Another thing Smallville never had.

Yeah, serious drama can be fun in the right genres. :lol But Power Rangers doesn't have to be melodramatic. It just has to have sufficient drama and characterisation to be fun. To attempt to be too much like the serious dramas on primetime would kind of hurt it.

Even RPM, with all its drama, knew how to balance that with the fun and cheesiness that comes with Power Rangers. It fully embraced being Power Rangers.

This I agree with.

I know you want a more dramatic, plot-driven show, 7L, but PR is not going to have that. That is not what the show is for, honestly.

And lampshaded the goofiness of both the Power Rangers concept and Sentai footage's theme-of-the-year the wazoo. :lol

Because how do you explain that one of your MOTW's is a spray bottle and the military team of soldiers against an army of deathbots is wearing neon bodysuits and wielding big goofy weapons while driving huge cars with cutesy animal faces? :lolol

And honestly, what's Smallville's plot? "Clark Kent's life between him landing on earth and donning the iconic suit."

Why is that so much better than "3 students at a martial arts dojo are tasked with guarding a magic box containing an ancient evil and one jealous student fucks everything up by releasing the evil and killing the sensei who instructs them to go find this new teacher who teaches them how to fight off the evil by giving them devices that channel their ki into into magic spandex and weapons so that they can fight the hordes of demon soldiers that the ancient evil will unleash upon the world while possessing the mind of the jealous student and sending him further down the road of angst and hatred?"

Never thought Id see the first episode of JF summed up that easily. Well I couldnt because I explain everything at once. Ive never seen Smallville, but if its like Arrow where its all DRAMA ARGH then no, PR will never get that way. Its a kids show, what kids show is gonna do that?

In Space and Time Force say hi.

In Space and Time Force (and RPM by extension) never abandoned their Power Rangers roots. They kept the camp, the crazy powers, the silly plots and most importantly, the spirit of fun.

You're confusing story telling with melodrama.
Those two series are loved because they told a consistent and interesting story. The fun and silly moments of Power Rangers are still entirely intact.