Original “Power Rangers” star didn't expect show to be such a hit: 'Seemed very low-budget'
Original “Power Rangers” star didn't expect show to be such a hit: 'Seemed very low-budget'
Shania RussellTue, March 3, 2026 at 10:08 PM UTC
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David Yost, Thuy Trang, Jason David Frank, Austin St. John, Amy Jo Johnson, Walter Emanuel Jones on 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'Credit: Courtesy Everett
Who could have predicted that a show about spandex-clad teens fighting aliens for an intergalactic wizard would be so successful? Certainly not Walter Emanuel Jones.
While reminiscing about Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in a new interview with PEOPLE, Jones admitted that when he signed on to play Black Ranger Zack Taylor, he had no idea that he was getting in on the ground level of what would become a long-running television franchise.
"When I stepped onto the set of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, I wasn’t sure what I had gotten myself into," the actor said of the iconic series. "The pilot we were shooting seemed very low-budget. The writing was super cheesy, but everything felt like it had possibilities of being cool."
He added, "I had no idea that 32 years later, we would have fans that range from 5 to 45 years old."
Walter Emanuel Jones on 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'Credit: Saban Entertainment/Courtesy Everett
The series about a group of California teenagers who are called upon to defend the world against monsters not only exceeded Jones' expectations, but became a full-blown phenomenon. The show spawned a massively successful line of toys and led to live tours, home media releases, and years' worth of merchandising that generated millions in revenue. Several TV shows have followed and the fanbase is still accruing new members to this day.
"I really didn’t predict the show would impact three generations of people in 40 countries and in a multitude of languages," Jones said. "I still get shocked when people in my current adult peer group tell me they grew up watching the show."
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Jones, now 59, added that it continues to move him when fans reflect on how the show "molded" their childhood. "We were giving parental lessons," he said. "I take pride in knowing I made a difference in the world."
The actor pointed out that it was especially meaningful for him to be playing one of the first Black superheroes on the small screen — a fact that he felt extremely conscious of from his very first day on set.
"My clearest memory from filming the pilot of the show is the recognition that I had never seen this kind of diversity in a superhero team on TV before," Jones recalled. "I thought, 'Am I the first Black superhero on TV?' It turns out that the actor-producer Robert Townsend aired a television movie about a Black superhero called Meteor Man about two weeks before Power Rangers aired."
Walter Emanuel JonesCredit: Paul Archuleta/Getty
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Jones continued, "While I was not the first Black hero to appear on TV, I do hold the honor of being the first Black superhero on a live-action television show. That distinction feels especially important because the show aired Monday through Friday. In many ways, I became a daily reminder that a person that looked like me could be an important part of a team: strong, capable, and valued."
Jones made his Black Ranger debut on Fox Kids' Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in 1993, appearing in two of the show's three seasons before departing over a pay dispute. He eventually returned to the franchise for 2023's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always. The series' OG lineup also included Austin St. John as the Red Ranger, Amy Jo Johnson as the Pink Ranger, David Yost as the Blue Ranger, Tommy Oliver as the Green Ranger, and the late Thuy Trang as the Yellow Ranger.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
