Warrior: Season 1

TV-MA
2019
Trailer
Poster for Warrior: Season 1

Set in San Francisco’s Chinatown during the late 19th century, this martial arts series adapts the writings of Bruce Lee... More

Where to watch Warrior: Season 1

Warrior: Season 1 is available to stream in New Zealand... More now on Neon.

Warrior: Season 1 episodes

Episode 1.1

The Itchy Onion

San Francisco, 1878. Ah Sahm, a newly arrived Chinese immigrant... More with serious fighting skills, is introduced to Chinatown’s most ruthless tong, the Hop Wei, by Chao, a fixer. After impressing Young Jun, son of tong leader Father Jun, Ah Sahm is branded and taken to a brothel, where he befriends Ah Toy, a courtesan with connections.

Episode 1.2

There's No China in the Bible

Intercepting a shipment of opium at the docks, Young Jun,... More with Ah Sahm and his Hop Wei lieutenant Bolo in tow, decides to send a message to Long Zii. Big Bill and Lee investigate a grisly murder scene in an alley next to an Irish bar, The Banshee. Penny Blake, the young wife of San Francisco’s mayor, finds herself in a bind while visiting the wharf with her Chinese manservant, Jacob. Ah Sahm pays a steep price for playing the hero. The Long Zii clean up a mess, and brace for more bloodshed.

Episode 1.3

John Chinaman

Leary pressures gentleman industrialist Byron Mercer, who is Penny’s father,... More to hire his men for a cable-car track job — despite the fact that Mayor Blake hasn’t yet awarded Mercer the contract. Accused of assault and perhaps worse, Ah Sahm gets a cold shoulder from the Hop Wei, with his fate in the hands of an unexpected ally. Buckley urges Mai Ling to eschew restraint and start a war with the Hop Wei.

Episode 1.4

The White Mountain

Big Bill finds himself compromised by his gambling excesses, but... More discovers a possible solution after an opium-den raid. Penny reveals the circumstances that prompted her to marry Mayor Blake, who’s determined to show voters he won’t tolerate San Francisco’s “Yellow Peril.” After meeting with leaders of the Fung Hai tong, Mai Ling offers Ah Sahm a way out of a protracted — and bloody — tong war.

EPISODE 1.5

The Blood and the Shit

Transporting precious cargo via stagecoach through the Sierra Nevada, Ah... More Sahm and Young Jun are forced to spend the night with three strangers at a frontier saloon in the middle of nowhere. The detour turns perilous when Harlan French, a notorious outlaw, shows up with his henchmen, looking for a lucrative payday.

EPISODE 1.6

Chewed Up, Spit Out, and Stepped On

Tensions escalate between the Hop Wei and Long Zii after... More an assassination attempt during a boisterous Chinatown parade. Big Bill sets out to pay his debt to Jack Damon, leaving Lee to keep watch over Lucy and the kids. Mayor Blake and Deputy Mayor Buckley get a mandate from Robert Crestwood, a senator with eyes on the White House.

EPISODE 1.7

The Tiger and the Fox

Ah Sahm faces a dilemma when Father Jun sends Bolo... More to hunt down Long Zii and Mai Ling . Ah Toy recruits a special girl from a whore monger, and takes on a business partner for a land deal. Penny is faced with an unsavory choice in order to save her home. Lee’s past catches up with him.

EPISODE 1.8

They Don't Pay Us Enough to Think

After a bloodbath on the streets of Chinatown, the Hop... More Wei and Long Zii consider a novel way to end hostilities. Ah Toy and her real-estate business partner, Leonard Patterson, hit a fork in the road in their effort to buy a valuable piece of land. After promising jobs to Leary’s Irish workers, Mercer toasts Crestwood at a fundraiser, while Penny struggles to hold her tongue. Mai Ling warns her brother against waging a battle he may not win.

EPISODE 1.9

Chinese Boxing

Chinatown gathers to witness a “prize fight” between elite warriors... More from the Hop Wei and Long Zii. Buckley plays a bluff in hopes of getting Mercer to lower his fee. Ah Sahm remembers his roots as a fighter, as Ah Toy warns him of the dangers that await. Bill and Lee question Wang Chao about the recent series of sword killings in San Francisco.

EPISODE 1.10

If You're Going to Bow, Bow Low

Ah Sahm rejects his warrior roots and retreats into the... More netherworld of the Chinese working class. A guilty Big Bill stands vigil for Lee at the hospital. With the police roughing up tong members in retaliation for their violence, Zing and the Fung Hai make a show of force to compel Mai Ling to honor her partnership. Burned by Buckley, Leary decides to take matters into his own hands at Mercer's factory. Seeking to snap Ah Sahm out of his funk, Chao shares a harrowing story of personal hardship. Ah Toy preaches a not-so-ancient message to Ah Sahm: In the middle of chaos lies opportunity. Season One Finale.

Warrior: Season 1 | Ratings & Reviews

"It takes itself way too seriously, the dialogue is deadly flat, and the characters just aren’t interesting."

RogerEbert.comRogerEbert.com

"Warrior shares some of the propulsiveness and energy of [Banshee] but lacks its conviction and its sense of place, in part because of the artificiality of the antique San Francisco recreated on elaborate South African sets."

The New York TimesThe New York Times

"Through its first six episodes, Warrior is frequently fun, occasionally audacious and always representationally interesting, which is enough to work through its slow patches and to excuse that one half of the show is vastly better executed than the other half."

Hollywood ReporterHollywood Reporter

"There's a reason the network returned to its action roots after attempting to pivot away from them a few years ago, and if Cinemax continues to produce shows like Warrior, a show that is, first and foremost, entertaining, then I'm really not going to complain too much."

TV GuideTV Guide

"Warrior has its charms and much like a Chinese “Peaky Blinders” or “Gangs of New York,” it’s best when it leans into mankind’s reaction to corruption and injustice."

IndieWireIndieWire

"This is the right time and place for Lee’s vision to come to thrilling life, even if he’s not around to star in it. Warrior is a blast."

Rolling StoneRolling Stone

"Topmost, Warrior is a good time, satisfying anyone who appreciates intricate fight choreography that emphasizes the physicality of its actors. ... At the same time, the show grants the same level of agency and ferocious, dangerous nature to its women as it does the men."

SalonSalon

"While it isn’t above mandatory Cinemax elements like fights, macho banter, and visits to brothels, it also aspires to make statements about the immigrant experience. And damned if those statements don’t turn out to be more arresting than the genre elements, which are proficiently handled but far from unique."

VultureVulture

Warrior: Season 1 | Details

Rating
TV-MA,
Genre
Action
Country of origin
USA

Warrior: Season 1 | Trailers