Rotten Tomatoes
Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Season 1 – Kung Fu

Play trailer 0:59 Poster for Season 1 – Kung Fu Apr 2021 Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
86% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 51% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
A quarter-life crisis causes a young Chinese-American woman, Nicky Shen, to drop out of college and go on a life-changing journey to an isolated monastery in China. But when she returns to San Francisco, she finds her hometown is overrun with crime and corruption, and her own parents are at the mercy of a powerful triad. Nicky relies on her tech-savvy sister, pre-med brother, ex-boyfriend and a new love interest, as well as her martial arts skills and Shaolin values, to protect her community and bring criminals to justice -- all while searching for the ruthless assassin who killed her Shaolin mentor and is now targeting her.
Watch on Fandango Stream Now

Where to Watch

Kung Fu — Season 1

Kung Fu — Season 1

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Kung Fu's early episodes could use a little more focus, but beautifully choreographed fight scenes and a likable cast -- led by the brilliant Olivia Liang's -- inspire hope for a bright future.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Max Gao New York Magazine/Vulture Apr 9, 2021
4/5
It wouldn't be a CW show without a classic love triangle - and Kung Fu has set up a brilliant one. Go to Full Review
Robert Lloyd Los Angeles Times Apr 9, 2021
Based on the opening hour, and the obvious, almost arbitrary B-movie plotting of its ordinary criminal plotlines, one suspects the series will fare better the more mystical its mysteries become. Go to Full Review
Daniel Fienberg The Hollywood Reporter Apr 9, 2021
If a pilot is your opportunity to establish premise and put your best resources forward, Kung Fu is a mixed bag anyway. The action stuff is fine, a little on the deliberate-and-slow side, but boasting glimpses of Wuxia gravity-defying beauty. Go to Full Review
Travis Johnson Flicks (AU, NZ, UK) Jun 29, 2021
It's all breezy good fun for an action-drama, although the focus is more on drama than action. Go to Full Review
Tori Preston Pajiba Jun 14, 2021
If anything, the pilot may have suffered slightly from an overabundance of plot - but it was never boring, and it gave me plenty of reason to tune back in next week. Go to Full Review
Michael T. Stack TV Fanatic Jun 14, 2021
4.75/5
A slow start to a big reveal, rage shines in the back half. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Ben B @RT03051504 Oct 9, 2022 Cheaply produced series with martial arts theme. What could have been interesting is completely destroyed by the poor production quality. Script, camera work, actors, special effects are all below the level of what passes for the lowest average these days. The fight scenes are simply ridiculous when compared to the perfectly staged fight choreography from the series Warrior. No one expects that they will be surpassed but you should be able to shoot so that you do not see the massive use of ropes. Pathetic what it heutezutage everything on the air may go. See more Jul 19, 2022 Terrible. I could barely stomach the first 30 minutes of the pilot. Lol there's an all women's monastery that trains in Kung Fu and they can defeat male raiders who should be experienced if they're raiding, but they literally can't even touch the main female, 100lb lead. Camera shots were wonky. The actual Kung Fu looked fake. The script was dumb. Everything so cliche including the love triangle. I'm sure there's something redeeming here.. See more Jun 16, 2022 Enjoyed the story and I can't wait to know more about the characters. To anyone assuming that this is an LGBT heavy show it's not. It's also just a breath of fresh air compared to other CW shows. See more Mar 13, 2022 Wow, amazing! Not the show itself but the fact the CW didn't turn it to oh wait just as I was writing this the show just revealed that the Asian brother is gay so yeah it's a CW show cramming down it's agenda of lgbtq+, girls are powerful in the fact that the 100 pound female protagonist is a powerful martial artist that learned her skills in an all female monastery that fended off an all male attack force besides the powerful female ninja triad leader and goes back to her home town and starts beating up 200 lb men to fight crime, just missing the stereo-types of Asians...oh wait they shoved that in too...then just missing the diversity as it's mainly an Asian cast with Asian villains, I am very suprised they didn't change the main villain to a white guy since like the 4400 they love white oppression and white people abusing others. As an Asian myself, if it was realistic at all, their entire family would have died as soon as they were seen at the docks in the first episode. The crime lord who was knocked out by the protagonist would have found out who she was within a couple days and sent people gun down everyone at the wedding as a message to the Asian community but hey it's a CW show so a young female adult with no life skills except 3 years at a monastery can bring down a criminal organization routed in the community super easy, barely an inconvience. However after thinking about it, she wouldn't have gotten that far. She would've been shot outside her house after she beat up the triad members in Chinatown. You publicly humiliate and beat up triads in their turf after asking around everyone about their boss, they will just get your identity from the store owners she was asking around with and POW dead by evening. I will not be watching the rest of the episodes, I am not really into high fantasy of stereo typical Asians who do stupid things with no consequences. Victoria L said, "The writers really try to accurately reflect what a common Asian household dynamic is like." Really? If you were Asian you would know that is not a common Asian household. It's a very stereo-typical Asian household probably written by a white guy who thinks he knows what an Asian household looks like. Asian encompass everyone in Asia from Vietnamese to Chinese to India to Cambodian, etc. Each of these Asian countries have totally different cultures that changes further depending on the area within that country and also depends if they are fresh off the boat to which generation born in the country, the common Asian household dynamic is completely different. Victoria and the people who wrote Kung Fu, have no freaking idea what a common Asian household is but they sure do know what a stereo-typical one looks like and assume that is what an common Asian household is like. See more Aaron M @ScarenAaron Mar 1, 2022 This feels alot like Disney star wars, all-powerful female lead that just wins all the time. Lead actress has never studied martial arts, they should have gotten a trained martial arts actress. Shot in Vancouver, dead around the world. See more Nov 30, 2021 Pros: The writers really try to accurately reflect what a common Asian household dynamic is like. I like how they address the fears and concerns of immigrant parents and the generational divide between them and their ABC (American Born Chinese) kids. I applaud it for trying to address the current times (Asian hate crimes & BLM) and the tension on how Asians are trying to respond. They don't shy away from real struggles like sexual abuse and LGBTQ. So props to them for going there. And overall, I like the actors, with Mama Mei-ling & Baba Jin putting in the best performances. Cons: The storytelling could've been better. Chinese history is so rich, there's so much you can do with it. So including magic and destiny just seems like lazy and cheesy writing (unless it's executed well...like Shang-Chi). Another thing is the balance between the series arc and the episode storylines. I think there's so much more depth and heart in the episode storylines, that in comparison, the main arc seems really irrelevant. Everytime Zhilan and the weapons come back in the storyline, I realized I care less and less about it. Actually, I probably would have rated this series higher if it just focused on Nicky's journey in repairing relationships and figuring out her purpose with her hard earned fighting skills. Can't she just be a normal girl whose worked hard and can kick ass? There's obviously enough story content with that alone. Sometimes less is better. Last minor critique: The Mandarin lines. It's a bit painful to hear characters that are supposed to speak fluent Mandarin...not be able to execute. I can understand they want to make it more "authentic" by including some Mandarin, but if the actor/actress can't do it fluently it may be better to just not do it. Mama and Baba are exceptions. I actually love that they can fluidly transition between Mandarin/Cantonese to English. But other characters like Zhilan and Professor Chau, their Chinese dialogue seemed so forced that you can tell they aren't native speakers. They spent most of the time speaking in English, so why not just do the whole thing in English. The awkward execution actually takes me out of the moment. I will give them props since I can tell they worked really hard on it. But you just can't conceal an accent and awkward rhythm of a non-native speaker. See more Read all reviews
Kung Fu — Season 1

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Apr 7, 2021 Pilot A quarter-life crisis causes a young Chinese American woman to drop out of college and go on a life-changing journey to an isolated monastery in China; when she returns to San Francisco, she finds her hometown is overrun with crime and corruption. Details Episode 2 Aired Apr 14, 2021 Silence When adjusting to life back at home doesn't go as planned, Nicky turns to Henry for help in her hunt for Zhilan; Jin looks forward to life getting back to normal. Details Episode 3 Aired Apr 21, 2021 Patience Nicky and Henry follow a lead involving a professor who may be able to help in their search for Zhilan; a squabble between Jin and Mei-Li points to bigger issues in their marriage. Details Episode 4 Aired Apr 28, 2021 Hand Nicky and Henry follow a new lead that brings them to a private collector in Napa; a tension-filled dinner with the Soong's leaves Althea to question her worth; Evan's suspicions about Henry continue to grow. Details Episode 5 Aired May 5, 2021 Sanctuary An officer-involved shooting in Chinatown sends shock waves through the community; Mei-Li and Jin are forced to revisit a traumatic experience from their past; Nicky and Henry make a startling discovery about the weapons. Details Episode 6 Aired May 12, 2021 Rage When the retrieval of a weapon doesn't go as planned, Nicky takes matters into her own hands; Jin takes Mei-Li on a surprise date; Althea finds herself faced with an ultimatum. Details Episode 7 Aired May 26, 2021 Guidance After learning some devastating news about Pei-Ling, Nicky attempts to keep herself distracted by offering to help a young woman in need; Zhilan confronts her past; Mei-Lei makes a startling confession. Details Episode 8 Aired Jun 2, 2021 Destiny Nicky and the Shens deal with the fallout after a family secret comes to light; Althea prepares for her bachelorette party. Details Episode 9 Aired Jun 23, 2021 Isolation Nicky follows a lead that brings her, Henry and Evan to a quiet town in Canada; Zhilan joins forces with Kerwin Tan; Jin and Mei-Li find themselves at a crossroads. Details Episode 10 Aired Jun 30, 2021 Choice Nicky offers to help Evan when the case he's working on takes a turn; Ryan decides to officially introduce Joe as his boyfriend to his parents; Zhilan and Kerwin receive a surprise visitor. Details Episode 11 Aired Jul 7, 2021 Attachment Nicky and Henry follow a lead that brings them to a K-pop concert in Las Vegas, and on a collision course with Zhilan and Kerwin; Jin and Mei-Li make a major decision about the restaurant. Details Episode 12 Aired Jul 14, 2021 Sacrifice With time running out, Nicky and Henry work to translate a cryptic map that could lead them to the Forge; Althea and the family prepare for Po Po's arrival. Details Episode 13 Aired Jul 21, 2021 Transformation Nicky learns what is needed to open the forge; an emergency at home threatens to derail Althea and Dennis' tea ceremony. Details
Walker Independence 71% 93% Walker Independence Watchlist TRAILER for Walker Independence Katy Keene 91% 75% Katy Keene Watchlist TRAILER for Katy Keene Mary Kills People 100% 84% Mary Kills People Watchlist Little Bird 100% 100% Little Bird Watchlist Better Call Saul 98% 96% Better Call Saul Watchlist TRAILER for Better Call Saul Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Season Info

Director
Joe Menendez, Hanelle M. Culpepper, Richard Speight Jr., R.T. Thorne, Viet Nguyen, Geoff Shotz, Sudz Sutherland
Creator
Ed Spielman
Executive Producer
Christina M. Kim, Martin Gero, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Bob Berens, David Madden
Screenwriter
Christina M. Kim, Richard Lowe, Lillian Yu, Bob Berens, Peter Lalayanis, Michael Deigh
Network
The CW
Rating
TV-PG (V|L)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date
Apr 7, 2021
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings