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

Jackie Chan, a long time friend of the show's star 'Sammo Hung', appears briefly as a background extra in an early episode.

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Quotes

Sammo Law: [on hiking in the woods] Be careful where you step or you will fall into a trap. It is an old trick in Japan.
Terrell Parker: Fine. If we're hiking in Japan, I'll remember that. But we're in LA now and the only thing you can get out here is tetnus from stepping on a rusty na...
[falls into a trap]
Sammo Law: I tried to tell you. Why didn't you listen to me?
Terrell Parker: I don't know! I feel like Charleton Heston in 'Planet of the Apes' and believe me, no black man wants to be Charleton Heston!

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Crazy Credits

Bloopers play before each episode's closing credits.

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode dated 9 February 1999 (1999)

User Reviews

Worth watching for Sammo's martial arts; good comedy as well as drama.

"Martial Law" is your standard cop show in one way - the actual "cop stuff" is the usual nonsense you can see anywhere on TV, the "same old same old" which makes real cops wince. What makes this show worth watching is the incredible martial arts prowess of the cast - especially Sammo Hung. Just like Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-Fat, Sammo trained at the Peking Opera School, which makes for a unique - and often funny - style of martial arts. The entire cast works well together, and they can all actually *act* - unlike a certain 'Texas Ranger' who comes on after this show. Lots of comedy in this show - they don't (usually) go for the cheap "Chinaman in America" jokes, and they actually seem to remember what they've done from one show to the next. All of the martial arts used on the set are real - Sammo, obviously, is an expert, and Louis Mandylor ("Louis") is trained in "muy thai" (Thai kickboxing), while Tammy Lauren ("Dana") is a black belt in Karate [I haven't heard a real reason for her departure], and Kellu Hu ("Grace / Pei Pei") is a brown belt in Karate. Tom Wright ("Lt. Winship") is a former stuntman, and does his own stunts in the show as well. And, just as with Jackie Chan's movies, at the end of every episode they have a brief "outtakes" section, showing some of the goofs that occured during the filming of the episode.

Good acting, decent plots, and plenty of kick-butt action, as well as many comedic moments (Sammo playing "Smoke On The Water" on the guitar...) make this a show to watch.