Martial Law (TV series)
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Categories: American comedy television series | Crime television series | Martial arts television series | CBS network shows | 1998 television series debuts | 1990s American television series | 2000s American television series | Television series by Fox Television Studios | Television series by CBS Paramount Television | Television shows set in Los Angeles
Martial Law is a television show that ran from 1998 to 2000. It was created by Carlton Cuse, of Nash Bridges fame. The title character, Sammo Law, portrayed by Sammo Hung, was a Chinese law officer and martial arts expert who came to Los Angeles in search of a colleague and wound up sticking around. The cast endured turnover from the beginning. Detective Dana Dickson (played by Tammy Lauren) exited the show after a handful of episodes. Not long after that, Arsenio Hall joined the cast as Terrell Parker, a wisecracking former LAPD press liaison who began helping out Sammo and the gang on cases. The pairing of Hung and Hall as partners was similar to, albeit a bit less overtly comedic than, the partnership between Sammo's friend, Jackie Chan, and Chris Tucker in the Rush Hour films. New producers took the helm at the beginning of the second season. They more or less pretended that the first season did not exist, retaining only the basic concept of a fish-out-of-water detective. Cast members Louis Mandylor and Tom Wright were dropped. Gretchen Egolf was brought in to play the unit's new leader, Amy Dylan. Additionally, Parker's past in public relations was scrapped. The first season's cliffhanger ending was explained away with a few throwaway lines. Law made crossover appearances on episodes of Early Edition and Walker, Texas Ranger. Chuck Norris's Walker character, Cordell Walker, also made an appearance as part of the two-part Martial Law/Walker, Texas Ranger crossover.
Cast
StoryThe basic storyline is that Sammo Law, a well-respected Chinese cop, is transferred to America. As he works for the police department, fighting crime in Los Angeles, and later New York, he is met with a clash in culture. He is also the mentor of Grace "Pei Pei" Chen, an undercover officer. When American techniques don't work, Sammo amits some Chinese cop work to get the job done. Season 1 PlotSammo is sent by the Chinese government to apprehend an old nemesis named Lee Hei. He finds out that his disciple, Pei Pei, had infiltrated Lee Hei's criminal empire. His goal is to capture Lee Hei and ends his criminal organization. Unfortunately, this plot line was unresolved and Season 1 ended in a cliffhanger. Season 2 PlotWinship retires. Louis transfers to NYPD. Law decides to stay in Los Angeles and now is partned with Pei Pei. The department also gets a new captain, Amy Dylan, who thinks that the Chinese way of police work isn't the best way of handling things. In addition, there are revelations of a secret society whose members include Law's long lost son. While Law decided to return to China in the last episode, a line of dialogue left open the possibility of a follow-up. Episode List
Notes: * This episode's storyline is continued on Walker, Texas Ranger Known Foreign BroadcastersIn Britain, Martial Law can be seen on ITV4 throughout the week. In France, Martial Law (Le Flic de Shanghaï) can be seen on M6 and W9.It was previously broadcast on Britain's newly Channel 5 at 8pm scoring high ratings in 98, Australia's Seven Network in 1998, on ATV in Hong Kong, on TV4 in Sweden and on TV3, Sky1 and Channel 4 in New Zealand. It was previously broadcast on Dubai based MBC 2 but can now be seen on MBC Action. In Germany the series was broadcast on VOX. In Brazil, the series can be seen on Rede Bandeirantes since November, 2007. DVD ReleasesAs of September, 2006, there is no news about a release of Martial Law on DVD. According to TVShowsOnDVD.com, DVD releases have yet to be available despite the push and petitions of fans. External links
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