show a few years back as a principal character, so she still acts.

She's also directed a few things. The most recent one was a CW show.

So the Green Ranger role in the group was always kind of the Lancer? The right-hand to the leading Red Ranger?

Green eclipsed Red.

Used to see him at the gym all the time back in the late 90s. Nice guy. We had mutual friends. I reconnected with him on the con circuit and he seemed to be doing well. Always said hello when he'd stop by our table. Very cordial and friendly. This is a huge shock.

Druggie Trumper. No loss to the world.

R110,w as he himself a Trumper or was it just his ex wife?

He was a crazy Xtian - what do YOU think?

[quote] Austin allegedly claiming that Jason was "afraid" to fight him in the ring even for charity and jealous that he was the better fighter. Jason D F. allegedly called Austin fat and jealous that Tommy was more popular than Jason.

These are grown men?

[quote] Jason D F. allegedly called Austin fat and jealous that Tommy was more popular than Jason.

It's all clear now--Jason D F is a closeted datalounger who couldn't repress his gayness anymore. He just couldn't handle the pain.

[quote]I'm guessing drug addiction played a part in this.

Oh, don’t be silly. Hollywood actors don’t do drugs.

R115 what did this guy have to do with Hollywood after Clinton's reelection?

r5, r25, r24 grow up, dears

r105, well that is certainly better than what mike branson did 2 pay that bill

r117 r118

This news has just been terrible for poor Jimmy Buffett. He is a huge Power Rangers fan.

Fates of the Power Rangers on DLs favorite site

[quote] Everyone has their flaws. And everyone has their own perception of someone.

Thanks for weighing in, Pol Pot.

Austin posted a stupid video to Twitter saying nothing essentially other than admitting they were never beer buddies. But then he tacked on "Once a Ranger, always a Ranger!"

What a tool.

David Yost’s sincere tribute helps prove what a better human he is compared to Trumptard Austin.

R101 Allegedly there more to it, like Jason and Austin both wanting to be the alpha in the room and allegedly tried to dominate each other. Also allegedly Austin thought that Jason and or possibly others mocked him for being a paramedic and military healthcare provider.

....why would anybody get mocked for that? That's vital service. And it's "macho" so...what's the issue?

I really, really wish they'd both been zen, level-headed guys who treated David Yost like a brother and stood up for him during the run of the show.

It's legit depressing to think about what these people went through to give kids a fun piece of entertainment. And now their lives are practically defined by it, in the eyes of the masses.

This anniversary special thing will be interesting to see. What has Saban or Hasbro said about it? Will it be a cameo by the actors in some episode of the current Ranger series? A one-hour retrospective? A special starring just the vets?

[quote]It's legit depressing to think about what these people went through to give kids a fun piece of entertainment. And now their lives are practically defined by it, in the eyes of the masses.

r126 This is why they really should've done a documentary on the MMPR for the anniversary. It's way past due. MMPR is culturally significant for anyone who grew up during the 90s, and like r76 said it was the catalyst for the anime genre to enter the US. That may be part of the issue, the importance is lost on older generations.

Well honestly, for the documentary to even be worthwhile, it would have to be brutally honest, both about the lives of the performers and the show. I mean, let's face it, the show is trash. It's sci-fi/soap opera for 4 year olds. That adult men (I assume it's mostly men) still follow it is kind of depressing since it hasn't exactly abandoned it's target demo and writing style. It's not like it became something really smart or clever. It was a fad.

Yes, there have been documentaries about fads - He-Man being one - but part of what surfaces in those documentaries is the war of words about who created what, etc, etc, etc. Here, the juicy behind the scenes stuff is David Yost being tormented by homophobic treatment from everyone around him, it seems, half the cast getting fired because they dared to ask for a reasonable wage instead of practically working for free, and now, the death of the most popular Ranger...from suicide! YIKES.

All of that is pretty at odds with the fun/goofy tone of the original series, which is probably what people would be most comfortable commenting on in interviews. I can't imagine the CEOs or Producers being willing to comment on their abuse towards the cast...or Austin now going into detail about his own toxic masculinity bullshit or whatever.

So, I don't see how a documentary would come about that would be pleasing for fans and still able to address the actual story of what went on.

And again - Power Rangers didn't have much of a pop culture moment in the sun. By the time the movie came out and tanked, kids were growing out of it and embarrassed by the tacked-on "recycle and eat your veggies!" morals squished in between clips of Asian people fighting in robot costumes.

And there have been how many seasons? 30? And how many actors involved? It'd be impossible to squeeze that all into 90 minutes.

I'd say Sailor Moon did most of the paving the way. American MMPR was pretty devoid of Asian sensibilities beyond the fight footage. Sailor Moon was overflowing with them...

As of right now r126 I believe it's supposed to be 1 episode but they also have to kinda touch on S.P.D. too because that show takes place in the year 2025.

Time Force was meant to be somewhat more adult oriented than other Power Rangers series and deal with themes like racism,bigotry,etc.... The writers on Time Force supposedly wanted to fo some other things too but one of the executive producers told them no because they wanted to use more footage from Timeranger and those other plots/stories would just get in the way. They also had to bring on an original villian since they couldn't use the one from Timeranger.

r128 good comments...a documentary primarily based from the MMPR original cast perspective would be best IMO, similar to the actors interviews for Archive of American Television. The story of how the actors got on, what their goals were in the early 90s, and the story of how the production came to be. They should cover all of it, the decline too. Up until the last original cast member left the show. Even if the producers from 30 years ago are still around and don't want to participate (I highly doubt they care one way or the other about discussing ancient history as long as they get paid), Im sure there are crew and staff that could recount everything just as well.

There are documentaries on everything now. If FX could crank out a 1 hour analysis on Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction and the chaos that ensued, this should not be too hard to figure out.

Who’s the most successful Power Ranger?

R131 Amy Jo Johnson or Rose McIver, I'd say

Post Power Rangers r131. Amy Jo Johnson and Rose McIver. Then probably Yoshi Sudarso,Erin Cahill,Nico Greetham,Camille Hyde and Nic Sampson.James Napier did write a successful and critically nominated movie in his home country of New Zealand.

Jason David Frank's wife is sharing the actor's cause of death.

Tammie Frank said Jason, known for his portrayal of the green Power Ranger in Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, died by suicide on Nov. 19 during a weekend outing he had planned amid the pair's efforts to rekindle their relationship. He was 49.

"While Jason was a well-known name to some, we lived a very normal life with ups and downs, just like anyone else," Tammie told People in an interview published Nov. 30. "It has shocked and saddened me beyond belief to see that the media has turned my family's tragedy into a tall tale. Since Jason's death, I have been harassed online and can no longer stand to watch my husband's good name slandered."

Tammie, married to Jason for 19 years, said his tragic death comes "as much a shock to me as anyone else."

"I loved my husband, and we were trying to work through our problems," Tammie continued. "The truth is, I had no idea that Jason was thinking of ending things. Yes, he had struggled with mental health issues and depression before, but I could never predict what would happen that night."

She recalled going out dancing with Jason the evening he died, adding that they stayed out "until the bar closed." Afterward, the two—who had been staying in separate hotel rooms because "simply put, my husband snored"—retreated back to Jason's room.

"When we got back to the hotel, Jason and I were having a heartfelt and emotional talk in his room," she said. "To help Jason relax and sober up before turning down to sleep, I went downstairs to get us snacks from the lobby."

Tammie said that when she returned, Jason had "no answer" to her knocking on the door. Police arrived at the scene afterward.

"It was meant to be a fun weekend getaway, and instead, I lost the love of my life," Tammie said. "Jason was a good man, but he was not without his demons. He was human, just like the rest of us."

R131 i'd say Amy Jo Johnson. But Adelaide Kane (who played a villain) has done ok.

r134 ....so....wait...

The wife - who you guys say is some fundie Christian type - tries to rekindle things with her husband (or lead him on? Or What?!?) and goes out drinking until the wee hours (super great idea for a couple on the outs, really, just terrific, since alcohol always makes talking about painful shit much easier and never leads to escalating fits or anything...) and then goes to his hotel room, and leaves him alone to go get snacks (or so she says) and then comes back and...he's killed himself?

That's gonna clear things up??

And why did she say this (to People Magazine, I notice) to "clear his good name". Um...in BOTH versions of the story he committed suicide. What exactly WAS the other version anyway? What needed clearing up? I'm so lost.

Basically, she now sounds like a woman who took an emotionally unstable man out, got him drunk, "to work out their differences" (Oh Please!) and then said something to him...obviously something that left him feeling suicidal...and exited long enough for him to do the deed.

I'm not saying that's exactly what happened, but that's how it sounds. And now we only have MORE questions. So....well done. Now you look like you probably did something to drive him over the edge.

I read that Austin St John expected JDF to join the three of them in demanding more money from Saban. JDF flaked and the three were fired.

[quote]i'd say Amy Jo Johnson. But Adelaide Kane (who played a villain) has done ok.

As mentioned earlier, I would throw Rose Ivers to the list. Between Once Upon a Time, iZombie, Ghosts, and various Hallmark movies, she has been working pretty steadily the last ten years, being the lead of two series have lasted more than one season.

Yoshi Sudarso was in that Bullet Train movie.

So the trailer for the anniversary dropped a few weeks ago, and a Green Ranger was clearly seen in it. Wasn't JDF the only actor to play a Green Ranger in that suit? How are they bringing back the Ranger...if he's dead? Did he film scenes for it after all?

Sad to say but with only the original Billy and Zach it isn't much of a reunion. Does anyone care about the Replacement Rangers? I never did.

If they'd gotten back Billy, Zach, Kimberly, Jason and Tommy? That would have been best. But according to Amy Jo, she never said "no" to their request to return but didn't accept the offer they gave, meaning the money was shit.

Why bother doing a reunion special if you aren't going to pay them well? Seriously, the actors got scammed the first time around and badly. They lost out on maybe millions if they'd had better representation and a share in the profits from the toys. Throw them a decent paycheck FFS.

I'll check it out but I can't imagine what the story would be.

For those who missed it

Austin St. John can't leave the country,the new Green MMPR Ranger could end up being Tommy's son with Katherine. Yeah basically the show didn't offer Amy enough money to come back. It took a long time to get Austin and Catherine Sutherland to agree to come back when they did separately.

Wait...so Austin DID agree to participate? Huh?

r141 I feel like Johnny Yong Bosch actually never really went away since he's been doing a bunch of anime voice acting for the past couple of decades. Ichigo from Bleach. Kiba from Wolf's Rain. Vash the Stampede from Trigun. He would also sometimes link up with old cast members from the Power Rangers for cons et al but I guess it's cool to see them all back together on the actual set.

Here he is with Jason David Frank a few years ago:

Austin could no longer fit into the suit.

R143 Austin is not in the anniversary episode but he came back for an episode of Beast Morphers. In which the Grid Battleforce rangers team up with the Dino Charge, Dino Thunder and the Mighty Morphin rangers. Austin was the only MMPR actor to come back for the episode while the rest of the MMPR rangers were just stunt actors. None of the Dino Thunder actors came back either nor the pink and green Dino Charge ranger actors.

I miss original Rita/Bandora. Too bad she passed away. She was terrific.