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Poster for Kung Fu

1972 | 3 seasons | 50 min | Action & Adventure, Drama, Western, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Saturday Special

Why it’s a Saturday Special

It won 4 Emmys, it was critically acclaimed and it's still drawing plenty of interest. A strong pick for the weekend.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for sci-fi fans and action fans. If you loved Warrior, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
The mood
Exciting.
The pace
3 seasons: a few weeks of evenings, episodes of about 50 minutes, about 52 hours in all.
What might put you off
  • Rated TV-14. Probably too much for younger kids.
  • Made in 1972: an older pace and style.
  • Audiences were cooler on it than critics.

The adventures of a Shaolin Monk as he wanders the American West armed only with his skill in Kung Fu.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsStrong

    Critically acclaimed

  • AudiencesSolid

    7.7 out of 10

  • AwardsVery strong

    Won 4 Emmys: Primetime Emmy Award: Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic), Primetime Emmy Award: Best Director – Drama Series, Primetime Emmy Award: Best Cinematography – One Hour Drama, Primetime Emmy Award: David Carradine, Mejor Actor Extranjero. Won 1 WGA Award: Television: Episodic Drama: Best Cinematography – One Hour Drama. Also nominated for 9 more Emmys and 2 Golden Globes.

  • Reach & staying powerSolid

    Ran for 3 seasons and reached a modest audience; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactStrong

    About 213K people sought it out in the past year

Season by season

The show overall is a Saturday Special. Here's how each season stacks up; Season 1 is the high point.

  1. Sunday Safe Bet
    Season 11972 · 15 episodes · 7.6 out of 10
    Sunday
  2. Monday Morning Maybe
    Season 21973 · 23 episodes · 4.5 out of 10
    Monday
  3. Season 31974 · 24 episodes
    Not rated yet

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Created by Herman Miller, Ed Spielman, Jerry Thorpe

  • David CarradineKwai Chang Caine
  • Keye LukeMaster Po
  • Philip AhnMaster Kan
  • Radames PeraYoung Caine