Kung Fu is an American martial arts action-adventure television series that premiered on The CW on April 7, 2021, and ended on March 8, 2023. Set in the present, it is an adaptation of the 1970s series of the same title. It is produced by Warner Bros. Television, as was the original series and '. Executive producers include Christina M. Kim (developer of The CW series), Ed Spielman (creator of the original series), Greg Berlanti, Martin Gero, Robert Berens, and Sarah Schechter. It is one of a few American network dramas to feature a predominantly Asian American cast, including veteran actor Tzi Ma. The second season premiered on March 9, 2022, while the third season premiered on October 5 in the same year. In May 2023, the series was canceled after three seasons.
Set in the present day, the series follows a young Chinese American woman whose personal issues force her to leave college and make a life-changing journey to an isolated monastery in China. On her return to America three years later, she starts using her martial arts skills and Shaolin values to protect her community when her hometown of San Francisco is plagued by ongoing crime and corruption, especially those being threatened by the Triad, all while dealing with her estranged family and searching for the assassin who killed her Shaolin mentor and is now targeting her.
This version is a re-imagining, rather than a reboot, of the 1972 television series starring David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine, the fugitive monk traveling the American Old West.
In September 2017, it was reported that Greg Berlanti and Wendy Mericle were developing a female-led reboot of the series for Fox. In October 2018, it was announced that Sleepy Hollow executive producer Albert Kim was redeveloping the series and that Fox had given the project a put pilot commitment. In November 2019, it was announced that the reboot had moved to The CWwhich is home to the majority of the Arrowverse shows, all of which are produced by Berlantiand would be written by Christina M. Kim and Martin Gero. The series received a pilot order by the network. It was announced on May 12, 2020, that The CW had given Kung Fu a series order; a poster featuring Liang and social media accounts was set up the same day.
This was the third attempt of a Kung Fu reboot. According to PrimeTimer, "two different incarnations of this project have been set up in recent years at Fox, both featuring a female protagonist. Mega producers Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television were behind both projects, but neither went to pilot." The first reboot attempt had a main character named Lucy Chang, a Buddhist monk and kung fu master who traveled through America in the 1950s in search of the man who stole her child years before. The second reboot attempt was about a young Chinese-American woman who inherits her father's kung fu studio, only to find out it's a secret center dedicated to helping members of the Chinatown community who have nowhere else to turn.
On May 3, 2021, The CW renewed the series for a second season. On March 22, 2022, The CW renewed the series for a third season. Kung Fu was canceled on May 11, 2023, after three seasons. Producers Warner Bros. Television had attempted to shop the show to other outlets in anticipation of the cancellation, but were unsuccessful.
In January and February 2020, Deadline reported the casting of the reboot with Tzi Ma and Kheng Hua Tan as Jin Shen and Mei-Li, Jon Prasida as Ryan Shen, Shannon Dang as Althea Shen, Eddie Liu as Henry Yan, and Olivia Liang as the character Nicky. In March 2020, Gavin Stenhouse and Gwendoline Yeo were cast as Evan Hartley and Zhilan. Tony Chung was cast as Dennis Soong on October 6, 2020. On November 18, 2020, Yvonne Chapman was cast as Zhilan in a recurring capacity. In February 2021, Ludi Lin and Bradley Gibson were cast as Kerwin and Joe Harper in recurring roles. On August 26, 2021, Chapman was promoted to series regular for the second season. On January 6, 2022, Vanessa Yao, Annie Q. and JB Tadena joined the cast in recurring roles for the second season. On July 7, 2022, it was announced that Chapman is set to return as series regular while Tadena was promoted to a series regular for the third season. On July 27, 2022, Ben Levin and Kim Rhodes were cast in recurring capacities for the third season.
The main actress Olivia Liang mentioned she avoided martial arts prior to this role due to stereotypes and would only learn when she got paid. She later embraced the sport after being cast and supported bringing depth to Asian characters with a martial arts background.
Principal photography for the first season began on October 16, 2020, and concluded on April 27, 2021, in Langley, British Columbia. Filming for the second season began on September 20, 2021, and concluded on March 15, 2022. Filming for the third season began on July 18, 2022, and concluded on December 20.
Kung Fu premiered on April 7, 2021, on The CW. In Canada, the series airs on CTV 2, simulcast with The CW. The second season premiered on March 9, 2022. The third season premiered on October 5, 2022. The series finale aired on March 8, 2023.
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 86% based on 21 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The website's critic consensus states, "Kung Fu early episodes could use a little more focus, but beautifully choreographed fight scenes and a likable castâÂÂled by Olivia Liang's star-making performanceâÂÂinspire hope for a bright future." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 65 out of 100 based on 10 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Sam Stone of Comic Book Resources reviewed the series and stated that "nuances of each character relationship are explicitly laid out in conversation rather than hinted at or more organically woven into the show as if the characters aren't aware of their own backstories." While the fight choreography was well received, it relied on too much slow motion. CBR saw potential in the show with the cast as long it could overcome "bad habits" as the show progresses. Jennifer Griffin of TV Pulse Magazine was more critical and also agreed that there was too much exposition in the first episode. It relied on the predictable formulaic superhero format that Greg Berlanti has incorporated in previous CW shows. While having a mainly Asian-American cast was praised, the review goes on to say "Like America herself, the series needs to show its characters a little more love, and demonstrate a determination to look beyond formula, cliches, and stereotypes for that which truly connects us, as TV viewers, as superhero fans, but mostly as human beings." Robert Lloyd of LA Times wrote that the pilot was very busy with a messy exposition, which also reinforced Asian stereotypes. Max Gao of Vulture rated the first episode 4 out of 5 and said, "It wouldn't be a CW show without a classic love triangleâÂÂand Kung Fu has set up a brilliant one."