4. VR Troopers (1994-1996)
To be honest, I don't remember much from VR Troopers except that annoying theme song. "We are, we are VR!" Like Beetleborgs, it was also made by Power Rangers parent company Saban and featured a group of teenagers named Ryan, Kaitin and J.B. While searching for Ryan's missing father, they stumble across Professor Horatio Hart who tells them about the experiment that he and Ryan's father were working on together. The experiment involved virtual reality, but they quickly discovered that the VR was actually another dimension. Now, the evil Grimlord, whose human identity is that of billionaire industrialist Karl Ziktor, is attempting to break down the barrier between dimensions so that his armies can invade Earth. And, stop me if you've heard this one before, it is up to the three teen to save Cross World City and the world. To do this, Professor Hart gives them special armor and weapons... and a talking dog. Much like Beetleborgs, it was considered a success, but only lasted two seasons. The reason in both cases appears to be the lack of stock Japanese footage. Power Rangers, VR Troopers and Beetleborgs all used footage from Japanese shows like Superhuman Machine Metalder, Juukou B-Fighter and Super Sentai along with new American footage to produce their shows. But they burned through the footage quickly and the later two series were cancelled so that Saban could focus solely on their money maker Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5wvWuGBLMA