This CW action-drama boldly re-imagines the classic/notorious 1972-75 ABC-TV western series starring David Carradine, an occidental rather infamously cast as a frontier Chinese-American (Bruce Lee, a direct influence, would have been the more politically correct choice). Here set in modern times, with an overwhelmingly genuinely Asian-ethnic cast and female-fronting characters, the new Kung Fu is so dissimilar as to make one wonder why it's even the riding of the monk-robe coattails of the original. Think something more akin to The Joy Luck Club—with fists of fury, though.
San Francisco native Nicky Chen (Olivia Liang), a wayward law student, went to mainland China at the behest of her mother (Kheng Hua Tan), but instead rebelled against her family's plans and enrolled in an all-female Shaolin monastery, learning martial-arts mastery and confidence.
A sudden attack spearheaded by kung-fu femme fatale Zhilan (Yvonne Chapman) ends with the murder of Nicky's "sifu" teacher and Nicky, uncomfortably, returning from her exotic brush with death to quotidian Bay Area family life. There is the preparing for the marriage of her tech-entrepreneur younger sister (Shannon Dang) and juggling feelings for a new boyfriend with the old one Nicky left behind. Oh, and there are kung-fu fights.
Material ping-pongs between two genres. Half the time viewers get lively stereotype-busting household antics in the manner of"Crazy Rich Asians (though Nicky's cash-strapped parents maintain a struggling dumpling place instead). The other half is can't-help-be-kitschy action, sometimes reminiscent of Little Orphan Annie or Terry and the Pirates, in which Nicky and her allies go up against triad gangs, smugglers, and the recurring menace of slinky Zhilan. Early on it is revealed that the supervillainess vies to assemble mystic Chinese artifacts giving her ultimate control of The Force, or something like it.
Thanks to sharp writing and excellent performances down the line, the series does not seem quite as schizoid-awful as it sounds. Not enough can be said of the fresh and interesting faces, most guaranteed new to viewers—though fans of chopsocky cassettes dating back to the VHS dynasty will hearken to a guest appearance from a well-preserved action-hero of yesteryear: Gary Daniels as a wicked master.
The initial episode story arc wraps up satisfyingly while dangling enough to-be-continued hints and threads for the planned 2022 season. With its wild fantasy tangents, one could Zen-argue, grasshopper, how worthier this really is compared with the 1970s saga of Cain and blind Master Po. But as a showcase of Asian talent and snappy dramatics, the new Kung Fu brings no shame upon its dojo. Recommended.