He eventually decides to reopen his karate dojo, which leads to events that re-ignite the decades-old rivalry with Daniel LaRusso (Macchio). He’s now in his 50s and well past his prime, with a life that didn’t exactly go as planned. Set 34 years after the events in the original The Karate Kid movie, Cobra Kai continues the story from the perspective of the movie’s then-antagonist: Johnny Lawrence (Zabka). Ralph Macchio and William Zabka even return to reprise their roles! The series, now renewed for a fourth season after shifting to Netflix from YouTube during the third, serves as a sequel to the four movies that were released between 19 (barring the 2010 remake starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan).
Like the shows before it, Cobra Kai is one part of a major martial arts film franchise: The Karate Kid. Cobra Kai, YouTube Red/Premium and Netflix (2018 – present)
Set in San Francisco during the 1870s, we find ourselves right smack in the middle of ongoing Tong Wars, which was essentially underground (often violent) disputes between various organizations of Chinese immigrants.Īh Sahm, a martial artist from Foshan, China, has just moved to the city in search of his younger sister – who he finds more deeply involved in the Tong Wars than he had anticipated. If you ever really wanted to get a look into the Chinese-American culture in the late 19th century, Warrior would be the show for you. Warrior was the last original program from Cinemax before it stopped production on all originals, and what a show to close out on. The show was developed out of a concept from martial arts legend Bruce Lee, and his daughter Shannon even served as an executive producer through its two-season run on Cinemax and will continue to do so for the upcoming third season on HBO Max! We’re going way back in time with a Cinemax original: Warrior. Warrior, Cinemax/HBO Max (2019 – present)
#Hawaii actress in martial law tv show series#
While there, he endeavors to find out more about his familial roots on this side of the world.Īs viewers are taken on this journey with him, we are also treated to relevant lessons during his Shaolin training that are relevant to his current experiences as the series unfolds. However, after his mentor is murdered and he seeks revenge by killing the Emperor’s nephew who murdered him, Kwai Chang flees back to America. He enters training at a Shaolin monastery and eventually becomes a master in martial arts. The series starred David Carradine, and even featured several other members of the famed Carradine family in guest roles throughout its three-season run.Ĭarradine stars as Kwai Chang Caine, the orphaned son of an American man and a Chinese woman. Kung Fu, ABC (1972 – 1975)Īs we mentioned, this 1970s Kung Fu series was the original, and it’s what led to not only the aforementioned adaptation but a couple of sequel films – and series – as well. When Nicky finds out that her neighborhood is living in fear under a criminal organization, she recruits the help of her estranged siblings to help her family and stop the woman who murdered her mentor from killing her as well. Over the next three years, she becomes a master of combat and Shaolin techniques but is forced to return to San Francisco when her mentor is killed by a rogue warrior. In a bid to flee her old life and find her own freedom, she journeys to China to join an all-female Shaolin monastery. Kung Fu is now set in modern times and follows a young Harvard Law School dropout named Nicky Shen. As of writing, The CW’s Kung Fu is in its first season and has had a promising start. The first show on our list is an adaptation of the 1970s classic series of the same name: Kung Fu (which we’ll also be talking about, don’t worry!). Whether decades old or very modern, these shows prove that martial arts is a skill that can become a timeless form of entertainment for all audiences. The amount of discipline it takes to learn any kind of martial art… I don’t think I could ever.Īs an ode to these amazing skills and to those who have them, we’ve put together a list of the best live-action TV shows about martial arts! There are so many different kinds that it’s hard to keep track but just the idea of hand-to-hand combat, or incapacitating an enemy, is both intimidating and fascinating. Regardless, as someone who has next to no self-defense skills or the knowledge to make up for that, martial arts has always been such an amazing thing. However, it would still be a terrible injustice if we didn’t also shout out the awesome women who have shown their martial arts skills on our screens too, like Michelle Yeoh, Ronda Rousey, Gina Carano, and Zhang Ziyi. In most movies and TV shows about it (including those in this very list!), it’s mostly about men. Talking about martial arts in the entertainment industry no doubt summons a male-dominated slew of names: Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Jackie Chan.
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