6 Years Later, Fans Are Still Not Over This 96%-Rated HBO Crime Gem Getting Axed
The show based on Bruce Lee's treatment was on the air for too short a time, according to viewers.
In 2023, the third season of Warrior, a crime drama based on the story of Bruce Lee, was released. The script was in the archives for 50 years and only made it to the screens in 2019. The series survived a three-year break and a move from Cinemax to Max.
To the delight of fans, who sent the creators hundreds of letters and petitions, Season 3 returned in its best form. Season 4, however, seems like a dream that will never come true.
What Is Warrior About?
In the late 1870s, a man named Ah Sahm arrives in San Francisco from the Chinese province. He is young, daring and a great fighter, so before the credits roll on the first episode, he manages to get into trouble with the local law and join the ranks of the Chinese gang Hop Wei.
His life is complicated by the fact that Ah Sahm's older sister, has changed her name and become the unofficial head of the Long Zii – the Hop Wei's main rivals in the war for Chinatown, money and opium.
Warrior Is Based on the Script Written by Bruce Lee Himself
In 1971, Bruce Lee, at the height of his fame, approached the major Hollywood studios with the idea of a TV series called Ah Sahm. The eight-page story was about a Chinese immigrant and a martial artist who found himself in the middle of the Tong War in San Francisco a century ago.
The studios rejected the pitch. Few of the executives could have imagined that Western audiences would be willing to watch the adventures of a Chinese immigrant.
Bruce Lee's daughter, Shannon, decided to correct that injustice. With the support of director Justin Lin, Lee's script was finally released in 2019 on Cinemax, home of Banshee and The Knick.
Netflix Was the Last Chance for Warrior Season 4
Last year, Warrior appeared on Netflix, and not for nothing. If Warrior had experienced the same thing as Suits, which became a hit on the platform, it would have had a very real chance of getting a fourth season.
Instead, Warrior got lost in Netflix's vast library and went almost unnoticed by the platform's viewers. This buried the producers' plans for the fourth chapter of Ah Sahm's adventures.
Joe Taslim, the actor who played Li Yong, confirmed this in a now-deleted post on X:
“Season 3 is our last season, we don't have the chance to continue the story. But still so grateful. Thank you.”
Viewers still haven't come to terms with the cancellation of the show, which has a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and fans have even started a petition that can still be signed. Reddit user gryghin compares the cancellation of Warrior to another, perhaps the most high-profile cancellation case:
“Three seasons but it's worthy of more. Guess it's the Firefly of this generation.”
Either way, even if it never receives a Season 4, Warrior will remain a solidly written crime drama, a great kung fu series, and a monument to Bruce Lee and his legacy.