It’s still early, but with Lin promising that the themes of social injustice and corruption that took a forefront in season two will only get more pronounced from here, Warrior’s new streaming platform may just be the perfect fit for a show that has the potential to become the next big popular action series. Thankfully, creator Justin Lin-and the show’s fanbase-didn’t go down without a fight, and a third season has graciously been granted. And yet, prospects of it continuing looked dire after season two, especially post-merger. The show plays like a predominantly Asian, west coast Gangs of New York, and its vendettas, backstabbing, and bloody street brawls quickly made it one of Cinemax’s most successful originals. Based on an original treatment by Bruce Lee, Warrior tells the story of Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji), a martial arts master who moves from China to 1878 San Francisco in the middle of the Tong Wars.
Everett Collection / Courtesy of Graham Bartholomew for Cinemax Joe Taslim and Andrew Koji in Warrior, 2019.