Disney+'s New 'Cobra Kai Meets Stranger Things' Show Will Rescue One Of The Greatest American Franchises

3 hours ago 7
Jayden in the dojo in Power Rangers Super Samurai

Published May 3, 2026, 6:00 PM EDT

Tom is a Senior Staff Writer at Screen Rant, with expertise covering everything from hilarious sitcoms to jaw-dropping sci-fi epics.

Initially he was an Updates writer, though before long he found his way to the TV and movies team. He now spends his days keeping Screen Rant readers informed about the TV shows of yesteryear, whether it's recommending hidden gems that may have been missed by genre fans or deep diving into ways your favorite shows have (or haven't) stood the test of time.

Tom is based in the UK and when he's not writing about TV shows, he's watching them. He's also an avid horror fiction writer, gamer, and has a Dungeons and Dragons habit that he tries (and fails) to keep in check.
 

Sign in to your ScreenRant account

Disney+ has become a reliable home for bold reimaginings of beloved properties, constantly refreshing familiar worlds for new audiences. From legacy sequels to ambitious spin-offs, the platform thrives on nostalgia with a modern edge. Yet among its upcoming slate, one TV show stands out for its potential to revive a once-dominant American franchise that has quietly slipped from the spotlight.

Disney and Hasbro are currently developing a brand-new Power Rangers reboot for Disney+ that aims to completely reinvent the franchise. Unlike previous iterations, this new show will reportedly start from scratch, abandoning the long-standing practice of adapting footage from Japan’s Super Sentai and ignoring the previous Power Rangers timeline.

It’s a much-needed evolution. Power Rangers was once a cornerstone of Saturday morning television, a global phenomenon that defined a generation. Seeing it sidelined in recent years has been heartbreaking for fans, but not irreversible. The staggering success of other shows with similar themes proves there’s still a huge market for the Rangers, and the reboot on Disney+ will be an essential tool for tapping into it.

The Disney+ Reboot Is The Fresh Start Power Rangers Needs

Power Rangers Must Evolve Beyond Its Outdated Formula To Survive

The six rangers in Power Rangers Cosmic Fury

The Power Rangers franchise has effectively been in limbo since Power Rangers Cosmic Fury wrapped in 2023. For a property that once produced yearly installments, the years silence have been deafening. However, simply reviving the old formula would not be enough. The classic structure was perfect for its time, but television has changed. Younger audiences now expect more complex storytelling and higher production values.

The decline of the traditional Saturday morning action show format has left Power Rangers struggling to maintain mainstream relevance. While the core concept remains strong, its execution has not kept pace with modern expectations. This is why previous attempts to refresh the franchise, including the 2017 Power Rangers movie, failed to spark long-term momentum.

Despite this, the brand itself is far from dead. A dedicated fanbase continues to support Power Rangers through comics, video games, and collectibles. The BOOM! Studios comic line, in particular, has shown how compelling the mythology can be when given deeper storytelling and character development. That’s exactly what the Disney+ reboot represents: a chance to realign the franchise with contemporary viewing habits.

By stepping away from its rigid structure and embracing a more flexible, serialized approach, Power Rangers can retain its identity while appealing to a broader audience. In many ways, this reboot is less about reinvention and more about unlocking potential that has always been there. The idea of a diverse group of teenagers balancing everyday life with extraordinary responsibilities is timeless. It just needs to be presented in a way that resonates with today’s viewers.

Power Rangers Has The Potential To Be A Flagship Disney+ Show

A Prestige Approach Could Turn Power Rangers Into Streaming Gold

The rangers team in the 2017 Power Rangers movie

One of the most exciting aspects of the Disney+ Power Rangers reboot is its reported shift toward a serialized, prestige TV format. The new series is expected to focus on long-form narratives, character arcs, and interconnected plots. This opens the door for Power Rangers to become something it has never truly been before: a must-watch drama. The franchise has always had compelling themes like friendship, responsibility, identity, but they were often secondary to action. A serialized format allows those ideas to take center stage.

At its core, the concept is incredibly marketable: teenagers trained in martial arts battling sci-fi monsters while navigating personal struggles. That combination of grounded emotion and heightened spectacle is exactly what has made other streaming hits like Stranger Things and Cobra Kai so successful. The thematic and narrative overlap proves the Power Rangers reboot has the potential to attract new viewers in abundance if executed correctly.

What’s more, Disney+ is uniquely positioned to elevate the franchise. With the platform’s resources, the reboot can deliver cinematic visuals, improved choreography, and more immersive world-building than ever before. There’s also a strategic opportunity. Outside of Star Wars, Marvel, and traditional Disney fare, Disney+ is still building its identity. A successful Power Rangers reboot would offer something distinct yet widely appealing. If Disney and Hasbro stick the landing, it could become one of the primary reasons audiences subscribe to Disney+ in the first place.

Read Entire Article