Set in a then-distant future, 1994’s Monster Force follows a group of college students tasked with stopping the infamous Count Dracula and various creatures of the night. The team included tech expert “Doc” Crawley, Luke Talbot (the grandson of the Wolf Man), weapons expert Lance McGruder, martial arts master Tripp Hansen, telepath Shelley Frank (a descendant of Dr. Frankenstein), and Frankenstein’s monster himself. Gone were the days of stakes and silver bullets (likely considered too violent for children’s television); instead, the team wore EMACS (Energized Monster Armed Containment Suits) and wielded high-tech gadgets to battle foes like the Mummy, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and Count Dracula. The show had a unique spin on Universal’s classic monster movies by attempting to give them a high-tech '90s upgrade. With action, adventure, and futuristic gadgets, Monster Force seemed primed to become a Saturday morning hit. Yet, while shows like Street Sharks maintain cult followings, Monster Force has faded into relative obscurity, leaving fans to wonder why.

Monster Force only lasted a few months, with a single season spanning 13 episodes. Produced by Universal Cartoon Studios, the show likely struggled to stand out in an oversaturated genre. With shows like Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, X-Men: The Animated Series, and the similar Exosquad already competing for airtime and toy aisle dominance, Monster Force found it difficult to carve out its own identity. Although the 1994 show still exists through its vintage action figures and a 2009 home video release of the first nine episodes, the remaining adventures of its titular heroes have become partially lost media, putting the final nail in Monster Force’s coffin.

The Universal Monsters have long been a staple of Saturday morning television, just as much as they’ve been stars of the silver screen. Shows like Drak Pack, Groovie Goolies, Monster Squad, and even the Scooby-Doo franchise have either featured or paid homage to Universal’s horror legends. However, Monster Force feels like something that could only have happened in the '80s and '90s. Monster Force was the product of a perfect storm of cultural influences and demographics, resulting in an unbelievably strange take on Universal’s classic horror icons. It was a mishmash of ideas, pieced together so haphazardly by Universal that it’s hard to believe Dr. Frankenstein didn’t assemble them in his laboratory.