![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Now, for those of you who are already familiar with the series and have been patiently awaiting its return, I have great news: Warrior has not lost a single step. If you’ve just heard of the series or have been putting it off for a rainy day, I implore you to start watching right now. Should Season 3 not perform - hell, it probably needs to overperform, given how skittish and cash-strapped WBD appears to be at the moment - Warrior could easily bite the dust, which would be a great loss. Instead of a third season, Warrior might well have been shelved permanently, another of CEO David Zaszlav’s infamous tax write-offs. was merged with the penny-pinching Discovery, we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation. Thanks to its passionate new streaming audience, Warrior received a third season pickup and is finally returning to Max with new episodes on Thursday, June 29th, but had this newfound attention come only a year later, after HBO’s parent company Warner Bros. Olivia Cheng as Ah Toy in ‘Warrior.’ David Bloomer/Max Even I hadn’t seen it until it was canceled by Cinemax and dropped onto HBO Max in January 2021, and I watch television for a living. Had Warrior premiered on a Sunday night on HBO, you would have heard about it long before now, but sadly its first two seasons aired on Cinemax, which all but guaranteed that no one would take it seriously. It’s exactly the kind of big swing that streamers like Max are putting the axe to right now in favor of adapting the Harry Potter books again, but it’s also the exact mix of drama, sex, violence, and social relevance that usually appeals to critics and cable audiences. ![]() It’s progressive, starring a predominantly Asian cast and unflinchingly condemning 19th century (and implicitly, modern) immigration policy and white supremacy. It’s expensive, shot on lavish sets built in Cape Town, South Africa and featuring at least one elaborate, feature-quality action sequence per episode. It’s original, rather than based on a well-known intellectual property with a line of merchandise for sale, though it does boast Bruce Lee’s name above the title. Warrior is a series that could only have been born in the late 2010s, in the boom times of peak TV. Discovery (WB) tightening their belts the time to start watching is right now, or else Warrior might be forced to retire in its prime. It’s one of the best shows of its time, its upcoming season is better than ever, and with new home Max and parent company Warner Bros. If you’re into martial arts cinema, particularly the incredibly intricate and shockingly gnarly modern variety, then you will love Warrior. If you were sucked into the political intrigue, blood and guts, and fucked up family drama of Game of Thrones, you will love Warrior. If you enjoyed the gritty, character-driven historical fiction of Deadwood or Boardwalk Empire, you will love Warrior. Andrew Koji stars as Ah Sahm, a brash kung fu practitioner who becomes embroiled in Chinatown’s gang wars and the political struggle between exploited Chinese immigrants, disgruntled Irish working men, and the entrenched white establishment. Andrew Koji as Ah Sahm and Joe Taslim as Li Yong in ‘Warrior.’ David Bloomer/Maxįor those of you who aren’t watching Warrior (or who haven’t even heard of it), I’m going straight to the hard sell on the streaming era’s most underappreciated drama: Based on an unearthed television pitch by late martial arts legend Bruce Lee and produced by his daughter Shannon, Warrior is a period crime drama set in 1870s San Francisco. ![]()
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