Martial Law (TV series): Difference between revisions
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==Known Foreign Broadcasters== |
==Known Foreign Broadcasters== |
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In Britain, ''Martial Law'' can be seen on [[ITV4]] throughout the week. |
In Britain, ''Martial Law'' can be seen on [[ITV4]] throughout the week. |
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In France, ''Martial Law'' (''Le flic de Shangai'') can be seen on [[M6]] and [[W9]]. |
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==DVD Releases== |
==DVD Releases== |
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Revision as of 12:55, 25 March 2007
| Martial Law | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Carlton Cuse |
| Starring | Sammo Hung Arsenio Hall Kelly Hu Louis Mandylor Tom Wright Gretchen Egolf Tammy Lauren |
| Country of origin |  United States Canada |
| No. of episodes | 44 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes (approx. 42 min) |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS (1998-2000) |
| Release | 1998 – 2000 |
Martial Law was a television show that ran from 1998 to 2000. It was created by Carlton Cuse.
The title character, Sammo Law, was a Chinese law officer and martial arts expert who came to Los Angeles in search of a colleague and wound up sticking around.
The cast endured turnover from the beginning. Detective Dana Dickson (played by Tammy Lauren) exited the show after a handful of episodes. Not long after that, Arsenio Hall joined the cast as Terrell Parker, a wisecracking former LAPD press liaison who began helping out Sammo and the gang on cases. The pairing of Hung and Hall as partners was similar to the partnership between Sammo's friend, Jackie Chan, and Chris Tucker in the Rush Hour films.
New producers took the helm at the beginning of the second season. They more or less pretended that the first season did not exist, retaining only the basic concept of a fish-out-of-water detective. Cast members Louis Mandylor and Tom Wright were dropped. Gretchen Egolf was brought in to play the unit's new leader, Amy Dylan. Additionally, Parker's past in public relations was scrapped. The first season's cliffhanger ending was explained away with a few throwaway lines.
Law made crossover appearances on episodes of Early Edition and Walker, Texas Ranger. Chuck Norris's Walker character, Cordell Walker, also made an appearance as part of the two-part Martial Law/Walker, Texas Ranger crossover.
Cast
- Sammo Law - Sammo Hung
- Terrell Parker - Arsenio Hall
- Grace (Pei Pei) Chen - Kelly Hu
- Dana Dickson - Tammy Lauren (Season 1)
- Louis Malone - Louis Mandylor (Season 1)
- Benjamin Winship - Tom Wright (Season 1)
- Amy Dylan - Gretchen Egolf (Season 2)
Story
The basic storyline is that Sammo Law, a well-respected Chinese cop, is transferred to America. As he works for the police department, fighting crime in Los Angeles, and later New York, is met with a clash in culture. He is also the mentor of Grace "Pei Pei" Chen, an undercover officer. When American techniques don't work, Sammo amits some Chinese cop work to get the job done.
Season 1 Plot
Sammo is sent by the Chinese government to apprehend an old nemesis named Lee Hei. He finds out that his disciple, Pei Pei, had infiltrated Lee Hei's criminal empire. His goal is to capture Lee Hei and ends his criminal organization. Unfortunately, this plot line was unresolved and Season 1 ended in a cliffhanger.
Season 2 Plot
Law decides to stay in Los Angeles and now is partned with Pei Pei. The department also gets a new captain, Amy Dylan, who thinks that the Chinese way of police work isn't the best way of handling things. In addition, there are revelations of a secret society whose members include Law's long lost son. While Law decided to return to China in the last episode, a line of dialogue left open the possibility of a follow-up.
Episode List
Season 1 |
Season 2
| ||
| 01: Shanghai Express 02: Diamond Fever 03: Dead Ringers 04: Funny Money 05: Cop Out 06: Extreme Measures 07: Trackdown 08: Takeout 09: How Sammo Got His Groove Back 10: Bad Seed 11: Lock-Up 12: Painted Faces 13: Substitutes 14: Wildlife 15: Breakout 16: Captive Hearts 17: Trifecta 18: Big Trouble 19: Nitro Man 20: Red Storm 21: Requiem (Part One) 22: End Game (Part Two) st Season |
01: Sammo Blammo 02: Thieves Among Thieves 03: This Shogun for Hire 04: 24 Hours 05: 90 Million Reasons to Die 06: My Man Sammo 07: The Friendly Skies 08: Call of the Wild 09: Blue Flu 10: Sammo Claus 11: No Quarter 12: Scorpio Rising 13: No Fare 14: Dog Day Afternoon 15: Deathfist 5: Major Crimes Unit 16: Honor Among Strangers* 17: Freefall 18: The Thrill is Gone 19: Heartless 20: In the Dark 21: Final Conflict, Part 1 22: Final Conflict, Part 2 | ||
Notes: * This episodes storyline is continued on Walker Texas Ranger
Known Foreign Broadcasters
In Britain, Martial Law can be seen on ITV4 throughout the week. In France, Martial Law (Le flic de Shangai) can be seen on M6 and W9.
DVD Releases
As of September, 2006, there are no news about the release of Martial Law on DVD. Despite the push by a few fans, according to TVShowsOnDVD.com, DVD releases have yet to be available.
External links
- Martial Law at the Internet Movie Database
- Martial Law on DVD
- Martial Law Television Show: A general Martial Law fansite currently updating. Currently provides episode lists, cast information and media.
- A petition to release Martial Law on DVD