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[[File:beetleborgs.jpg|frame|Just three typical, average kids.]]
''Beetleborgs'' was a live-action series produced by [[Saban]] and aired on [[FOX]]. Called ''Big Bad Beetleborgs'' in the first season and changed to ''Beetleborgs Metallix'' in the second. A ''[[Power Rangers]]''-like [[Sentai]] show, it incorporated footage from a Japanese show (in this case, the [[Metal Heroes|Metal Hero]] shows, ''[[Juukou B-Fighter]]'' and ''[[B-Fighter Kabuto]]'') with new footage created in the United States. The show lasted from September 1996 to March 1998.
Unlike ''Power Rangers'', this show made little attempt to be serious, being more light-hearted and comical (meaning that it makes even the early seasons of ''Power Rangers'' look like a Sam Peckinpah film). It also had a storyline completely different from its Japanese counteparts. It even aimed to a younger demographic, evidenced by the heroes [[Kid Appeal Character|being 9-10 years old]].
It starred three typical all-American kids: Drew McCormick, his sister Jo, and their [[Black Best Friend|best friend]] Roland Williams, whose family owns the local comic shop, where they spend most of their time. On a dare from some bullies, they go inside the local "[[Haunted House]]." Once inside, they free Flabber, a wacky ghost with Elvis Presley's hair, Jay Leno's chin, Liberace's wardrobe, and all just generally filtered through [[The Joker]], who had been imprisoned in the pipe organ. Flabber cannot thank the kids enough, so he offers to grant a wish for them. The three young comic book fans know what they want, and that is to be able to transform into their favorite superheroes, ''The Big Bad Beetleborgs''. Flabber grants their wish, and the children are given the power to turn into the heroes, but now that the heroes exist in the real world, [[Be Careful What You Wish For|the villains from the comic book likewise come to life]] [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|to spread chaos]] (via the [[Monster of the Week]]).
The three friends, with their new powers and a little help from Flabber, must stop them. This is complicated by the "House Monsters", comic relief monsters (Count Fangula, a vampire; Wolfie, a werewolf; Mums, a mummy; Frankenbeans, a [[
The second season had an exchange of villains and subsequently an exchange of costumes, with a new ally in the artist who created the comics and his evil brother working for the new bad guys. Slightly [[Darker and Edgier]] but nothing too shocking. The show remained relatively popular, but like ''[[Power Rangers]]'' the source footage eventually ran out. Unlike ''Rangers'', there was no follow-up series to adapt (well technically there was, but it was drastically different from the previous ''B-Fighter'' shows and was somehow even more kid-friendly than ''Beetleborgs'').
As of June 2011, the entire series (along with [[VR Troopers]] and [[Power Rangers]]) is available for streaming on Netflix.
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{{tropelist}}
* [[Adapted Out]]: In ''Convention Dimension'' some of the battle scenes were cut out, including the [[Blue Swat]] team and Season 1 finale, which also has the ''Janperson'' omitted.
* [[Art Initiates Life]]: Monsters are created from comic books in the first season and Les' new drawings in the second. And, of course, most if not all upgrades to the Beetleborgs' gear are drawn by Art Fortunes, the creator of the comic.
* [[The Baroness]]: Jara
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* [[Christmas Episode]]: "Christmas Bells and Phasm's Spells."
* [[Continuity Cameo]]: [[Tokusou Robo Janperson|Janperson]] ([[Dub Name Change|renamed]] "Karato") makes a cameo in "Convention Dimension" alongside his rival Gun Gibson (as "Silver Ray") and his nemesis Billgoldy (as "Goldex"). Since ''Janperson'' was never adapted into an Americanized series, his cameo is treated as another fictional superhero who lives in his own universe, much like the Beetleborgs themselves.
* [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass]]: Don't push Wolfie too far.
** He was the only monster to try to help the Beetleborgs when they were getting thrashed by {{spoiler|Nukus. It didn't help much, but he was actually able to touch the guy, which the heroes couldn't.}}
* [[Curb Stomp Battle]]: Several, but most striking was when {{spoiler|Nukus easily thrashed the Beetleborgs and destroyed their powers like it was nothing. Even after they get an upgrade, their first fight with him didn't go well.}}
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* [[Faux Symbolism]]: Creator of the Beetleborgs comic book, ''Art Fortunes'', and his less successful, jailbird brother ''Les Fortunes''.
* [[Fingerless Gloves]]: Flabber and Jara
* [[Five
** [[The Hero]]: Drew McCormick
** [[The Smart Guy|Smart]] [[The Lancer|Lancer]]: Roland Williams
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* [[Foreshadowing]]: Josh arrives in town, and promptly woos Drew's crush, and is generally well liked by everyone except Drew; at the same time an evil counterpart to the Beetleborgs appears & beats them at every opportunity. ''I wonder how they're going to get out of this...''
* [[Halloween Episode]]: Two of them, actually: "Bye Bye, Frankie" (Season 1) and "Halloween Haunted House of Horrors" (Season 2).
* [[Headless Horseman]]: In "Headless Over Heels", the Headless Horseman had an encounter with Wolfgang in the old country and allergies to him is what made him lose his head. When he arrives in Charterville looking for his head, he thought Wolfgang had it and tried to claim it back (or take the head of the other Hillhurst monsters). It turns out that Little Ghoul had his head which she used for bowling and ended up giving it back. Bolts were attached to the head to keep it from falling off again.
* [[Henshin Hero]]
* [[Hit Flash]]: Of the ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]'' variety; [[Justified Trope|justified]] in that the heroes are based on comic book characters.
* [[Invisibility]]: Josh, [[Visible Invisibility|complete with outline]]
* [[Japanese Beetle Brothers]], rounded out by a ladybug
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* [[Large Ham]]: Flabber.
* [[Law of Chromatic Superiority]]: Subverted, the blue Beetleborg is the leader, not red, who turned out to be the [[Token Girl]].
* [[Leitmotif]]: Each of the [[Stock Super Powers]] has an audio track to match.
* [[Literal Genie]]: Flabber.
* [[Losing Your Head]]: There is one episode where Roland, Drew, and Jo did remove their own heads.
* [[Merchandise
* [[Monster Mash]]
* [[Monster of the Week]]
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* [[No Ending]]
* [[The Nth Doctor]]: Jo again, via magical mishap. Replacing the only girl with someone who looks nothing like her? Then do what Beetleborgs did, and say that a spell was placed on Jo which caused her to look and sound different, and then a ''second'' spell makes [[Muggles]] see her old self, but ''not'' the main characters (or viewer.) That's a smooth save right there.
** One wonders why they even bother making an explanation if its gonna be that asinine or why didn't pull a Power Rangers and just [[Put
*** As Drew's ''sister,'' it's hard to get rid of one without getting rid of the other, unless you went ''way'' too dark for this [[Lighter and Softer]] series and had her die - not gonna happen. It's far from the strangest magical mishap the show's ever had.
* [[Powered Armor]]
* [[Product Placement]]: Subversion. In the episode "It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World", take a look at the "Fountain Don't" bottles. They're like Mountain Dew.
* [[Psycho Rangers]]: The Mantrons
* [[Put
* [[Super Speed|Runs Like Nobody Can]]: Roland
* [[Scratch Damage]]: An unusual example if you think too hard about it. When Nukus appeared, the Beetleborgs stood no chance against him. Between their defeat and acquiring their Metallix powers, they learned a spell that let them turned into beetles, which they once used around Nukus. They had to distract him, so they bit his foot...making him yelp out in pain. I've never known a character who could shrug off laser blasts, but had a weakness to bug bites.
** This may have been due to it being a sneak attack, as oppose to the battle where he knew attacks was coming and blocked them.
* [[Self
* [[Spiritual Successor]]: Originally Saban planned to adapt ''B-Fighter'' into a third season of ''[[VR Troopers]]'', but they decided to start from scratch instead with a new Americanized adaptation of the ''[[Metal Heroes]]'' franchise.
* [[So Last Season]]: The change to Metallix
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* [[Transformation Sequence]]
* [[Van Helsing Hate Crime]]: a preteen [[Vampire Hunter]] who sets his sights on Count Fangula.
* [[Wake Up, Go to School, Save
* [[What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?]]: Josh didn't even get that much. No mecha, no signature weapon, he didn't even get a Sonic Laser. All he had was a [[Iron Man|repulsor blast type weapon in his hands]], and ''that'' was added by US production because there was little for him originally. His toy actually ''did'' get a Sonic Laser, but instead of a weapon of his own, he came with the Thunder Stinger, which, in-show, is only used by the Blue Stinger Borg's [[Super Mode]]. (Well, and [[Prop Recycling|a Machine Empire general. And Dr. K with some modification.]]) Of course, since Kabuto was a mere weapons salesman who actually ''gave'' the B-Fighters the Beet Ingram, this actually makes sense, but Americans had no way of knowing that. Still didn't get a toy of his Beetle Bonder though. Josh was a cool kid, but the White Blaster Borg was pretty much the most boring [[Sixth Ranger]] power set ever.
* [[Xtreme Kool Letterz]]: Metallix.
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[[Category:American Series]]
[[Category:Beetleborgs]]
[[Category:TV Series]]
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