Martial Law (1998–2000)

A Shanghai cop who is a master of martial arts fights crime in the Los Angeles Police Dept.

Creator:

Carlton Cuse

Stars:

Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, Kelly Hu, Arsenio Hall

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Sammo Hung Kam-Bo	...	Sammo Law (44 episodes, 1998-2000)
Kelly Hu	...	Chen Pei Pei (44 episodes, 1998-2000)
Arsenio Hall	...	Terrell Parker (36 episodes, 1998-2000)
Louis Mandylor	...	Det. Louis Malone (22 episodes, 1998-1999)
Gretchen Egolf	...	Amy Dylan (22 episodes, 1999-2000)
Tom Wright	...	Capt. Benjamin Winship (22 episodes, 1998-1999)

Storyline

Sammo Law, a top flight cop and hand to hand combat instructor from Shanghai, China comes to Los Angeles to search for a crime boss and a female undercover cop whom his department lost contact with. Once there, his temporary mission is turned into an ongoing exchange position and he is partnered with a pair of cops. As they battle the criminal elements of the city, his skill in martial arts proves to be a big help.

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Plot Keywords:

martial arts | police | hand to hand combat | partners | buddy cop | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Action

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 September 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le flic de Shanghai

Filming Locations:

Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Fox Television, CBS Productions, Carlton Cuse Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min 45 min (44 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sammo Hung Kam-Bo's first starring role as well as his first English-speaking role in an American production.

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Quotes

[Terrell's car has been stolen]
Terrell Parker: When we find the guys who did this, I'm gonna open a big can of whoop-ass on them!
Sammo Law: Whoop-ass?
Terrell Parker: Yeah... Whoop-ass... is my kind of karate.

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Crazy Credits

Bloopers play before each episode's closing credits.

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Connections

Referenced in Fairly Legal: Shine a Light (2012)

User Reviews

Today's lesson: How to ruin a TV show

When "Martial Law" premiered, I was hooked. Sure, it wasn't great art or fabulous writing on display, but the show was goofy fun. But then bit by bit, the producers tinkered with the show, and with each adjustment, the show became worse.

The first misstep happened shortly after the theatrical movie "Rush Hour" became a hit. The producers must have thought "Hey! What this show needs is an obnoxious, hip, and streetwise partner for Sammo Hung!" Shortly afterwards, Arsenio Hall became a cast member, and his character was EXTREMELY annoying.

The next misstep was when the second season of the show premiered. First, the producers had fired several cast members, despite these fired actors and their characters being a very likable bunch. They also ignored or quickly wrote out the plot threads that had been going along in the previous season.

After some time, the producers tinkered with the show again. Suddenly Kelly Hu's character had a COMPLETELY different background, and the show suddenly had the characters fighting with a secret organization that threatened the city each week. This organization was treated with the same goofiness of the evil secret organization in the "Inspector Gadget" animated series.

Fortunately, the show was cancelled after the second season had played out. (And around this time, to Arsenio Hall's credit, he admitted that the show was terrible.) Since this series only ran two seasons, it is highly unlikely that the show will be seen in syndication, at least in North America. Just as well. If you DO get the chance to see the show, watch it until Arsenio Hall appears. Then stop watching!