# Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
**Kung Fu: The Legend Continues** is a one-hour action-crime drama that ran in first-run syndication from January 1993 to January 1997, continuing the story of the 1972–75 ABC Western series *Kung Fu* with [David Carradine](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-carradine) playing a grandson of his original Kwai Chang Caine character, now paired with [Chris Potter](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-potter-actor) as his police-detective son Peter.[1](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-01-24-tv-2338-story.html) • [2](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/Kung_Fu_The_Legend_Continues?hl=en&id=3207C537ECDFB01CSH) The series was filmed in Toronto, produced by Warner Bros., and ran for 88 episodes over four seasons before cancellation when its syndication producer, [Prime Time Entertainment Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/prime-time-entertainment-network) (PTEN), ceased operations; reruns later aired on TNT.[2](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/Kung_Fu_The_Legend_Continues?hl=en&id=3207C537ECDFB01CSH) • [3](https://epguides.com/KungFuTheLegendContinues/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103460/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Run | Four seasons in first-run syndication, January 27, 1993 to January 1, 1997; 88 one-hour episodes[2](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/Kung_Fu_The_Legend_Continues?hl=en&id=3207C537ECDFB01CSH) • [3](https://epguides.com/KungFuTheLegendContinues/) |
| Stars | David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine; Chris Potter as Det. Peter Caine[1](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-01-24-tv-2338-story.html) |
| Premise | A renegade priest, Tan, destroyed the Northern California Shaolin temple fifteen years before the pilot; Caine and Peter each believed the other had perished[1](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-01-24-tv-2338-story.html) • [5](https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/636-kung-fu-the-legend-continues?language=en-US) |
| Setting | Modern times, in contrast to the original series' American Old West setting[2](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/Kung_Fu_The_Legend_Continues?hl=en&id=3207C537ECDFB01CSH) |
| Filming | Toronto, Ontario; production by Warner Bros. and Warner Bros. Television[2](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/Kung_Fu_The_Legend_Continues?hl=en&id=3207C537ECDFB01CSH) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103460/) |
| Reach | Broadcast in over 70 countries[2](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/Kung_Fu_The_Legend_Continues?hl=en&id=3207C537ECDFB01CSH) |
| End | Cancelled when PTEN ceased operations and no other producer opted to continue it; reruns aired on TNT[2](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/Kung_Fu_The_Legend_Continues?hl=en&id=3207C537ECDFB01CSH) |
## Premise and connection to the original series
The series picks up the *Kung Fu* story in the present day. In the pilot, an evil priest named Tan destroys the Shaolin temple in [Northern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/northern-california) where Caine and his young son Peter live; each believes the other has perished in the fire.[5](https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/636-kung-fu-the-legend-continues?language=en-US) Fifteen years later, Caine is reunited with Peter, now a police detective, and the two must overcome their differing philosophies, Eastern spirituality against Western police work, as they battle crime together.[1](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-01-24-tv-2338-story.html) • [5](https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/636-kung-fu-the-legend-continues?language=en-US)
**The family framing.** The Los Angeles Times, writing at the premiere, described Carradine as playing the grandson of his original Kwai Chang Caine character, bearing the same name and likewise a kung fu master, with Peter as that new Caine's son.[1](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-01-24-tv-2338-story.html) Carradine himself confirmed the grandson framing in a 1993 interview, while insisting that the character was otherwise unchanged: "my character is not changed in the least from the guy who was in the old series."[6](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-07-07-ca-10786-story.html) [Distributor](https://www.edgepedia.org/distributor) and database synopses, by contrast, describe the show simply as a Shaolin monk father and his police-detective son.[2](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/Kung_Fu_The_Legend_Continues?hl=en&id=3207C537ECDFB01CSH) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103460/) The series also disregards the events of the intervening sequel, *Kung Fu: The Next Generation*.[7](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/KungFuTheLegendContinues)
Carradine had previously reprised the role in a *Kung Fu* television movie in 1986 before returning in the 1993 syndicated series.[6](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-07-07-ca-10786-story.html) He described the continuing premise in the same terms as the original: Caine as "a man without portfolio" who travels helping people and uses his kung fu mastery when in trouble.[6](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-07-07-ca-10786-story.html)
## Cast and characters
The two leads were supported by a recurring ensemble that grew over the run:[3](https://epguides.com/KungFuTheLegendContinues/)
- **David Carradine** as Kwai Chang Caine, the Shaolin priest and kung fu master.[1](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-01-24-tv-2338-story.html)
- **Chris Potter** as Det. Peter Caine, the rebellious police officer reunited with his father.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103460/)
- **Kim Chan** as The Ancient (Lo Si).[3](https://epguides.com/KungFuTheLegendContinues/)
- **[Robert Lansing](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-lansing-actor)** as Capt. Paul Blaisdell, seasons 1 to 3; he played Peter's adopted father, and his death from cancer ended that storyline.[3](https://epguides.com/KungFuTheLegendContinues/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103460/)
- **Kate Trotter** as Capt. Karen Simms, seasons 3 to 4.[3](https://epguides.com/KungFuTheLegendContinues/)
- **Scott Wentworth** as Det. Kermit Griffin, seasons 2 to 4.[3](https://epguides.com/KungFuTheLegendContinues/)
- **Victoria Snow** as Det. Mary Margaret Skalany, seasons 2 to 4.[3](https://epguides.com/KungFuTheLegendContinues/)
Guest stars noted in viewer commentary include [Mickey Rooney](https://www.edgepedia.org/mickey-rooney), John Saxon, and Pamela Susan Shoop.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103460/)
## Production and broadcast history
The series was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, and produced by Warner Bros. and Warner Bros. Television.[2](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/Kung_Fu_The_Legend_Continues?hl=en&id=3207C537ECDFB01CSH) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103460/) It premiered the week of January 24, 1993 as a one-hour syndicated action series; the premiere episode, "Initiation: Part 1", aired January 27, 1993, while Warner Bros.' own studio page lists the Season 1 original broadcast date as January 25, 1993, a discrepancy between the studio record and distributor and database listings.[1](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-01-24-tv-2338-story.html) • [8](https://www.warnerbros.com/tv/kung-fu-legend-continues-season-one) • [2](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/Kung_Fu_The_Legend_Continues?hl=en&id=3207C537ECDFB01CSH) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103460/)
The show aired in syndication for four seasons, ending January 1, 1997, and was broadcast in over 70 countries.[2](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/Kung_Fu_The_Legend_Continues?hl=en&id=3207C537ECDFB01CSH) The show came to an end after Prime Time Entertainment Network, the company producing it, shut down and no other producer chose to pick it up; TNT has since broadcast reruns.[2](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/Kung_Fu_The_Legend_Continues?hl=en&id=3207C537ECDFB01CSH) Season 1 has been released on DVD.[8](https://www.warnerbros.com/tv/kung-fu-legend-continues-season-one)
## How it compares with the original Kung Fu
The original *Kung Fu* (1972–75) starred Carradine as a shaven-headed Buddhist monk raised by Shaolin monks in a philosophy of nonviolence and "the oneness of things," alongside kung fu for self-protection, set in the American Old West.[1](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-01-24-tv-2338-story.html) The sequel moved the same character concept into modern times, pairing the Shaolin monk with a kung fu-trained police-detective son, so that the crime-drama format sits alongside the mysticism.[2](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/Kung_Fu_The_Legend_Continues?hl=en&id=3207C537ECDFB01CSH)
The modern setting was a commercial decision rather than a creative preference. Carradine said a Western-set revival was attempted but "couldn't get a buyer," adding that "the precepts on which the series is based have nothing to do with what year it is."[6](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-07-07-ca-10786-story.html)
## Reception and legacy
The Los Angeles Times' premiere-week feature treated the series as a revival vehicle for Carradine's signature character, describing the new show as a sequel to the "offbeat" ABC Western and detailing the temple-burning backstory and the father-son reunion.[1](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-01-24-tv-2338-story.html) The series aired in over 70 countries, and reruns later aired on TNT after PTEN's collapse ended first-run production.[2](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/Kung_Fu_The_Legend_Continues?hl=en&id=3207C537ECDFB01CSH)
The franchise continued in other forms: the series disregarded the earlier *Kung Fu: The Next Generation* sequel, and Season 1 remains available on DVD from Warner Bros.[7](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/KungFuTheLegendContinues) • [8](https://www.warnerbros.com/tv/kung-fu-legend-continues-season-one)
## References
1. [Retro: Kung Fu: Alive and Kicking, Los Angeles Times (January 24, 1993)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-01-24-tv-2338-story.html)
2. [Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, TV on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/Kung_Fu_The_Legend_Continues?hl=en&id=3207C537ECDFB01CSH)
3. [Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (a Titles & Air Dates Guide), epguides.com](https://epguides.com/KungFuTheLegendContinues/)
4. [Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103460/)
5. [Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, The Movie Database](https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/636-kung-fu-the-legend-continues?language=en-US)
6. [Q&A with David Carradine: A Kung Fu Master Reincarnate, Los Angeles Times (July 7, 1993)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-07-07-ca-10786-story.html)
7. [Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (Series), TV Tropes](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/KungFuTheLegendContinues)
8. [Kung Fu: The Legend Continues - Season 1, WarnerBros.com](https://www.warnerbros.com/tv/kung-fu-legend-continues-season-one)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Genre and subject-scripted series › Crime, police, and detective series › American crime series › Serialized crime dramas › Titles A to L*
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