Kung Fu: The Next Generation

It has been a long time ago since I saw this on television. It was one of those television movies that you feel you want to watch because you watch the television series that it is based on. For a while, 'Kung Fu' was very cool, so they produced these movies for television about it in the late 1980s. None of the movies were particularly any good. They were just a lot of kung fu action and a pretty bad plot to follow. This one was just dull and I don't remember much about it, and it stumps me as to wonder why they bother making a full-length television film with a bad script. I don't remember much about it now, but I remember that it was a very dull movie to sit through and they really did flog the advertising for it on television.

The "CBS Summer Playhouse" was an anthology program that instead of showing the same actors each week, it aired unsold television pilots. Perhaps they wanted to see the public's reactions...if they liked the show then they might reconsider. Or, more likely, they just wanted to recoup some of the money spent to make these one-off shows. One of these failed pilots was "Kung Fu: The Next Generation".

The show is set in modern days instead of the old west like the original show. It concerns descendants of Kwai Chang Caine ...and they even have a ghost Kwai Chang Caine visit one of them! The show finds a father who is into martial arts and niceness and his son (Brandon Lee) who is a screw-up who is in trouble with the law. Can Daddy instill goodness and niceness in his ne'er-do-well offspring?

So is it any good? It's just okay...at best..perhaps a bit flat actually. I think part of the problem was Brandon Lee's character....he was just too much of a little jerk and it was easy to dislike him. Plus, there was no David Carradine! While this show ultimately failed, there was a reboot in 1993 that was accepted by the networks. I assume much of this was because in the reboot, David Carradine was cast in the lead...something fans of the original series likely loved.

I have seen little from that pilot and I never wanted to see more. No wonder nobody wanted to buy it. Brandon Lee is THE ONLY things to watch in it, anyway. There's no content, no connection, nothing. Many people complain the sequel, 'The Legend Continues' did not have real martial artists. Well, apparently it doesn't work that well with martial artists, either.

I'm really really glad they decided to opt for hiring pure actors for 'Kung Fu: The Legend Continues'. If they had martial artists they'd end up making yet another martial arts series/film. The series have their imperfections, of course, but if there's anything perfect in them it was the flawless acting of David Carradine and Chris Potter and the amazing bod they had - on and off screen.

I was the production coordinator on this PILOT .. they went through MANY for the part of Brandon's father and chose David at long last .. when Brandon walked into my office, I told him he had his Dad's eyes (also worked on GREEN HORNET .. one of our ABC shows . .and we were on same lot with MANY Fox shows at that time.. GH was my FAVE .. Bruce Lee & I lunched almost daily) AND I told him that I met him when he was a baby (sure he loved hearing that:) .. SUPER nice young man .. he hung out in our production offices a lot . the told him he could NOT right his Motorcycle (insurance purposes) . .but I would BET he did .. he was just lovely, as was his Dad .. was NOT the tease to ME as Bruce was (perhaps cause I was his Mom's age or so) .. but polite and sooo enjoyed being a part of the project .. I was shocked and aghast when I heard about the IDIOT propman who screwed up royally with the "PROP GUN" .. AND when you aim at someone . you NEVER airm at them .. just in case .. sooo a LOT of errors there ..

BUT .. I agree that it was not the best script/film done .. obviously, or it might have sold .. but I sooo enjoyed working with the Cast & Crew on this particular show.

This movie pilot is pretty tame when it comes to the martial arts sequences. Really the only reason to watch this is to see Brandon Lee in one of his first roles. He does a little fighting but not much. The guy playing his father is pretty dull and obviously has no ability in the martial arts whatsoever. In summary, only avid Brandon Lee fans should check this out because it's pretty lame.