This is not as consistently excellent as the original series Kung Fu. About 2/3 of the episodes in TLC are roll-your-eyes and groan awful. This is particularly true when supernatural nonsense and the utterly absurd are made intricate parts of the plot. However, the remaining third are remarkably good, and make it worthwhile to endure the rest.
I had trouble with Carradine's acting. He played Kwai Chang pretty much as the original character who had emigrated from China. But Kwai Chang II supposedly lived in the U.S. for at least 40 years, had been a professional gambler, bus boy, assistant paralegal, etc. Yet he acted as if he didn't understand common phrases and colloquialisms, and would stumble and hesitate over simple English sentences. It's as if he just fell back into the role from the first series and was too lazy to update it for the new circumstances. He also appeared a little too out of shape to so easily defeat all assailants. The moments of wisdom are few and far between: it is more of an action cop show (and stands up well in that genre).
Chris Potter and the supporting cast went a long way towards injecting some reality and saving the series.
I had trouble with Carradine's acting. He played Kwai Chang pretty much as the original character who had emigrated from China. But Kwai Chang II supposedly lived in the U.S. for at least 40 years, had been a professional gambler, bus boy, assistant paralegal, etc. Yet he acted as if he didn't understand common phrases and colloquialisms, and would stumble and hesitate over simple English sentences. It's as if he just fell back into the role from the first series and was too lazy to update it for the new circumstances. He also appeared a little too out of shape to so easily defeat all assailants. The moments of wisdom are few and far between: it is more of an action cop show (and stands up well in that genre).
Chris Potter and the supporting cast went a long way towards injecting some reality and saving the series.