Entertainment NOW

TV Media Weekly | March 18 - 24, 2017 By Kyla Brewer TV Media T here are dramas for peo- ple who love murder mysteries, cop shows and even comic books, but a unique drama offers viewers something totally new, with elaborate fight scenes and stun- ning visuals. Chinese-American action star Daniel Wu ("Gen-X Cops," 1999) brings his talents to the small screen as Sunny, a fiercely skilled warrior in AMC's martial arts drama "Into the Badlands," which returns for a second sea- son Sunday, March 19. The show is set in a post-apocalyptic world where guns have been banned and seven ruthless barons rule what was once the American midwest, thanks to loyal war- riors, or clippers, like Sunny. One of the most dangerous clippers in the Badlands, Sunny has worked his way up through the ranks to become regent (head clipper) to the area's most powerful Baron, Quinn (Marton Csokas, "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," 2001). In the first season, Sunny encountered a teenager, M.K. (Aramis Knight, "Ender's Game," 2013), who harbored a dark power, prompting Sunny to take M.K. under his wing as his newest trainee, or "colt," as they're called in the Badlands. "Into the Badlands" was a hit right out of the gate when the series premiere in November 2015 pulled in more than 6.4 million viewers overall. The show went on to average more than five million viewers per ep- isode, earning it the distinction of being the fourth-highest-rat- ed freshman season of any cable series ever. Not surprisingly, it didn't take long for AMC to or- der a second season. "With its deep dive into au- thentic martial arts, the visually stunning 'Into the Badlands' proved to be unlike anything else on television," said AMC executive Charlie Collier when the 10-episode season 2 deal was announced last March. He went on to praise creators Al- fred Gough ("Smallville") and Miles Millar ("Shanghai Noon," 2000) for delivering an "artfully crafted series." Acclaimed for its elaborate combat scenes and swordplay in season 1, "Into the Badlands" is expected to be even more ac- tion-packed in season 2 as Sun- ny — now separated from M.K. — struggles to get back to the Badlands and his family. Mean- while, M.K. struggles to get a handle on his powers. Mysteri- ous new allies aid the clipper and colt, but these so-called friends may have ulterior mo- tives. At the same time, danger- ous baron Minerva (Emily Bee- cham, "The Village"), also known as The Widow, continues her quest for more power. All the while, a new threat rises. Production moved from Loui- siana to just outside Dublin, Ire- land, for season 2, giving the se- ries an even more distinctive look. And that isn't all that's new this season: Nick Frost ("Shaun of the Dead," 2004) has been added to the cast as a series regular, playing Sunny's new ally, Bajie, a man of "ques- tionable morals" who gets stuck in a mining prison along with Sunny. All of the fan favorites from last season are back for the new sea- son, too. In addition to Wu, Knight and Beecham, Oliver Stark ("Un- derworld: Blood Wars," 2016) re- prises his role as Ryder, Quinn's son and newly minted baron. Ste- phen Lang ("Avatar," 2009) re- turns as Waldo, a once-great clip- per who buys into The Widow's promise to reform the Badlands. Ally Ioannides ("Parent- hood") continues the tradition of "Into the Badlands's" power- ful female characters as Tilda, The Widow's devoted teenage daughter and deadly regent. Orla Brady ("Mistresses") is Lydia, Quinn's first wife, who now finds herself a reluctant member of Penrith's (Lance Hen- riksen, "Aliens," 1986) Totemist commune. Meanwhile, Sarah Bolger ("Once Upon a Time") stars as Ryder's new wife, Jade. Madeleine Mantock ("The To- morrow People") plays Veil, Sunny's lover and the mother of his newborn child. Both male and female charac- ters get to partake in the fast- paced fight scenes that make "Into the Badlands" one of this season's most buzzworthy shows. While Wu has an extensive background in martial arts, having trained in wushu since the age of 11, many of the show's other stars didn't have martial arts training before they landed the "Into the Badlands" gig. The actors undergo intense training to make the scenes look as real as possible, thanks to the guid- ance of martial arts choreography Master Dee Dee Ku, who's helped actors prepare for such films as "Fist of Legend" (1994), "Crouch- ing Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000) and "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" (2003). Before filming even began, the performers trained six hours a day for weeks on end to learn about basic kung fu choreography, weapons and more. Executive producer Stephen Fung ("House of Fury," 2005) also serves as the program's fight direc- tor. AMC's action drama won't just appeal to martial arts fans — there's plenty of intrigue, suspense and stellar perfor- mances, not to mention a visual- ly stunning post-apocalyptic world to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Find out what all the fuss is about when "Into the Badlands" returns Sunday, March 19, on AMC. Daniel Wu stars in "Into the Badlands" 'Bad' is good: 'Into the Badlands' returns to AMC 2 | Cover story A/Grindstone Charlie's B/Norris Insurance 1 x 4" 455-2700 3833 S. LaFountain • Kokomo, IN 46902 www.norrisinsurance.com • Home • Auto • Business • Life Call for a FREE Quote! Serving You For Over 50 Years Bill Neher

• Cover