Mighty Morphin Power Rangersformer head writer Tony Oliver addresses the show’s controversial casting of Black and Asian actors as the Black and Yellow Rangers, respectively. First airing on Fox Kids in 1993, the hitPower Rangersshowfollowed the titular team of exceptional teens as they band together to save Angel Grove from villains and monsters, with the series running for three seasons until 1995. Zack Taylor, aka the Black Ranger, was portrayed by Walter Emanuel Jones, while Trini Kwan, aka the Yellow Ranger, was portrayed by the late Thuy Trang.
During an interview on Investigation Discovery’s “Dark Side of the Power Rangers"episode of its new series,Hollywood Demons(viaEW),Oliver reveals that he feels regret about the casting choicesforMighty Morpin Power Rangers' Black and Yellow Rangers. He confirms that, at the time, “None of us are thinking stereotypes,” and that’s how the series was able to get to the air without issue.
Oliver didn’t even realize the problematic casting until his assistant “pointed it out in a meeting one day.” Now, he says of the original casting decision:
“It was such a mistake.”
Speaking of the Black and Yellow Rangers, Oliver said that the Black Ranger “seemed to have the swagger of the group,” while the latter was “the peaceful one, who tends to be the conscience of the group.” Oliver also points out that “Thuy was not our original Yellow Ranger.” Trang was brought on board at the last minute after Audri Dubois, the original Yellow Ranger quit due to a pay dispute. Thuy was then edited into the already-shot pilot.
In “Dark Side of the Power Rangers,“stunt coordinator Jeff Pruitt reveals that the cast joked about the stereotypical casting. The documentary even features a behind-the-scenes clip of Jones saying, “My name’s Walter Jones, I play Zack. I’m Black, and I play the Black Ranger — go figure.”
The Franchise Would Continue To Be Successful
The following contains brief mentions of suicide.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' racially insensitive castingwould not be acceptable today and would generate a great deal of controversy. At the time, however, it’s clear that it didn’t stir things up in quite the same way. Both Jones and Trang left the show in season 2, butPower Rangerslived on.Mighty Morphin Power Rangersreturned for season 3 and, though this particular iteration of the show ended in 1995, the franchise continued with new casts, storylines, and creative teams.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always Ending Explained
Here’s a breakdown of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always’ ending, how it sets up future stories, and where Power Rangers goes next.
ThePower Rangerslived on in the various spinoffs, continuations, and one-off adventures in the years that followed. AMighty Morphin Power Rangersremake was even released on ABC Kids in 2010.The racially insensitive casting, then, didn’t derail the original showor the franchise more generally, and future iterations didn’t repeat the original show’s problematic casting. The casting issues have also since been overshadowed by otherPower Rangersnews stories, with the franchise now infamous for its surprising number of shocking cast deaths and controversies.
Trang died in a car crash in 2001, while Richie actor Maurice Mendoza died by suicide in 2013. Green Ranger Jason David Frank also died by suicide in 2022. Red Ranger actor Ricardo Medina Jr. pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the murder of Joshua Sutter in 2017.
Our Take On Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' Problematic Casting
The Show Hasn’t Aged Well
Times change, andwhat may have been acceptable in the ’90s now may not be. Even at the time, however, it’s surprising that nowhere in the creative process did anyone stop to think that casting Black and Asian actors as the Black and Yellow Rangers was racially insensitive.
Going back to revisit the show now with this new knowledge could certainly affect the viewing experience. The fact that OIiver is aware of the mistake and regrets it, however, is notable, and suggests that he would approach casting projects very differently today than he did in the ’90s withMighty Morphin Power Rangers.
