'Kung Fu' Is Coming Back! Here's Everything We Know About Season 3
The CW has been going through a lot of changes lately. Several fan-favorite shows—we're looking at you Batwoman, Roswell, New Mexico and Charmed—were cancelled along with staples like Dynasty, 4400 and Naomi. Luckily, Kung Fu was renewed through season 3 which, fingers crossed, will premiere this fall.
Kung Fu has received solid ratings—good enough that The CW decided to pick up a third season of the show ahead of the season 2 premiere. While an official premiere date has yet to be announced, we do know it will remain on Wednesdays and will follow Stargirl in the 9 p.m. ET slot.
Here’s everything we know so far about Kung Fu season 3.
What is The CW’s Kung Fu about?
The CW’s Kung Fu follows Nicky Shen (Olivia Liang), a young college student who finds herself at a crossroads in life. Instead of finishing college, she decides to join a female Shaolin monastery while visiting China. After her mentor is murdered, she returns home to San Francisco only to find crime and corruption has run rampant in her neighborhood. She decides to use her newfound martial arts prowess to protect the city while she juggles searching for her mentor’s killer and dealing with the aftermath of abandoning her family and life for the past three years.
The original Kung Fu series premiered in 1972 and starred David Carradine, a Caucasian man in the role of Kwai Chang Caine, a Shaolin monk who is journeying through the Old West (think Karate Kid meets 1883 meets Shanghai Noon).
When does season 3 of Kung Fu premiere?
We don't have an official premiere date yet for season 3 of Kung Fu but it will air on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.
Is Kung Fu based on other material?
Kung Fu is based on the 1970s series of the same name. The original series starred David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine, a Shaolin monk traveling through the Old West. It has long been rumored that the show was based on a story concept by Bruce Lee that Warner Bros. stole and developed into Kung Fu. Lee’s vision finally came to fruition in the Cinemax series, Warrior, which is produced by Lee’s daughter, Shannon Lee. The first two seasons of Warrior can be streamed on HBO Max. You can also stream season 1 of Warrior for free on Roku with ads.
Related: Everything You Need to Know About the Gritty Crime Drama Warrior
Who is in the Kung Fu cast?
Olivia Liang (Nicky Shen)
Nicky leaves her tour group in China and ultimately drops out of college to remain there to train at a monastery. After her mentor is murdered, Nicky returns home, determined to find her killer but is troubled when she finds her neighborhood is awash in crime and corruption.
Liang had no formal martial arts training before she accepted the role as Nicky Shen on Kung Fu. But she sure looks like a pro on screen! Prior to being cast, Liang was working as a substitute teacher, barista and spin instructor.
Follow Liang on Twitter @olivialiang_ and on Instagram @itsmeolive.
Eddie Liu (Henry Yan)
Henry is a martial arts instructor and a Chinese art history buff who shares an instant attraction with Nicky. At the end of season 2, Eddie receives a box of his father's belongings after his father literally took a bullet for him and died an untimely death. After reading some of his father's journals, Eddie makes a choice to leave San Francisco to search for an item mentioned in his journals.
Liu’s first television gig was a recurring role on HBO’s Silicon Valley but he is probably most recognized from his role on Netflix‘sNever Have I Ever. He has trained in multiple variations of martial arts including Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Shaolin Kung Fu.
Follow Liu on Twitter @eddieliuwho.
Where you might have seen him:Liu played Steve on Netflix‘s Never Have I Ever.
Tzi Ma (Jin Shen)
Jin is Nicky’s father. He and his wife own Harmony Dumplings, a small restaurant in Chinatown that was doing well at the beginning of season 2, but by the season finale the restaurant has taken on some damage from the earthquake caused by Russell Tan (Kee Chan) opening the portal between realms.
Ma is probably the most recognizable of the cast of Kung Fu. Hailing from Hong Kong, Ma has been acting since the late ’70s. Whenever a role calls for an Asian father or grandfather figure it seems Ma is at the top of the list. He starred in Disney’s live action version of Mulan and Netflix’s Tigertail. His surname literally means “horse”.
Follow Ma on Twitter @tzima8.
Yvonne Chapman (Zhilan Zhang)
With mysterious ties to the monastery where Nicky trained, Zhilan murders Pei-Ling, Nicky's mentor, in her quest for power. We later learn that Zhilan is Pei-Ling's younger sister. In the previous season, Zhilan joined forces with Nicky to take down Russell Tan and sacrificed herself by staying behind in the other realm while Nicky and Mia returned to our earthly realm.
Along with Kung Fu, Chapman has a recurring role on the Canadian series, Family Law starring Victor Garber and Jewel Staite which airs on The CW here in the US. Chapman will play Kyoshi in the upcoming Netflix series, Avatar: The Last Airbender alongside such notable Asian actors as Tamlyn Tomita, Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Leung and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee.
Follow her on Instagram @ypchapman and on Twitter @yvonne__chapman.
Shannon Dang (Althea Shen)
Althea is Nicky’s sister, who has both beauty and brains. She is married to Dennis (Tony Chung), the nerdy math-lete from high school who has shed his nerd status. She decides to create a startup tech company in season 2 and the app created from it ends up coming in handy to warn subscribers of the impending earthquake.
Prior to joining Kung Fu, Dang was a professional dancer and danced for professional sports teams like the LA Clippers and Rams.
Follow her on Twitter @ShannonNikkiD.
Tony Chung (Dennis Soong)
Dennis comes from a wealthy family and is Althea’s husband.
Chung studied electrical engineering in college on a full scholarship and worked for Cisco Systems for a couple years before leaving to pursue a career in music. He toured as a musician in Asia and released two albums there.
Follow Chung on Twitter @chonytung.
Kheng Hua Tan (Mei-Li Shen)
Mei-Li is Nicky’s mom, who was upset with her daughter for joining a Shaolin monastery instead of finishing college and settling down to start a family. She runs the family restaurant with her husband.
Hua took acting as an elective during college and was hooked. After graduating with a degree in Public and Environmental Affairs, the Singapore native returned home and took a job in public affairs and acted in her spare time. She is best known for her role as Constance Wu‘s mother in Crazy Rich Asians.
Follow Hua on Twitter @tankhenghua.
Jon Prasida (Ryan Shen)
Ryan is Nicky’s medical student brother. He’s quick with the wit and is soon in awe of his sister after he sees her martial arts prowess. In season 2, he's taken a shine to the new cook at Harmony Dumplings.
The Australian native has had guest starring roles on a variety of Australian television series including Harrow, Reckoning and The Warriors.
Follow him on Twitter @jonprasida.
Vanessa Kai (Pei-Ling Zheng)
Pei-Ling is Nicky’s Sifu, or mentor, at the monastery where she first seeks refuge. She’s a skilled fighter and spiritual guide. After she is killed, she appears to Nicky during times of reflection and trouble to offer her guidance and remind her of her teachings at the monastery. In the second season, she began to appear to Zhilan after she was incarcerated.
Kai has an extensive theater background but has also appeared on screen on New Amsterdam, Orange is the New Black and Gotham.
Follow Kai on Twitter @vanessakai.
Gavin Stenhouse (Evan Hartley)
Gavin is an attorney and Nicky’s ex-boyfriend. At the beginning of season 2, he was still a Assistant DA, but eventually lost his job to office politics. He spends his unemployed days helping Nicky and friends fight Tan.
The British-born Stenhouse has guest starred on 9-1-1 and Black Mirror and was a series regular on Allegiance.
Follow Stenhouse on Twitter @gavinstenhouse.
Vanessa Yao (Mia)
Mia is Nicky’s cousin, the daughter of her deceased Aunt Mei-Xue. As the daughter of a Guardian and s Warrior, Mia has incredible strength and fast reflexes, but needs training to harness the two. Resentful of her isolated upbringing, Mia ran away at an early age and has been living on her own for years before Nicky welcomes her into the family and their home.
As she is both a Guardian and a Warrior, Mia was in the unique position to save Nicky and Zhilan (Yvonne Chapman) after they are both stuck in the other realm trying to stop Tan (Ludi Lin).
Yao has acted in mostly Asian-based films including Soul Breaker, Into the Darkness and the award winning Father and Hero.
Follow her on Instagram @vanessayaooo.
JB Tadena (Sebastian)
As charming as he is handsome, the new chef of Harmony Dumplings has caught at least one Shen’s eye – Ryan’s.
Tadena has appeared on NCIS, WestWorld, Grey’s Anatomy, and Hawaii Five-O.
Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @JayBeeTadena.
Is anyone new joining the cast of Kung Fu in season 3?
No announcements have been made regarding new guest starring or recurring roles for season 3 but check back here for updates!
What happened in Kung Fu season 1?
Nicky met Henry and the two worked together to find her mentor’s killer. The two share a mutual attraction and both fall for the other. Jin and Mei-Li struggle to keep their restaurant open and thriving while their neighborhood is quickly degrading with crime and the Triad’s influence. Zhilan is determined to find all eight enchanted weapons. The mythical weapons will supposedly give the owner ultimate power. Once Nicky learns this, she is determined to stop Zhilan from collecting all eight magical armaments.
What happened in Kung Fu season 2?
Nicky and the gang spent most of the season trying to stop Russell Tan from casting and ringing the mythical Yueling bell. In the past, when the Yueling Bell was rung, it caused massive destruction in its wake. One gong from the bell would surely cause destruction in San Francisco.
Tan hopes to open a portal to a secret realm between life and death. His goal? Immortality.
Mia, struggling with her identity and her powers, runs away but is captured by Tan. With her ancestry and genetics, Russell needs her blood to ensure his ritual is a success. He drains her of much of her blood, leaving her to die. She is later discovered and taken to the hospital.
Zhilan escapes incarceration but can't seem to escape the spirit of her sister, Pei-Ling. She takes a shine to Mia and eventually teams up with Nicky to fight the Tans.
Nicky's parents hire a new chef, Sebastian, to help with the booming business at Harmony Dumplings. Upon meeting Sebastian, Ryan and he share an instant attraction.
With Mia's blood and all the "ingredients" he needs, Russell performs a ritual and transfers his soul into the reluctant body of his son, Kerwin (Ludi Lin). The body we know as Kerwin is now really Russell Tan.
After Tan rings the Yueling Bell and enters into the portal, Nicky and Zhilan go after him, not realizing the portal is slowly closing. If it closes completely, they will be stuck on the other side. Mia, still recovering from her blood letting, realizes she is the only one who can help bring Nicky and Zhilan home.
The three women fight Tan together but are no match for his supernatural strength. Nicky is about to sacrifice herself when Zhilan steps in and for a second time, kills Kerwin/Russell. She remains behind in the other realm as Nicky and Mia escape.
After his estranged father steps in front of a bullet to save his song, Henry decides to leave San Francisco with a mission to find some items mentioned in his father's journal. Is this the end of Nicky and Henry?
Related: All You Need To Know About DC’s Stargirl
Where is Kung Fu filmed?
Kung Fu is filmed in and around Vancouver, Canada. Some of the scenes that take place at the monastery are filmed at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden in Vancouver’s Chinatown district.
When will they begin filming season 3 of Kung Fu?
They've just begun filming season 3 of Kung Fu. Eddie Liu, who plays Henry on the show tweeted this recently:
What day does Kung Fu air?
Kung Fu airs on Wednesdays.
What channel is Kung Fu on?
You can watch Kung Fu on The CW.
How can I watch season 1 of Kung Fu?
You can stream the first season of Kung Fu for free on The CW’s website at cwtv.com. You can also watch Kung Fu on Hulu and HBO Max with your subscription.
Next, Catch up on Kung Fu Season 2 With Our Ultimate Recap Guide
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