Monday, May 24, 2010

Power Rangers First-Run Episodes on Networks and Days aired

Here I am talking about first-run episodes, or when a new episode debuted on and on what channel. I am NOT talking about what channel reruns aired on. I might mention it here and there with MMPR S1 for example. I also might mention what channels carried the season the year it aired. If it wasn't the year it first aired, I don't mention the channel is basically what I am saying. Also, I am ONLY covering the United States, not what channels the show has aired Internationally because I am talking about first-run ever in the whole world. And the U.S. got the 'world' premiere except for of course SPD's "Wormhole" that aired in Canada and "Mystic Fate" two-parter in the UK. Through the 17 seasons, Power Rangers has aired on a lot of channels and on different days. And the network executives have really toyed with kids when the show would even air! Sometimes an episode would air on Saturday one month and then Wednesday on another or even on a Sunday on a completely different channel for one week!

I had to do a lot of research from the PRC Episode Guide, TV.com and using a calendar and my own recollection.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season One
FOX Kids (First Run: 1993-1994)
The first episode aired on Saturday and then new episodes on weekdays. Sometimes new episodes would pop up on Saturdays like "Life's A Masquerade" for example. The last three episodes premiered on Mondays, weeks apart. Episodes would later re-run on Fox Kids in 1999, ABC Family from 2002 to 2006, Toon Disney between I think 2005 to 2008, and the first season re-aired with new graphics on ABC Kids in 2010 and were called 'new'.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season Two
FOX Kids (First Run: 1994-1995)
The first part of "Mutiny" aired on a Friday night on Prime Time; the second part aired the following week and the third part aired the week after that. And the rest of the season aired on Weekdays until "Welcome to Venus Island" that aired on Saturday. Alternatively then new episodes would air Monday and Tuesday like "White Light" on October 17 and 18 of 1994, "Two for One" and "Opposites Attract." "Reel Fish Story" was the last episode for 1994 in November and they took a hiatus and "Rangers Back in Time Part 1" first aired on Saturday in February. "The Wedding" aired back to back on Monday to Wednesday. "The Return of the Green Ranger" aired back to back the next week. Then no new episodes until April with "Best Man for the Job" on a Saturday. Two-parters on Monday and Tuesday for two weeks in May and the last ep aired on a Saturday.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season Three
FOX Kids (First Run: 1995-1996)
"A Friend in Need" saga aired on Saturdays. The Ninja Quest saga aired on a week back to back. New episodes continued on weekdays, until "Rita's Pita" aired on a Saturday. In fact in November, new eps aired on weekdays and Saturdays. The only episode that aired in December 1995 was "I'm Dreaming of a White Ranger." The Alien Ranger saga aired on weekdays until the last episode that aired on a Saturday.

Power Rangers Zeo
FOX Kids (First Run: Apr-Nov. 1996)
First episode aired on April 20, 1996, a Saturday. Then every episode after that aired weekdays. In May, episodes premiered on weekdays and Saturdays. With "Found and Lost" the season look a break from June to September and then new episodes continuing airing on weekdays. In October, new episodes premiered only on random weekdays like Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. "Good As Gold" premiered on a Saturday November 23rd and "A Season to Remember" aired on a Wednesday Nov. 27.

Power Rangers Turbo
FOX Kids (First Run: Mar-Nov. 1997)
The movie was released March 28, 1997 in the US and the first two parts of the three parter aired on Saturdays week after week. The third part aired on a Wednesday after the two parts were repeated. Then new eps aired on weekdays until May 21st and new eps came back on September 9 with the conclusion to "Honey i Shrunk the Rangers." In October and November new episodes alternatively aired Friday or Monday. Chase Into Space 1 aired on a Friday and Chase Into Space 2 aired the next Monday in November.

Power Rangers in Space
FOX Kids (First Run: Feb-Nov. 1998)
In February and March, new episodes aired only on Fridays. In April, "Craterite Invasion" aired on Friday and starting with "A Wasp With A Heart" aired on Saturday, new episodes after that on Saturdays through May and continued in September when new episodes came back after the hiatus. "The Silver Secret" broke this by airing on a Wednesday. In October and November, episodes aired Wednesday to Saturday.

Power Rangers Lost Galaxy
FOX Kids (First Run: Feb-Nov. 1999)
New Episodes only aired on Saturdays until "The Lost Galactabeasts" that aired on Friday in October and "Memories in Mirinoi" continued new episodes on weekdays. The last three episodes aired Thrusday, Friday and Saturday.

Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue
FOX Kids (First Run: Feb-Nov. 2000)
New Episodes continued premiering on Saturdays until "The Great Egg Caper" that aired on a Friday in November, new episodes continued the next day Saturday, then the following two weeks Monday to Saturday.

Power Rangers Time Force
FOX Kids (First Run: Feb-Nov. 2001)
New Episodes continued premiering on Saturdays with no hiatus until June 23, no new ep aired that Saturday and new episodes continued through the Summer and ended in November.


Power Rangers Wild Force
FOX Kids/ABC Family/ABC Kids (First Run: Feb-Nov. 2002)
First two episodes aired the same day, new episodes continued on Saturdays on Fox Kids until "The Master's Last Stand" in August. Episodes starting airing on ABC Family, I forget if new episodes started airing on that channel or on ABC Kids. September of 2002 was the end of the Fox Kids' contract. Disney moved new episodes over to their own broadcast channel, ABC. According to TV.com, new episodes would debuted on ABC Kids until PRDT, Disney decided to premiere new episodes on cable. Two episodes aired each Saturday. Wild Force was the first to air in the Jetix block on ABC Family.


Power Rangers Ninja Storm
ABC Kids/ABC Family (First Run: Feb-Nov. 2003)
New Episodes aired on Saturdays, sometimes two episodes aired. They premiered on ABC Kids and then aired on ABC Family weekend mornings.


Power Rangers Dino Thunder
ABC Kids/ABC Family (First Run: Feb-Nov. 2004)
New Episodes aired on Saturdays, sometimes two episodes aired. They premiered on ABC Kids and then aired on ABC Family weekend mornings. Not sure if new episodes premiered on ABC Family.

Power Rangers SPD
ABC Kids/ABC Family/Toon Disney (First Run: Feb-Nov. 2005)
2006 was when the Jetix block was moving from ABC Family to Toon Disney. New episodes premiered on ABC Family at first until "Messenger Part 2." "Zapped" was the first to debut first on Toon Disney, they'd have the Jetix logo on the left. New eps aired on Saturdays until "Messenger Part 1" that aired on a Sunday. Messenger Part 2 aired on Saturday and the Reflection 2 parter aired on a Friday in August. "SWAT Part 1" started having new episodes airing Monday nights prime time at 8. "Impact" aired on a Friday and all other new eps aired on Mondays. "Wormhole" aired first in Canada and then aired in the US Feb 2, 2006 on ABC Family. Resurrection aired on a Friday and the last two aired on Mondays.

Power Rangers Mystic Force
ABC Kids/ABC Family/Toon Disney (First Run: Feb-Nov. 2006)
All episodes premiered on Toon Disney except for "Koragg's Trial" and "The Hunter" that debuted on ABC Family for some reason and on Saturdays. SPD and Mystic Force were the only seasons to air on three separate channels at the same time as their season was the current season. Meaning other seasons have aired on different channels (like past eps aired on ABC Family and Toon Disney) but SPD and Mystic Force are the only ones that when they were the current season to be airing on three different channels that same year. "Dark Wish" three-parter aired the same Monday night on Toon Disney. "The Light" premiered August 14 Monday on TD and August 19 Saturday "The Hunter" premiered on ABC Family. Mystic Force would be the last season to air on ABC Family. And according to James Spiring, the Mystic Fate finale aired on Jetix UK first.

Power Rangers Operation Overdrive
ABC Kids/Toon Disney/Jetix.com (First Run: Feb-Nov. 2007)
Episodes started debuting online on Jetix.com, sometimes a week before they premiered on Toon Disney. On Toon Disney, they premiered on Monday nights.

Power Rangers Jungle Fury
ABC Kids/Toon Disney/Jetix.com (First Run: Feb-Nov. 2008)
Episodes debuted online on Jetix.com sometimes a week before they premiered on Toon Disney. On Toon Disney, they premiered on Monday nights. Episodes aired weeks or months later on ABC Kids. This was the last season to ever air on Toon Disney, that became Disney XD.

Power Rangers RPM
ABC Kids (First Run: Feb-Dec. 2009)
RPM only aired on ABC Kids, Saturdays. Depending on the local channel, they would either air at 5am, 11am or 12pm, and that was if they weren't pre-empted by a game or something. Some affiliates around the United States didn't even air the show. Sometimes they would air 2 episodes at a time and sometimes one. There was a huge gap in the hiatus from October 3rd to December 12th. And the last batch of episodes would air only once and not re-air on ABC Kids at all.

Power Rangers ??
Nickelodeon

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

"I'm Dreaming of a White Ranger" premiered during the Fox Kids TV Takeover on Thanksgiving weekend, November 23, 1995. When it ran in December, it was a rerun.

James Spiring said...

Mystic Fate, the Mystic Force finale, had it's world premiere on Jetix UK. November 4 in the UK, November 13 in the US.

Anonymous said...

when did the rangers start only airing first runs in prime time i think it was mystic force- jungle fury at 8pm

Anonymous said...

SPD's "Zapped" was the first to debut in Prime Time on Toon Disney. It also aired the latest at night of any episode, at something like 9:30pm eastern & pacific.

James Spiring said...

Please correct my name, it's Spiring, not Spring. I got my info re: Mystic Fate from the episode list on Wikipedia.