While sitcoms like Fresh Off the Boat, the Mindy Project and Master of None were winning over fans with inoffensive laughs, Daniel Wu, who stars in Into the Badlands, was challenging viewers to change their perception of Asian men created by a century of stereotyping.
Wu let fans know in a tweet announcing the second half premiere of Season 3, which will air March 24, that the show that he helped create has been cancelled by AMC.
thatdanielwuGood news always comes with bad news. First the good: #IntoTheBadlands returns. The final episodes premiere on @AMC_TV on March 24. The bad: after these 8 episodes air that will be the end of the show. The bad is obviously a lot worse than the good, especially for all of you who have supported with so much passion over the past three seasons. Thank you for your support. We always had you in mind while making this as we wanted to give you the best martial arts action show to ever appear on tv and I think we achieved that. But that wouldn’t have been possible without you! So thank you! Thank you! Thank you!AMC didn't give a reason for the cancellation. The network recently declared the cancellation of the adventure series duringthe Television Critics Association winter press tour, However, after the series debut season, viewership had been dropping.
Fans are upset that AMC didn't promote the show as well as it could. In terms of media coverage, the martial arts epic received very little attention.
Those same fans of the series that takes place in dystopian America are not taking Badlands' demise sitting down. Led by superfan CoolGuyJ, he wants fans to use social media to bring attention to the show in hopes that another network like SyFy or streamers Netflix, Amazon, Hulu or some other streaming service.
It might seem like a long shot, but the strategy of an uprising of fans has worked before, most notably by Star Trek fans who gave the series another two seasons, The Mindy Project and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, both of which got picked up by Hulu.
Besides Wu, who has been overlooked as a romantic lead because of his prowess as a badass fighter, Into the Badlands features a diverse cast, provides strong roles for women and the best - bar none - martial arts sequences on television, thanks to its Hong Kong stuntmen and legendary fight choreographer Huan-Chiu Ku.
Watch this fight where Wu, as Sunny, fights off the bad guys with a ladder and typewriter -- ala Jackie Chan.
Cast members took to social media to express their sentiments.
Teressa Liane (who played Angelica) starred in the very first three episodes of season one)
wrote on Twitter: ”#IntoTheBadlands I had such an amazing time working on this show and I’m sure it’ll be a super-charged, kickass final season! Big love to you all!”
Lewis Tan (Gaius Chau) tweeted: “The final battle. The final season. I promise it will be bloody worth the wait. The epic TWO-night premiere begins March 24 on AMC. We love you all and we made history with this groundbreaking show.
“I am sad but also at the same time grateful and honoured to be part of a martial art legacy. We put everything into this season and raised the bar high.”
With the cancellation of Into the Badlands, the Asian American community has a lot to lose. As a kid, I had to go to Chinatown and J-town to watch Asian male heroes in the theater. Because of Into thte Badlands, young Asian American youngsters could see and identify with heroes who don't take crap from anyone, defend the weak and uphold honor, who most importantly look like them.
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