Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues | |
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File:Kung Fu - The Legend Continues (television series logo).png | |
Created by | Ed Spielman |
Based on | Kung Fu by Ed Spielman Jerry Thorpe Herman Miller |
Starring | |
Narrated by | Richard Anderson |
Composer | Jeff Danna |
Country of origin |
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No. of seasons | 4 |
No. of episodes | 88 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer | Michael Sloan |
Producers |
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Running time | 44–46 minutes |
Production company | |
Original release | |
Network | Prime Time Entertainment Network |
Release | January 27, 1993 January 1, 1997 | –
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues is an action/crime drama series and sequel to the original 1972–1975 television series Kung Fu. While the original Kung Fu series was set in the American old west, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues was set in modern times. It starred David Carradine and Chris Potter as a father and son trained in kung fu – Carradine playing a Shaolin monk, Potter a police detective.[1][2] The series aired in syndication for four seasons from January 27, 1993, to January 1, 1997, and was broadcast in over 70 countries. Filming took place in Toronto, Ontario.[3] Reruns of the show have been aired on TNT.
The show was canceled when its producer, Prime Time Entertainment Network (also known as PTEN), ceased operations and no other producer opted to continue the series.
Plot
Like his grandfather and namesake from the original series, Kwai Chang Caine (David Carradine) is a Shaolin priest who walked out of the past. Caine was the head of a temple in Northern California, where his son Peter (Chris Potter) also lived and studied, until the temple was destroyed in a fire caused by a renegade priest who believed the priests should serve as mercenaries. Each believed the other had perished in the fire and went on their separate ways; Caine wandered and traveled, much as his grandfather had, while Peter became a foster child and eventually a police officer. The series begins 15 years after the destruction of the temple, when Caine reunites with Peter after entering the Chinatown district of the city where he works.
Main cast
- David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine, Matthew Caine
- Chris Potter as Det. Peter Caine
- Kim Chan as Lo Si (The Ancient) / Ping Hai
- Robert Lansing as Capt. Paul Blaisdell (Season 1 and 2)
- Kate Trotter as Capt. Karen Simms (Season 3 and 4)
- Scott Wentworth as Det. Kermit Griffin (Season 2–4)
- Nathaniel Moreau as Young Peter Caine (in flashbacks, Season 1–3)
- Robert Bednarski as Younger Peter Caine (in flashbacks, Season 4)
- Belinda Metz as Det. Jody Powell, Det. Kira Blakemore
- Richard Anderson as Narrator (uncredited)
- Rob Moses as Master Khan
- Sandey Grinn as Thomas Jefferson "T.J." Kincaid (Season 3 and 4)
- William Dunlop as Chief of Detectives Frank Strenlich[4]
Production
In 1992, the series was sold to television stations as a first-run syndicated series, alongside Time Trax. The series was originally sold as Kung Fu: The Next Generation.[5]
Episodes
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
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First aired | Last aired | |||
1 | 22 | January 27, 1993 | December 1, 1993 | |
2 | 22 | January 26, 1994 | November 30, 1994 | |
3 | 22 | January 25, 1995 | November 29, 1995 | |
4 | 22 | January 31, 1996 | January 1, 1997 |
Home media
On May 27, 2014, Warner Bros. released the complete first season on DVD in Region 1 in the USA only not Canada, via their Warner Archive Collection.[6] Season 2 was released on August 18, 2015.[7]
DVD name | Ep # | Release date |
---|---|---|
The Complete First Season | 22 | May 27, 2014 |
The Complete Second Season | 22 | August 18, 2015 |
The Complete Third Season | 22 | N/A |
The Complete Fourth Season | 22 | N/A |
The first season was released in Germany on DVD in 2009.
International broadcasters
- Sri Lanka – Sirasa TV
- Philippines – RPN Channel 9
- Canada – First-run syndication, ATV/CTV/ASN/NTV
- USA – PTEN, first-run syndication
- Kenya – KTN
- Hungary – RTL Klub
- Indonesia – RCTI
- Poland – Polsat, TVN, TVN 7
- Czech Republic – ČT1
- Germany – PRO 7, Kabel 1
- Mexico – Televisa
- Brazil – SBT
References
- ^ Willman, Chris (January 27, 1993). "TV REVIEWS : Carradine Kicks In With New 'Kung Fu'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-11-26.
- ^ King, Susan (January 24, 1993). "Retro : Kung Fu: Alive and Kicking". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-11-26.
- ^ Storm, Jonathan (January 27, 1993). "Still Alive and Kickin'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.
- ^ Paul Green (2016). "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues". Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns: Supernatural and Science Fiction Elements in Novels, Pulps, Comics, Films, Television and Games, 2d Ed. McFarland & Company. p. 149. ISBN 978-1-4766-6257-2.
- ^ Lippman, John (March 22, 1992). "Too Costly for Prime Time : Television: Plunging profits are forcing Hollywood to chop paychecks and rein in production costs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
- ^ Available Sooner (Now!) and Cheaper: 'The Complete 1st Season' DVDs Archived 2014-05-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Early Info Provides Date and Cost for 'The Complete 2nd Season' Archived 2015-03-11 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- Kung Fu: The Legend Continues at IMDb
- Kung Fu: The Legend Continues online FAQ Archived 2010-05-13 at the Wayback Machine
- Kung Fu: The Legend Continues at Episodate.com
- 1993 American television series debuts
- 1997 American television series endings
- 1993 Canadian television series debuts
- 1997 Canadian television series endings
- First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
- Prime Time Entertainment Network
- First-run syndicated television shows in Canada
- Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
- Kung Fu (1972 TV series)
- Television shows filmed in Toronto
- English-language television shows
- Sequel television series
- Alternative sequel television series
- 1990s American crime drama television series
- 1990s Canadian crime drama television series
- American action adventure television series
- Canadian action adventure television series