Kung Fu: The Legend Continues

*Kung Fu: The Legend Continues*
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
Created by	Ed Spielman
Based on	Kung Fu; by Ed Spielman; Jerry Thorpe; Herman Miller
Starring	David Carradine; Chris Potter;
Narrated by	Richard Anderson
Composer	Jeff Danna
Country of origin	Canada; United States;
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	88 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Michael Sloan
Producers	Gavin Mitchell; Susan Murdoch; John Hackett;
Running time	44–46 minutes
Production company	Warner Bros. Television;
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 1972–75 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 the modern era. 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]

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. In 1978, 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
Season	Episodes	First aired	Last aired
1	22	January 27, 1993 (1993-01-27)	December 1, 1993 (1993-12-01)
2	22	January 26, 1994 (1994-01-26)	November 30, 1994 (1994-11-30)
3	22	January 25, 1995 (1995-01-25)	November 29, 1995 (1995-11-29)
4	22	January 31, 1996 (1996-01-31)	January 1, 1997 (1997-01-01)

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]