Kung Fu: The Legend Continues

Kung Fu: The Legend Continues was an American-Canadian action/crime drama series and sequel to the original 1972–1975 television series Kung Fu. While the original Kung Fu series was set in the American old west, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues was set in the then-current 1990s. It starred David Carradine and Chris Potter as a father and son trained in kung fu -– Carradine playing a Shaolin monk, Potter a police detective.

Like his grandfather and namesake from the original series, Kwai Chang Caine (David Carradine) is a Shaolin priest who walked out of the past. Caine was the head of a temple in Northern California, where his son Peter (Chris Potter) also lived and studied, until the temple was destroyed in a fire caused by a renegade priest who believed the priests should serve as mercenaries. After the destruction of the temple, each believed the other had perished and went on their separate ways; Caine wandered and traveled, much as his grandfather had, while Peter became a foster child and eventually a police officer. The series begins when Caine comes to fictional Sloanville and ends up in the Chinatown section of town, where Peter's precinct is located, and they are reunited after 15 years.

The series aired in syndication as part of the PTEN network for four seasons from January 27, 1993, to January 1, 1997, and was broadcast in over 70 countries.

"Peter: Look, I'm not my father. I don't do kung fu. I'm a cop. That's who I am; that's what I do."
 * Arbitrary Skepticism: Peter often frowned on the idea of supernatural phenomenon being the cause of the episode's case. Even after they had often faced various such phenomena up close.
 * Badass Family: The Caines, naturally.
 * By-The-Book Cop: In the first season, Peter often disapproved of his father's interference in police investigations. By the time he himself re-learned his own childhood martial arts training, he began to value Caine's assistance more.
 * Fighting Series
 * Friend on the Force: Several of Peter's colleagues, although most of them simply couldn't figure out the senior Caine at all. Peter himself was this for his father.
 * I Am Not My Father: Peter cites this trope during the first season's opening sequence:

"Peter: "Ah yes. Darkness shall overcome the light," as you would say. "But splinters of black will easily be crushed. The illumination of one candle shall forever touch mankind's luminous spirit." Kwai Chang: I never said anything like that. That means absolutely nothing. Peter: I know. Sounded great though, didn't it?"
 * Identical Grandson: Kwai Chang Caine is the grandson of Kwai Chang from the original series. Both played by David Carradine.
 * David Carradine also played Matthew Caine, Kwai Chang's son & Kwai Chang II's father, in an episode or two.
 * Koan: Well yes, naturally.
 * Subverted in the Pilot Movie when Peter quotes his father back to him.


 * Levitating Lotus Position: Kwai Chang Caine did this sometimes while meditating.
 * The Magnificent Seven Samurai: In an episode called "Dragonswing", Caine and Peter assemble a team of Shao Lin alumni to help a friend rescue his girlfriend from the thugs who've taken over his Northwestern town. Robert Vaughn guest-starred as Rykker, a mercenary very similar to his Magnificent Seven character.
 * Took a Level in Badass: In one of the early episodes, Peter's in a bind against the Villain of the Week, who's beating the crap out of him like nobody's business. Then he instinctively taps into his forgotten kung fu skills via Groin Attack. The next season would focus on him gradually re-learning everything he'd been taught as a child.
 * Walking the Earth: Part of the elder Caine's Backstory.