Fantasy Series 'Into the Badlands' Resurges
The martial arts-infused fantasy series "Into the Badlands," which concluded several years ago, has reclaimed top spots on streaming charts. The show's renewed popularity demonstrates a continued audience appetite for complex, visually distinct fantasy worlds.
- The series was created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the same duo known for creating the long-running superhero series *Smallville* and the Netflix hit *Wednesday*. - AMC canceled the series in 2019 due to a combination of high production costs and declining viewership. Ratings fell from a high of over 8 million viewers to under 1 million by the final season. - The show's budget was substantial, with the third season costing nearly $100 million. Actor and executive producer Daniel Wu noted the production was like making two TV shows at once, with separate, large crews shooting drama and action sequences simultaneously. - Its acclaimed fight scenes were choreographed by a team of Hong Kong martial arts specialists led by director and choreographer Stephen Fung. This dedicated action unit was a key factor in the show's high production value and cost. - The series, which is loosely based on the classic Chinese novel *Journey to the West*, originally aired on AMC from November 15, 2015, to May 6, 2019, running for three seasons and 32 episodes. - The show's premise is set in a post-apocalyptic feudal society, roughly 500 years in the future, where firearms have been banned and conflicts are resolved through elaborate martial arts combat. - Production for the first season was based in New Orleans, while for seasons two and three, it moved to Ireland, which significantly altered the show's visual landscape.
