4. Power Rangers Time Force
Year: 2001 (Season 9)
Plot: In the year 3000, the police organization Time Force has captured all known criminals except for the mutant crime lord Ransik and his gang. Alex, the Time Force Red Ranger, brings him in - only for his fiance Jennifer and her team to be ambushed and overpowered while transporting him to prison. They are fired from the force, and Alex is mortally wounded fighting to recapture Ransik. Seeking justice and vengeance, Jennifer leads her team to steal Time Force's Power Ranger morphers and a time ship and pursue Ransik as he escapes back in time to 2001. Needing a close DNA match for Alex to unlock the morphers, the team is forced to recruit his distant ancestor Wes - a rich playboy - as the new Red Ranger.
Why It's Worth Watching: Time Force is one of the better-written, darker seasons of Power Rangers, with a much stronger emphasis on characterization and drama than is the norm. Much of the drama comes from human stories - Jennifer's grieving over Alex and confused feelings for Wes, Wes' strained relationship with his millionaire father, and Wes' rivalry with his father's employee Eric. Ransik and his crew even earn some character development and are considerably more sympathetic than usual for the show. Some of the acting is genuinely good, including a turn from Golden Globe winner Edward Albert as Wes' father - and Vernon Wells (best known as Bennett from Commando and Wez from The Road Warrior) gives an infectiously hammy performance as Ransik. This was the last season produced by the show's original creators, Saban Entertainment, until 2011's disappointing Power Rangers Samurai.