Summary
- Wu Assassins weaves a compelling tale of a young man roped into a mystical war, with excellent fight choreography and a talented cast.
- The Legend of Bruce Lee accurately chronicles Bruce Lee’s life in a 50-episode biographical series, with a convincing portrayal by Danny Chan.
- Arrow surprises with its thrilling one-on-one showdowns and top-notch martial arts choreography, proving it’s more than just a superhero series.
A handful of TV shows stand out above the rest in terms of their approach to martial arts. In comparison to other genres, there admittedly isn’t an abundance of martial arts TV shows in the West. However, the implementation of fighting styles like karate and kung fu have been central to certain TV shows dating all the way back to the 1960s when Bruce Lee co-starred in The Green Hornet as the titular hero’s martial artist sidekick, Kato.
In the years since, there have been dozens of other shows to center martial arts in one form or another. In some situations, learning a style of martial arts or using it for a specific purpose is the crux of the story, such is the case with TV shows like Cobra Kai,Wu Assassins, and the David Carradine classic, Kung Fu. Other times, it may not be the focus of the story itself, but does serve as the driving force of the action, which is how martial arts were incorporated into Daredevil, Into the Badlands, and more. Here’s a breakdown of the 10 best live-action martial arts TV shows of all time.
10 Wu Assassins
Netflix’s Wu Assassins only boasted a single season (and a follow-up movie), but still served as a worthy entry into the martial arts genre. Wu Assassins weaved a compelling tale of a young man who gets roped into a mystical, wuxia-inspired war fought in modern times. A big part of what made it so special was the casting of Uko Iwais, an action star who already had a great deal of experience headlining martial arts movies. Casting such an actor, as well as other stars with real martial arts experience, was to the betterment of the show’s fight choreography.
9 The Legend Of Bruce Lee
As its title implies, The Legend of Bruce Lee is a biographical series that tells the life story of the pop culture icon who helped make the martial arts genre what it is today. Over the course of a 50-episode story, the Chinese production – available on Netflix – has been met with great praise in regards to how it accurately chronicles Bruce Lee’s journey in great, dramatic fashion. The Legend of Bruce Lee star Danny Chan delivered a convincing portrayal of the actor, which was a tall order, considering that such a task required an ability to perfectly emulate numerous well-known aspects of his personality, not to mention his fighting abilities.
8 Arrow
Considering that Arrow was a superhero series about a bow-wielding vigilante from DC Comics, there most likely wasn’t much of an expectation for it to showcase martial arts as well – or as often – as it did. In spite of archery being Oliver Queen’s signature skill, Arrow regularly pitted its hero against its villains in thrilling, one-on-one showdowns that emphasized hand-to-hand combat. Its top-notch martial arts choreography became a long-running staple of the series.
7 Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers
An action show aimed at kids as well as the first installment in the Power Rangers franchise, Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers kicked off a cultural phenomenon. Shockingly, the American re-edit of Japanese series Kamen Rider became a massive hit and generate interest from its young viewers in martial arts. With its campiness being a huge part of its charm, Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers is well-remembered for its use of martial arts, as members of its cast had real backgrounds in various fighting styles.
6 Walker, Texas Ranger
As a show that starred world karate champion Chuck Norris as its titular character, it’s no surprise that Walker, Texas Ranger was brimming with exciting action. Much more than just a procedural cop show, Walker, Texas Ranger complimented Walker’s investigations with fights that made the most of the action icon’s karate skills. Norris’ star power, good storytelling, and adequate martial arts choreography kept Walker, Texas Ranger alive on CBS for an impressive eight seasons.
5 Kung Fu
The controversy of casting white actor David Carradine as its half-Chinese protagonist over Bruce Lee aside, Kung Fu was fairly hailed as an innovative drama series when it began airing in 1972. Perfectly blending the Western and martial arts genres, Kung Fu maintained a healthy balance of both sides of martial arts: action and philosophy. Episodes of Kung Fu often contained philosophical messages, which is a fundamental part of the martial arts style in the first place.
4 Warrior
Before auditioning for Kung Fu, Bruce Lee tried to get a similar show – also a martial arts Western – off the ground at ABC. Decades later, Bruce Lee’s treatment for The Warrior saw the light of day on Cinemax. Eventually moving to HBO Max, Warrior is a gritty martial arts drama with an attractive audience Rotten Tomatoes score of 96%. Complete with fight scenes that benefit from the presence of actors trained in martial arts, Warrior carries the essence of the kung fu icon’s original plan.
3 Daredevil
Netflix’s Daredevil series ran for three seasons and told the story of Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer who learns martial arts and uses his talents to protect the streets of Hell’s Kitchen as a masked vigilante. Though it’s less of a true martial arts series than its sister show, Iron Fist, Daredevil is significantly better in a multitude of areas, its fight scenes included. Daredevil was groundbreaking in its brutal, well-done action sequences that consistently illustrated Matt as a master of martial arts.
2 Into The Badlands
Lasting for only three seasons on AMC, Into the Badlands was noteworthy for its worldbuilding and unique concepts. Infusing classic martial arts tropes into a post-apocalyptic setting, Into the Badlands succeeded in creed a sprawling, martial arts-driven epic heavy on breath-taking action sequences. The over-the-top nature of its action made the series a deeply appreciated love letter to classic kung fu cinema, with its stunt team and actors delivering a long list of extraordinary fight scenes, including the massive final battle in the Into the Badlands series finale.
1 Cobra Kai
A sequel series to the original Karate Kid trilogy, Netlfix’s Cobra Kai takes the nostalgic appeal of the 1980s movies and combines them with music reminiscent of the soundtracks for 1980s martial arts movies, intense fight scenes, and comedy. True to the expectations that come with any great martial arts story, Cobra Kai features more than its fair share of revenge plots, heated rivalries, well-choreographed action, and character arcs that see its young protagonists grow into capable martial artists. Perhaps its true crowning achievement is the notion that Cobra Kai’s quality is widely regarded as superior to that of the movies it honors.
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