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Kung Fu in the News and Media

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The showrunners included in Variety's Inclusion Impact Report 2022:

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Variety highlights advocates for inclusivity who’ve made an impact in the entertainment industry over the past year.

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Christina M. Kim, Robert Berens

Executive producers, showrunners

“Kung Fu”

As creators of a reboot of the classic “Kung Fu,” Kim and Berens put together a predominantly Asian American show with a young female lead. For Kim, making the lead young, female and Asian American addressed something from her childhood, when she didn’t really see anyone on television or in pop culture who looked like her. She and Berens also wanted to bring the lessons of Shaolin Buddhism into contemporary life. “Creating a character who is Chinese American and went to China, learned about the skills of Kung Fu and then came back to America to use those skills to help her community was the high-bar goal we set out to do,” says Kim.

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WildFlower87
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Cancelled https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/the-winchesters-kung-fu-canceled-the-cw-1235608193/

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You can watch video of yesterday's Vancouver Asian Film Festival's "Dialogue with the Cast of Kung Fu" panel at the following Facebook link - I thought it was interesting that the original pitch was f

DanaK
DanaK

Renewed! http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2022/03/22/the-cw-network-gives-early-renewals-to-seven-current-series-for-the-2022-23-broadcast-season-970213/20220322cw01/

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From a little while ago: 'The Cast and Showrunners of ‘Kung Fu’ Recap Season 2’s Finale and Preview Season 3'

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On the night of Wednesday, June 15, Liang, Chapman, Liu, Kai and executive producers Christina M. Kim and Robert Berens, who wrote the episode, reunited on Twitter Spaces to break down the key moments of the finale. These are edited excerpts from the exclusive 50-minute roundtable conversation.

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Also the show was nominated for 'Best Broadcast Network Drama Series' by the Hollywood Critics Association:

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Cosmopolitan's list of 'the Best New Actors of 2022':

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As the star of The CW’s Kung Fu, a gender-swapped version of the 1970s classic, Olivia leads the first-ever U.S. network drama with a predominantly Asian cast. (She plays San Francisco crime fighter Nicky Shen, and fans will be happy to know she starts filming the highly anticipated third season in July.) And this is after her role on Legacies, in which she played a…witch. We call that range! The 29-year-old is feeling pretty thankful right now, even for the (very relatable) small stuff, like “when I can afford to park in a structure instead of circling the streets of Los Angeles for an hour to find free parking. It’s an opportunity for gratitude I choose to recognize.”


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Season 3 synopsis:

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After an earthquake hit Chinatown in the season two finale, season three opens with Nicky (Olivia Liang), her family, and her community attempting to rebuild in more ways than one.  Nicky, still reeling from her abrupt breakup with her boyfriend Henry (Eddie Liu), and the shocking death of her nemesis-turned-ally Zhilan (Yvonne Chapman), puts on a brave face as she juggles a new job teaching kung fu while fighting a growing crimewave in San Francisco.

Mei-Li (Kheng Hua Tan) struggles to keep Harmony Dumplings afloat, while rebuilding the restaurant; and Jin (Tzi Ma) helps the rest of the community get back on its feet. Althea (Shannon Dang) has lost her company and finds herself jobless, living in the cramped Shen house, while Dennis (Tony Chung) works a variety of service gigs to help make ends meet. Ryan (Jon Prasida) adjusts to cohabitating with boyfriend Sebastian (JB Tadena), while working fulltime as an ER resident; and Evan (Gavin Stenhouse) embarks on a new legal venture. 

But just as Nicky and the Shens are finding their footing, Nicky is thrown on her heels by the introduction of a mysterious vigilante, Bo (guest star Ben Levin) — and the shattering return of a woman who appears to be her deceased shifu, Pei-Ling (Vanessa Kai).  Pei-Ling’s shocking return will engulf Nicky in an epic and dangerous story, filled with mystery and magic… a story that will have momentous consequences for Nicky and the whole Shen family.

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Preview article with a few new photos at EW: "Kung Fu stunt coordinator and star on Nicky Shen's fighting style and new character Bo"

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"We always start with a couple of meetings that get into the tone, feel, structure of the scene and the story we are trying to tell," [stunt] coordinator Andrew Chin says of the process of designing fight scenes. From there, there are a lot of factors to take into account.

For one, Nicky isn't a vigilante, so Liang focuses on the reason she's fighting and the emotion behind it. "It has to be rooted in some kind of reason, and not fighting for the sake of fighting," she explains. 

But... Nicky is totally a vigilante.

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After an earthquake hit Chinatown in the season two finale, season three opens with Nicky (Olivia Liang), her family, and her community attempting to rebuild in more ways than one. Nicky, still reeling from her abrupt breakup with her boyfriend Henry (Eddie Liu), and the shocking death of her nemesis-turned-ally Zhilan (Yvonne Chapman), puts on a brave face as she juggles a new job teaching kung fu while fighting a growing crimewave in San Francisco. Mei-Li (Kheng Hua Tan) struggles to keep Harmony Dumplings afloat, while rebuilding the restaurant; and Jin (Tzi Ma) helps the rest of the community get back on its feet. Althea (Shannon Dang) has lost her company and finds herself jobless, living in the cramped Shen house, while Dennis (Tony Chung) works a variety of service gigs to help make ends meet. Ryan (Jon Prasida) adjusts to cohabitating with boyfriend Sebastian (JB Tadena), while working fulltime as an ER resident; and Evan (Gavin Stenhouse) embarks on a new legal venture. But just as Nicky and the Shens are finding their footing, Nicky is thrown on her heels by the introduction of a mysterious vigilante, Bo (guest star Ben Levin) — and the shattering return of a woman who appears to be her deceased shifu, Pei-Ling (Vanessa Kai). Pei-Ling’s shocking return will engulf Nicky in an epic and dangerous story, filled with mystery and magic… a story that will have momentous consequences for Nicky and the whole Shen family.

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The CW’s Future Under Nexstar: Focus on Affiliates, Profits and Cheaper Originals
BY LESLEY GOLDBERG   OCTOBER 4, 2022
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/the-cw-nexstar-future-profits-and-cheaper-originals-1235232779/ 

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The changes arrive as Nexstar CEO Perry Sook and newly installed CW president Dennis Miller (no, not that one) plan to make the network profitable by 2025 with programming that targets a broad audience of adults 18-49. (The CW’s median age on its linear network is 58, but the age of its digital audience is late 20s to early 30s.) Sources say Nexstar plans to focus on The CW’s linear schedule and become more affiliate-friendly. Sook and Miller are said to be fans of such broad CW fare as Jared Padalecki’s Walker franchise, Greg Berlanti’s Superman & Lois and the family-focused Kung Fu. All three shows were among the few series to earn early renewals in March, ahead of The CW’s May cancellation spree that left it with 11 scripted originals — the same tally Pedowitz inherited when he took over the network in 2011.

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FYI...

CW’s Carryover Programming From Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery Will Be ‘Minimal’ by 2023-2024 Season, Nexstar CFO Says
By Jennifer Maas     Nov 8, 2022
https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/cw-shows-paramount-warner-bros-discovery-nexstar-2023-2024-1235426407/ 

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The writing was already on the wall, but now it’s getting bolder: The CW’s carryover programming from its former parent companies Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery will be “minimal” by the next broadcast season.

“Programming for the CW is in place for the 2022-2023 broadcast season, that extends through the end of August/early September timeframe of next year. You’ll see that programming is consistent with what the programmers have historically had on the air for that timeframe,” Nexstar executive vice president and chief financial officer Lee Ann Gliha said during the company’s Q3 earnings call Tuesday. “Over the course of the next year, we’re really working to develop our slate, which will then come online in the 2023-2024 broadcast season. We will have some carryover commitment for the CBS and the WBD programming in that year, but it’s minimal at that point.”

“Warners and Paramount are not precluded from selling us programming, it’s just going to have to be a financial deal that we like and there may be a couple of shows that distinguish themselves that we want to hold over into next year,” Nexstar CEO Perry Sook added.
*  *  *
Sook brought up the recent appointment of CW programming chief Brad Schwartz, a vet of Pop TV network, who was tapped by new CW network president Dennis Miller. The exec noted that Schwartz, “on a much smaller budget than we’ve given him at the CW, was able to find and develop a show called ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ which, boom, your job is easy — just go find a couple more of those and we’ll be in fine shape at the CW.”

As Nexstar has previously laid out, Sook again indicated the TV station group is looking to shift the CW to a mix of scripted and unscripted content for a “broader audience.” The company hopes to make the CW profitable by 2025.

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Ben Levin on Bo’s Shocking ‘Kung Fu’ Reveal and What This Means for Nicky
Laura Sirikul   Nov 10, 2022
https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2022/11/09/kung-fus-ben-levin-on-bos-shocking-reveal-and-what-this-means-for-nicky/  

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The Nerds of Color: There is SO much to unpack with this reveal. I’ve interviewed a lot of actors who don’t want to know much about the characters because they want to portray it as innocently as possible before finding out they’re actually the murderer. When reading for the role, what were you told about the character? Did you follow that trend?
Ben Levin: I’m of the belief that the more I know, the better as an actor [I could be] – even if it’s stuff you have to bury and really not play actively at the very beginning. When I first spoke with [showrunners[ Bob [Berens] and Christina [Kim] about the role, they did tell me that it was going to this place so I knew roughly what was leading up to episode 8. I didn’t know much more than just the loose sort of outline. And I was told explicitly not to play any of that when it came to the Nicky-Bo relationship. My head’s been in the space of [having a] deep longing and sort of a magnetic attraction to Nicky. That’s sort of been my guiding point of view up until episode 6.  I think it’s good for an actor to know, but I can also see the benefit in [not knowing because it] wasn’t relevant till now. It’s a pretty big shoe to drop at the end of that episode. I know it shocked my mother when I told her.
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Obviously, this is going to affect Bo’s relationship with Nicky. Nicky knows nothing, but Bo does. If they’re being open and honest now, how will this play out?
Basically, Bo is going to be very torn. At the end of episode 6, it’s the beginning of the big question of what he’s been doing. But prior to this, Bo has been somebody who is pretty certain of himself, which is exemplified in his very clear approach to pursuing Nicky. He’s also doing what he’s doing in this other realm for what he believes is a righteous reason. It’s gonna be really hard. It’s gonna be really troubling. In the next two episodes, you’re gonna see a lot of push and pull from the mentor that has been guiding him and the person who he is in love with currently. It’s also [Bo] hearing at the beginning of that episode that Nicky comes from a long distant line of ancient warriors and when she reveals this to him. the fact that Bo isn’t so shocked there is telling. Yeah, it’s gonna involve just a lot of secrets being slowly unraveled. It’s torturous and this is the beginning of the torture.

Well, you said he’s not the villain. The villain does not always perceive themselves as the villain. Also, there are the antagonists or even the antihero. How would you categorize Bo as a player in this story? Would you say he’s an antagonist? You’re saying he’s not a villain, but maybe the antagonists or even an antihero?
I’ve particularized this to myself as he is a hurt person, and that results in hurting others. But I don’t think there’s any world where Bo thinks he’s a villain. It appears [like that] starting at the end of episode 6 and on for a bit that he has been nothing but a liar and is someone who cannot be trusted and has betrayed someone who he was intimate with and all of that – but I consider Bo a wounded troubled boy, essentially. That’s what led to this predicament [that] he’s now in where he’s doing [his mentor’s] bidding and what he thinks is for a good reason. I’m rooting for Bo. I don’t see any world where Bo is a bad person. It’s tough when you have to go fetch souls through swords. That’s not an easy task [especially[ while he’s also doing cafe work and the occasional hacking. He’s a busy guy.
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There’s no denying Bo and Nicky have a strong sexual chemistry. Honestly, it’s nice in general to see Asian-Asian relationships play out on television because we rarely get to see that outside of this series. Media always place the character of Color with a white character or as we call it – a “safety net” for networks. How was it for your character to be in this relationship that showcases Asian romance?
It’s beautiful. It’s an emotional thing. I’ve never really gotten to play a love interest to an Asian actress before in this way – minus [my character’s brief thing with] Olivia from Legacies. I completely agree with you though. It’s is such a refreshing thing to to be able to have this pining and longing sexual chemistry with an Asian actor. It’s just something that we definitely need to see more of. The fact that there is this love triangle thing with Henry happening, it deepens the point that you’re making here, which is we need to see how large this specific story can go. I feel very lucky. I don’t think Olivia would have wanted to do this with me if she didn’t feel comfortable. We’ve definitely put in the time to make sure we each feel safe and connected. She’s also very easy to care about, so it has not been challenging. It’s a treat. It did remind me that actually that one of the early things that [the showrunners] told me about Bo was that they really wanted him to be a foil to Henry. I have been purposefully trying to lean into [this role] – I don’t want to say masculine but more “sure of himself” energy. Henry has been more on a self-discovery journey as of late and he’s been the one who has been more torn about his feelings. Bo is coming in as the opposite with a very clear attraction that he’s not hiding from or he’s not mincing words.

You entered the Kung Fu fandom into its third season and came between a very popular relationship — Hicky. How has the response been from fans coming into the series as the mysterious new guy?
Eddie and I have talked about it. First off, it’s Nicky’s choice – no matter how this plays out. I’m not trying to step on the Hicky fandom’ toes here. Olivia mentioned to me that Nicky didn’t have any partners before Henry. I think it’s pretty clear in life that you need options to decide and to know what you want. As much as I do support Hicky – I’ll #Hicky – I’m not trying to not #Hicky. I just might like the tweet that says #Bocky more. I’ll double tap more on #Bocky. I definitely support the two seasons of the Hicky love that they’ve gotten. I do like Henry. I even had to watch a whole montage of [Henry and Nicky]. Did I feel jealous? Yeah, a little bit. Maybe a little bit, but Bo is also not afraid to say he’s a little jealous as he did in episode 5. Also, I want to see Nicky pursue someone. That was really cool the way Episode 5 ended where she came back [to Bo] and took matters into her own hands. I thought that’s part of showing her strength and what makes her a dynamic character.

What can we expect to happen next?
we’re gonna find out why Bo’s been moonlighting as the Harvester. We’re going to see his tragic backstory revealed, which explains this betrayal. For a couple episodes, people might be “Team Hicky” which I totally get, but just don’t don’t abandon the faith because Bo is hurt and he’s trying to figure out who to believe and what is the right thing to do. Because in his mind, he has been nothing but a hero. The Bo that ingratiated it into the Shen family here is going to dissipate a bit and he is going to struggle with his role out here, but don’t lose faith in him. That’s my main takeaway. He’s a good guy at heart.


Kung Fu: Gavin Stenhouse Dishes on Mixing Business & Pleasure in Season 3
BY SAM STONE   NOVEMBER 16, 2022
https://www.cbr.com/kung-fu-s3-gavin-stenhouse-interview/ 

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CBR: Kung Fu Season 2 saw Evan go through the wringer, including him no longer working for the city of San Francisco. How was it picking up with him going into Season 3?
Gavin Stenhouse: I found it really exciting because one of the biggest problems Evan kept running into in Seasons 1 and 2 is that he wanted to do good and help people, and he just kept getting shut down. There was that lovely conversation between him and Althea where he mentioned he was frustrated with the confines in which he was being kept. Now that he has his own practice, it's a lot more freeing. Even though it's a lot less money, he gets that gratification of being able to help the community that he loves so much. Being able to work with Althea, as well, is a joy, and also as an actor. I love working with Shannon [Dang] every shoot day that I have with her because we work in a similar way. We have similar methods of working and a shorthand of vocabulary that lets us create a very easy environment together.
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When you sat down with the showrunners, Christina M. Kim and Robert Berens, what direction did you want to take Evan this season?
They did ask me what I wanted to do this season, and I looked back to Episode 1 in Season 1. When you first meet Evan, there's this kind of light-hearted, almost comedy-esque vibe from Evan, and due to the serious nature of what happened in Seasons 1 and 2, a lot of the situations didn't allow for Evan to express that light-heartedness and comedy. I wanted to try to find a little bit more of that this season. I think the writers have done an incredible job, and Bob and Christina have very kindly found places here and there for me to be able to explore that, which is so generous of them. I've been enjoying that, especially with the chemistry between Althea and Evan. It's been very easy to explore that, and it's fun.

My favorite scene of yours in this episode is between Evan and Nadia, and I love how this season of Kung Fu has leaned into fun and romance. How was it working with Marissa Cuevas on that scene?
Marissa is awesome, and I had a very definitive idea of what I wanted to try to bring to the scene. I talked about it with Marissa and what she wanted to do with it as well, and with Joe [Menendez], who was directing. There are so many serious love scenes on The CW, and I just wanted to really find something that was a little bit light-hearted and funny, just for a moment. What it ended up being in that scene, in particular, Nadia is staring at Evan, and Evan's like, "Oh, now?" [laughs] -- just finding those moments of lightness as the antithesis to all the serious, saucy, sexy stuff between Nicky and Bo, with the Nicky-Bo-Henry love triangle.
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Gavin, what can you tease about the next few episodes of Kung Fu Season 3?
Evan juggles some legal cases which are all relevant to the Shen household -- not just the ones he's already juggling. It gets tricky, and it gets complicated, but I also just love this episode in particular. It has so many influences that I personally love, whether drawing references from John Carpenter's The Thing or The Shining. It's such a great episode, and I'm really excited for this one to be seen. There are so many twists and turns, so many reveals. When I was watching it, I would jump out of my seat. [laughs] I'm excited, in particular, for this week's episode because I love it.

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A few interviews from the past month or so:

Olivia Liang at People.com:

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"I'm so protective of her because I have to be. I have to believe that my character is doing her best and trying to put her best foot forward even when she messes up, but I do have a little bit of separation," Liang, 29, tells PEOPLE.

She continues, "This season, especially when Nicky goes to that darker place, I have to be Nicky and justify why I would go to a dark place. Then, I have to kind of unwind that when I come back into Olivia so that I'm not justifying bad behavior."

Olivia at Women's Health Magazine:

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... but Olivia says she’s still unraveling some of those unhealthy thoughts. “It’s a lot better now—I appreciate my body for what it’s able to do for me.”

That would include learning martial arts for Kung Fu. “Being an Asian woman, everyone expects it on my résumé, which is a major stereotype,” she says.

Instead, Olivia held out for the right role that would train her, and she credits showrunner Christina M. Kim for giving her that opportunity. “It’s been amazing,” Olivia says. “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever put my body through, even more than dance. I feel really strong.”

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Interview with JB Tadena at Subjectify Media, Part 1 and Part 2:

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It’s a big cast. I’m number 11 on the call sheet. To see how they’ve been able to fit everyone in their own moments, it’s impressive and I’m thankful that they’ve given me even more cool things to do this season.

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So, I’m always bugging Bob and Christina. I’m like, “Hey, let me fight. I can fight. Let me fight. Let me fight in the kitchen, whatever you want — I’ll, like, Steven Seagal style with, like, just, you know, Under Siege grabbing two knives, whatever. Let me fight.” And I get a DM from Bob around episode 3.04, and he’s like, “We finally got you a fight, but it’s not how you think it’s gonna go,” and I was like, “Hmm.” And so a few weeks went by and I was just sitting on that information.

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Exclusive: CW Star Mike Bow Talks About His Role In 'Kung Fu'
BY JE'KAYLA CRAWFORD    PUBLISHED 1 DAY AGO
https://www.thethings.com/cw-star-mike-bow-interview-talks-about-his-role-in-kung-fu/ 

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In the CW series, Mike plays the dynamic character 'Simon Lau'. He was quick to give a description of the character, plus an exciting storyline. "Simon Lau is your average Kpop star who totally just performs in concert tours and definitely isn’t the descendant of the ancient bloodline that protects the mystical meteor hammer and trained his whole life to become the master of that magical weapon. Except, he is ;)"

Every single character in the show is interesting, but if he were to be a different character than his own, the performer was quick to give an answer. "Nicky Shen of course," Mike shared. "Training in the mystic arts in faraway China all to come back home to America and use that knowledge to fight crime?! Sign me up! Can you tell I love superheroes?"
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From watching the show, fans can feel as though the cast have known each other for years. Apparently, they actually have! The star also shared the co-star that he built an amazing friendship with. "I knew most of the cast before getting cast in Kung Fu so ironically the one I’ve bonded with the most is someone who I didn’t know before, Yvonne Chapman," he revealed. "She was my main scene partner in our buddy cop spirit realm journey! We prepped our scenes together whilst playing Mario Kart, making each other laugh with puns, and sneaking to get the secret good coffees on set."

Speaking of Yvonne, Mike was quick to share one of his favorite behind-the-scenes moments on set with her.

"Yvonne found her old N64 and I was bragging about how good I am at Mario Kart all day (which for the record I totally am, but just the newer version on switch, UGH, but anyway!) We finally played and it was a massacre. She beat me in, I’m pretty sure, every single race. This was a good juxtaposition for Simon who has to be resenting Zhilan when we first meet."

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TVLine ranked Kung Fu at #7 overall among The CW's shows for Fall 2022...

Midseason Ratings Report Card: CW's Best and Worst Performing Shows
By Matt Webb Mitovich / December 28 2022, 
https://tvline.com/2022/12/28/best-worst-cw-shows-tv-ratings-2022-2023/

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Listed below is the average DEMO RATING for each series on The CW (including Live+7 DVR playback). Alongside that is the TOTAL AUDIENCE for each program, as well as any noteworthy PERFORMANCE NOTES.

Each program’s RANK represents how it is faring in the coveted-yet-dwindling 18-49 demo compared to other shows on The CW; any ties in the demo (and there are MANY on The CW!) were “broken” by total viewership.


cw-best-worst-shows-2022.png

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Showrunners' interview at Subjectify Media: https://subjectifymedia.com/kung-fu-showrunners-interview-season-3/

 

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Kung Fu season 3 has already packed in a lot, and in our extensive interview with Kung Fu creator Christina M. Kim and her co-showrunner Robert Berens, we touched on the story so far for most of the show’s major characters, with topics not limited to Mei-Li’s struggles with capitalism, Henry’s magic as a vehicle for his emotional trajectory, the inspiration for (and cost of) Jin’s political idealism, and naturally, Nicky’s dark night of the soul regarding all things Bo and Xiao. The Kung Fu showrunners had plenty to say about how they developed each of these arcs and a little to tease about what’s coming up in season 3’s final five episodes.

“I think the thing that we’re proudest about this season is the dynamic ensemble, and the fluidity between those who are participating in the myth and those who are not, it just feels really lively and in a way more experimental,” Berens said. “I think season 2 had a really rigid road map and there’s a little bit more freedom and riffing in this season. Because the nature of the villain’s plan is not the architecture of the whole season — it’s a little more mysterious and thematic and charactery.”

 

 

And interview with Olivia Liang: https://www.ksitetv.com/kung-fu/ksitetv-interview-olivia-liang-previews-tonights-return-of-kung-fu/237744/

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What makes “The Architect” a must see episode for fans to check out tonight?

It’s the same reason that Kung Fu is a must see show: There’s action. There’s drama. There’s love. There’s humor. There’s family. And there’s magic! What more could you ask for? And also, we’ve got Patrick Fabian as a guest star. We’ve got Lou Diamond Phillips directing. We’re firing on all cylinders for this episode. There’s disguises! There’s undercover-ness! There’s fighting…. what can I add to that, that would entice anyone even more?

 

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Wednesday Ratings: The Flash Returns Smaller, AMLT Steady, Kung Fu Grows
By Matt Webb Mitovich / February 9 2023
https://tvline.com/2023/02/09/tv-ratings-a-million-little-things-final-season-premiere-the-flash/ 

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THE CW | The Flash opened its farewell run with 512,000 total viewers (down from its Season 8 finale/average) and a 0.1 demo rating; TVLine readers gave the episode an average grade of “B”; read post mortem. Bubble drama Kung Fu returned from a long break to 440K (its second-best audience of the season) but a demo low of 0.0.

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Kung Fu and Olivia Liang were both nominated for Critics Choice Super Awards...

Nominations Announced for the 3rd Annual Critics Choice Super Awards honoring Superhero, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Horror, and Action Movies and Series
February 22, 2023
https://www.criticschoice.com/2023/02/22/nominations-announced-for-the-3rd-annual-critics-choice-super-awards-honoring-superhero-science-fiction-fantasy-horror-and-action-movies-and-series/

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(Los Angeles, CA – February 22, 2023) – The Critics Choice Association (CCA) announced today the nominees for the 3rd Annual Critics Choice Super Awards, honoring the most popular, fan-obsessed genres across both television and movies, including Superhero, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Horror, and Action. Winners will be revealed via a special announcement on Thursday, March 16.
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BEST ACTION SERIES, LIMITED SERIES OR MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE
9-1-1 
Cobra Kai 
Kung Fu 
Reacher 
Tulsa King 
Vikings: Valhalla
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BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION SERIES, LIMITED SERIES OR MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE
Angela Bassett – 9-1-1 
Queen Latifah – The Equalizer
Olivia Liang – Kung Fu 
Katherine McNamara – Walker: Independence 
Helen Mirren – 1923 
Kelly Reilly – Yellowstone 

 

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Kung Fu EPs Break Down That Emotional Season 3 Finale (Exclusive)
By NICOLE DRUM - March 8, 2023
https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/kung-fu-eps-break-down-that-emotional-season-3-finale-exclusive/ 

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Now you have mentioned that this is Kung Fu volume one, and obviously we don't know at anything about what the future is holding at this point. But I do have to say, as a viewer, this episode definitely feels like a series finale. If this is the end for Kung Fu, what are you hoping people walk away from this with?

Kim: Well, I think for me, so much of it is about these characters. And I think that we lucked out with the most incredible cast truly that we could have ever imagined. But I hope that they have touched people and surprised people along the way. And I hope that they've connected with them and maybe people are surprised that they connected with certain characters. But for me growing up, I never had a show that looked like this. So, I was really excited to have Nicky be a young Asian woman on TV every week, kicking butt. If we were to not return, which hopefully is not the case, I hope that that leaves a lasting impression and opens the door for a lot more shows like this. So that's my feelings on it. I'm so proud of our show and of the cast and the stories that we've told. And I like shows like this. I shows that are emotional and have a big heart to them, so I want more shows like this on the air as well. So, it's my thinking at the moment.

Berens: I'll just add that I think this world, it needs characters that Christina created. I think there's so much rich stuff to play with. And I think that what was really exciting and interesting was there's so many hero stories out there in the genre space. And I think there was a real opportunity here, and I hope it landed to challenge some of the hero storytelling in that there's a really strong story for Nicky. But there's also values and ideas of community and relying on others that maybe cut against the grain of the lone wolf hero idea. I hope that we created something different on a number of different levels to add to the pantheon of hero stories.

 

Wednesday Ratings: Not Dead Yet and True Lies Dip, Kung Fu Flat With Finale
By Matt Webb Mitovich / March 9 2023
https://tvline.com/2023/03/09/tv-ratings-kung-fu-season-3-finale-renewed-cancelled/ 

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THE CW | The Flash (580K/0.1, read post mortem) rose to a season high in viewers while steady in the demo, whereas “bubble” show Kung Fu (390K/0.1) dipped just 5% in viewers/was steady in the demo with its season (?) finale.

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Showrunners Bob Berens and Christina Kim on the ‘Kung Fu’ Season Finale and Future
Laura Sirikul    March 13, 2023
https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2023/03/13/showrunners-bob-berens-and-christina-kim-on-kung-fus-season-finale-and-future/ 

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We need to talk about Bo. I didn’t sympathize with him in the beginning until we got to his childhood trauma. I really empathize with him afterward, but then he gets trapped and essentially killed. What can you tell us about that?
Kim: We love Ben Levin. He’s a fantastic actor and such a wonderful person. When you have a combination of both, we, as writers, are always looking for ways to keep them around. I don’t know what we can really spoil or say [if we do get another season].

Berens: There’s a lot of happy endings at the end of this season. In the case of Zhilan — and to a larger extent, the case of Bo, there’s a little note of sadness really because ultimately, he redeems himself and goes out in a pretty brutal and horrifying way. That was upsetting to us, but it was important that it not be all sunshine and cupcakes for our characters and it felt right. It is not the end [for him] on our show. If we’re lucky enough to come back, I don’t think that’s the last you’ve seen of him. There’s more story to tell and there’s certainly more fun to be had working with Ben Levin, who we just adore. 
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Speaking of Shooby gang, it seems like everyone got their happy ending in the end. How did you decide on each of their stories — Nadia and Evan with a baby; Althea with the NSA; Seb and Mei-Ling’s food truck; and Nicky and Henry being their own Indiana Jones?
In the case of Nadia and Evan — this is very behind-the-scenes, our characters are in their mid-to-late 20s. People are gonna start having families. It’s funny. We even floated the idea at one point of possibly what would Althea as a young mother look like? Shannon genuinely didn’t want to play that story. We never got very far in it. That idea migrated to Evan and Nadia — and once that did, we loved it. It wasn’t planned. It didn’t serve a great macro narrative function. It felt life-like. That this would happen and we see that evident in Nadia, despite the surprise. We loved that it was a chance to celebrate one of the Shoobys who was not an immediate family . It was something for them to celebrate as a victory lap at the end of the show. Our finale is so much about knotting it back to the pilot. It gives you an opportunity to take the measure of Evan and Nicky’s friendship across three seasons and how it evolved from their breakup before the show began to “will they, won’t they” and now three seasons later with Evan starting a family with Nadia. That just felt delicious and unexpected to us.

Speaking of relationships, was “Hicky” endgame all along?
Kim: There was a lot of debate back and forth because our writers room is just as divided as our fans. There was definitely a pull towards Nicky and Henry because they were brought together by fate and both did have their own mystical storylines. There was always that love there.They just have such great chemistry. We wanted to have an ending that was satisfying but also realistic in terms of where they were on their individual character journeys. So hopefully it satisfies the Hicky lovers. 
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I love the last shot being connected to the 1970s series of Nicky walking into the sunset. Was this the plan the entire time to have it connect to the previous series?
Kim: We were excited by having a nod to the original series. We’ve been asked a lot of times along the way, especially in the beginning when the show first came out, about how much is the show like the original? How much is it going to be like the original? Obviously, it was not very much like the original at all. It was a big departure. But in terms of playing some tribute to the original and also being true to Nicky’s character, it felt like we’d gotten her to a place over these three seasons where this felt like the right ending and launching point for Chapter Two. Hopefully, we will get to write about Nicky’s character and that she had sort of earned this place to go out into the world with all the skills that she’s learned from not only her sifu, but from her time at home and being with her family and helping her community.
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If greenlit for a season 4, what are the discussions for the Shens and the Shooby gang? 
Berens: At the end of the finale episode, everyone’s embarking on big new chapters. Jin entered into politics. Mei-Li and Sebastian started this business. Althea starting her NSA venture. The truth is that Nicky is out there in the world separate from her family. For us, we’re excited for the opportunity to come back. We’ve seen Nicky heal her relationship with her family and become this great team. In the event that we get to come back, what’s interesting about that is to take our characters with these new destinies and then converge them again. It’s the chance to shake up the Shen family, but also find a way to bring them back together that excites us. 


Kung Fu Showrunners Break Down Season 3 End & Season 4 Possibilities
Craig Byrne    Mar 14, 2023
https://www.ksitetv.com/kung-fu/kung-fu-showrunners-break-down-season-3-end-season-4-possibilities/239264/ 

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KSITETV’S CRAIG BYRNE: Can you talk about the way in which Kung Fu Season 3 ended, which in a way was a tribute to the original Kung Fu television series of the 1970s?
ROBERT BERENS: We got excited about ending the season in a way that really opened the door for a shift in our show in the event that we come back, and also to embark Nicky in new phase of her life outside of San Francisco. Once we landed on that, the idea of paying a little bit of a nod to the original series, and the idea that what we’ve been watching this whole time was actually a kind of prequel to a more traditional reboot of the show, it tickled us, and it felt sort of emotional, surprising, and exciting.

CHRISTINA B. KIM: When the show first premiered for Season 1, a lot of questions were like, “so how much is it like the original series?” And I mean, to be honest, [it was] really nothing like the original series. It’s a big departure. But it did feel like over three seasons, [and now with] Nicky’s journey to sort of embark on something new, which is like more like the original series, it felt right to end the season that way.
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Was there ever a temptation to give Zhilan some final moments with Pei-Ling?
BERENS: I think, for us, that was a very painful moment for Zhilan, to kind of rob her of that final moment with her sister, but it also felt important in a cosmic larger sense for Zhilan’s character. I think we as writers, and certainly the viewers, love Zhilan. She’s such an incredible character and great actress — Yvonne [Chapman]’s incredible.

But the bottom line is, there was an emotional impact and bring us full circle to what started this all, and what started this all was Zhilan killing her sister in the pilot and Nicky witnessing it. As the pieces of the finale started to come together, we realized that there was a symmetry here that essentially, under very different circumstances, Zhilan – who at this point, the one thing she wants most in the world is to save her sister and to be with her sister – that she would witness her sister’s death at Nicky’s hands felt very powerful. It felt like it had a really important shape to it. To us, it also worked for Zhilan as a reminder that the work of redemption is a much longer road than maybe she had hoped when she had her tunnel vision, like “if I just save Pei-Ling all will be forgiven.” And the answer is, that’s not quite true. She’s got a longer road ahead of her, and there’s a lot more work to repair the lives she’s taken. The bottom line is she didn’t just kill her sister; she’s killed many people in the first season of the show, and even before the events of our series began. Though we love where Zhilan is now, we felt there was a kind of sad justice to her being deprived of that moment. It really sets up her future.
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And speaking of partnerships, can you talk about where Nicky and Henry are now in their relationship, as we might go into Season 4?
BERENS: What we love about where we leave Nicky and Henry is that I think they both love each other, and they both see a potential future with each other. But I think Nicky realizes at the end of the season in kind of an epiphany… you know, it all happens very quickly… she has a lot of living left to do. We talked a lot in the room about what led Nicky to run away from home in the first place. Those needs for adventure for being out in the world… were those satisfied by her time in the monastery, by coming home? And so as much as she loves her family, as much as she loves Henry and has come back around to him, their relationship, and their original spark, there’s still a need for her to explore the world on our own terms and on her own two feet.

More or less everyone in her family is safe and happy and everyone is kind of a hero with their own destinies and journeys ahead of them, and she’s realizing that “if not now, when?” It’s actually time for her to go out and explore the world on her own, and I think Henry understands that too. It also brought us full circle to the miscommunication – was it a breakup, was it not? – at the end of Season 2. This is kind of Nicky and Henry saying goodbye to each other for now, in an honest and direct way. It isn’t fueling drama, but it’s actually just giving the opportunity for them both to grow as individuals out in the world.

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Which Broadcast-TV 'Bubble' Shows Do YOU Most Want Saved? Vote Here!
By Matt Webb Mitovich / March 15 2023
https://tvline.com/lists/cancelled-renewed-bubble-tv-show-list-2023-poll-vote/abc-renewed-cancelled-show-ratings/ 

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In the poll down below, you’ll find nearly 30 scripted comedies and dramas that are currently “on the bubble.” After assessing these curated options, cast your vote for up to FOUR (4) shows that you want to be renewed (even though most decisions may not come down until mid-May or in some cases later, for those with spring premieres). THE POLL CLOSES WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22 at 11 am ET; any shows renewed/cancelled before then will be removed from the poll.
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The CW 'Bubble' Show Ratings

Ranked by demo rating, then by total audience:

Superman & Lois 0.3 demo rating / 1.6 million total viewers (Season 2 averages; Season 3 premiered March 14, no Live+7 data yet)
Walker 0.2 rating / 1.3 million viewers
The Winchesters 0.2 rating / 800,000 viewers
All American: Homecoming 0.2 rating / 620,000 viewers
Walker Independence 0.1 rating / 950,000 viewers
Kung Fu 0.1 rating / 800,000 viewers
Gotham Knights (Series premiered March 14; no Live+7 data yet)

All numbers include Live+7 DVR playback as of March 14

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Earth Day article: 'Transportation Manager Ryan Doucette on How Warner Bros. Turned “Kung Fu” Season Three Green'

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Can you walk me through how Kung Fu and other Warner Bros. productions use renewable diesel?

A lot of productions are focused on the important step of putting renewable diesel into diesel generators because that makes the most impact. Right now, we’re running our diesel generators to power the lights on our sets and various equipment. For our trucks, yes, it’s a good opportunity to put this fuel into them, but in our industry, we drive and we stop; we’re not long-haul truckers. But our generators are running all day long. So Kung Fu made the decision to put renewable diesel into the generators and made the most impact. We have another show called Dead Boy Detectives that’s shooting in BC and Riverdale season 7, and both are taking advantage of renewable diesel. We hope any future production will take the opportunity to use it, and I think it’ll be an easy sell.

 

 

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