“Into the Badlands” Debuts with Top Ratings
Co-produced and co-directed by Stephen Fung (馮德倫) and renowned Hollywood director David Dobkin, television drama Into the Badlands recently premiered on AMC in the United States and achieved stellar ratings. It stars Daniel Wu (吴彦祖), who is also a co-producer of the drama.
The drama received the top viewership ratings among dramas that premiered this season, even beating its strongest competitor, Supergirl. The estimated number of viewers was 6.4 million people, placing Into the Badlands as the fourth most-watched American cable television drama to-date. Drama critics on Yahoo and Deadline have also praised Into the Badlands, particularly for its martial arts scenes.
On the success of the drama’s debut, Stephen said, “I’m of course very happy that the first episode achieved such good ratings, as this is my first time being a producer and a director in America. The entire filming process was so tough for everyone, especially Daniel, who was frequently injured. The difference between a film and a drama series is that the drama series requires a long-term perspective. I hope every episode will achieve such a good result. AMC has been considering whether to renew the series for a second season. Hopefully, as we continue to achieve good ratings, that will speed up their decision.”
Source: ihktv.com
This article is written by Jingles for JayneStars.com.
Hope rating will continue to sore!!!!
Gonna watch it now. Does Stephen make any cameos?
@mike I hope Stephen will make a cameo appearance. Wasted his good looks if he doesn’t. Don’t always hide behind the camera.
Me & my bf watched the trailer together and the plot looked weak and the set/costumes tacky. If the reviews are only raving about the choreographed kungfu sequences, I’d be wary of watching. All style and no substance does not make a good lasting impression. I hope that’s not the case, however.
@coralie
Indeed, the review were bad in the western media. One critic only praised the martial arts sequence.
@coralie @msxie0714
Do you really expect the average American to watch a leading ASIAN actor for his acting and his substance? It was just this year that ABC began filming and broadcasting a comedy drama series about an Asian family. Lucy Liu becoming a lead in Elementary recently. Now Daniel getting his chance to shine as a male lead. Last time any Asian lead getting any significant role in TV was decades ago (Margaret Cho in a TV sit-com in the 80’s, if I remember correctly). Asians are finally getting some opportunities, and people are worried about substance, and style? Worry about getting those roles first then worry about substance later. As long as the general public (non-Asians specifically) like the material that is being churned out now is of utmost importance. Everything else will fall into place later. There are huge racial issues in Hollywood and America that still hasn’t been addressed. These opportunities for Asians to get leading roles are beginning to address that. Take it one step at a time. Don’t expect so much, so soon. Let’s worry about whether Asians can continue to get more leads in Hollywood first.
Don’t forget that this series has an ASIAN MALE LEAD playing protagonist in a heroic/alpha-male role. The general public’s perception in America for such a role still remain with a WHITE MAN. Your racist America will, in no doubt, be non-accustomed to seeing a yellow man in a non-comedic/nerdy role. Poor reviews are bound to pop up everywhere.
BTW imdb.com rated Into the Badlands as a 8.3/10 so far, 8/10 on TV.com
@anon
It’s a breakthrough to see a strong and attractive Chinese male in the lead. Also disappointed that Blackhat with Leehom did so poorly.
@anon sorry but great storyline and acting > having more Asians in films, series and TV shows. Seeing how Asia is becoming a major player in terms of movie investment, seeing more Asians will be an issue of when and not why. So I think the priority at this point is to see some high caliber scripts for Asian actors/actressese, not just increasing their exposure.
@coralie
“sorry but great storyline and acting > having more Asians in films, series and TV shows.”
You’re missing the point here. I never said that at all. I was stating that we should support Asians in leading roles in Hollywood, regardless of whether there’s SUBSTANCE or STYLE. The fact that we are here, that in itself is an accomplishment, and we should support that in the best way we can regardless of the production value.
“Seeing how Asia is becoming a major player in terms of movie investment, seeing more Asians will be an issue of when and not why.”
Correlation does not equal causation. Just because China is becoming a major player in the game does not mean Asian stars can transpire to the same level of success and fame that their white counterparts can obtain. Hollywood studios are primarily investing in Asia with Asian stars for domestic/regional projects, not to provide them with the same opportunity and elevate them to the same level of international status/recognition that Caucasian actors have. Asians do not possess the same level of marketability, so it’s not an even-playing field.
“So I think the priority at this point is to see some high caliber scripts for Asian actors/actressese, not just increasing their exposure.”
Their increased exposure will allow the public to change their perception of Asians first, as no seasoned investor would risk blowing a big budget production on an Asian lead that cannot guarantee a handsome ROI. Better scripts will come second, IMHO.
I saw the first episode….it is not that amazing. There is not enough depth to it and only few of the cast were above decent actors.
Daniel looked cool….but he was so wooden. The way he delivered his lines seemed so forceful.
I do like the premise though. I will continue to watch and hope for improvement.