Martial Law (TV series)

Martial Law
Genre
Created byCarlton Cuse
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes44[1] (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Carlton Cuse
  • Andre Morgan
  • Stanley Tong
  • Lee Goldberg
  • William Rabkin
  • Al Ruddy
Producers
  • Pam Veasey
  • Jack Clements
  • Jacquelyn Blain
  • Barry Steinberg
Running time42–45 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseSeptember 26, 1998 (1998-09-26) –
May 13, 2000 (2000-05-13)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Martial Law is an American crime action comedy television series created by Carlton Cuse that aired on CBS from September 26, 1998, to May 13, 2000.[3][4] The title character, Sammo Law (Sammo Hung), is a Chinese law officer and martial arts expert who comes to Los Angeles in search of a colleague and remains in the United States.[5]

The show was a surprise hit, making Hung the only East Asian headlining a primetime network series in the United States. At the time, Hung was not fluent in English and worried about the audience's ability to understand him.[6] In many scenes, Hung does not speak at all, making Martial Law one of the few United States television series to feature little dialogue from the lead character.[7][8] The show lasted two seasons, before being cancelled due to high production costs and Hung being unhappy with the writing of season two.[9][10]

  1. ^ "How CBS show Martial Law made martial arts star Sammo Hung a US hit". South China Morning Post. April 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "Carlton Cuse...Productions (1998)". YouTube: Closing-Logos-HD. 2 January 2018. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12.
  3. ^ "MASTER OF 'MARTIAL LAW'". The New York Daily News. Retrieved 2010-11-05. [dead link‍]
  4. ^ Flaherty, Mike (1998-10-09). "Chop Shtick". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2010-12-07.
  5. ^ McDonald, William (1998-09-26). "Kung Fu Show Adds Star, Hoping For a Hit". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
  6. ^ Johnson, Allan (1999-05-07). "'Martial Law's' Hung Is Changing Stereotypes". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
  7. ^ Sterngold, James (1998-11-19). "TELEVISION REVIEW; Body Slams Illumined by Aphorisms". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
  8. ^ Rosenberg, Howard (1998-09-26). "If Your Fantasy Is Fascinating Shows, Forget It; TV reviews: 'Fantasy Island' treads water; 'Martial Law,' 'Cupid' don't zing". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
  9. ^ "Sammo Hung refused to shoot "Martial Law III"". singtao.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Black Belt Sep 2000". September 2000.