Warrior is a period piece action drama set against the backdrop of the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the second half of the 19th century. The series centers around Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji), a Chinese immigrant martial arts prodigy who arrives in San Francisco under mysterious circumstances. After proving his worth as a fighter, Ah Sahm finds a place for himself as a hatchet man for the Hope Wei, one of Chinatown’s most powerful Tongs (organized crime family).
Warrior comes from executive producer Jonathan Tropper, who co-created Cinemax’s 2013-2016 crime drama, Banshee. Handwritten story notes by Bruce Lee (provided by the screen legend’s daughter Shannon) served as the show’s basis.
The result has been a genre-blending series that combines classic martial arts action with a dramatic peak TV flair.
Given the series’ Old West premise, the main protagonist Ah Sahm will presumably attempt to acquire power with his intellect, but will be forced to use his physical abilities during the on-going Tong Wars. In real-life, the conflict extended all the way to the early 1920s in Chinatown.
Assuming that Warrior season 2 will set up future installments, expect the new episodes to explore Ah Sahm’s rise to power after nearly losing his his life. He’ll be forced to compromise – given the tricky politics of Chinatown – but will likely attempt to reconnect with his sister, who has her own problems to deal with after establishing herself as a formidable tong leader.
