Television series

The Green Hornet

Name: The Green Hornet
Genre: Action, Adventure
Released: 1966
Cast: Bruce Lee, Wende Wagner, Van Williams, Walter Brooke, Lloyd Gough

Before superhero television learned to wink at itself, this one played it dead straight. Van Williams' Britt Reid poses as a crime boss to fight crime, Bruce Lee's Kato does the actual fighting, and the whole thing moves in lean, gadget-filled half-hours. Earnest pulp with a killer theme tune, kept alive today mainly by Lee's electric physicality.

TVMaze rating

7.3

If you liked this

Batman1966

Same studio, same year, even the same producer — but where Hornet plays it deadpan, this one goes full camp. Watch them back to back for the tonal whiplash of two shows sharing identical DNA.

But The pow-bam theatrics are a wildly different flavor; if Hornet's straight-faced grit appealed to you, this might grate.

Enter the Dragon1973

The film that finally let Bruce Lee lead instead of assist, and you can feel years of sidekick frustration burning off the screen. It's the blueprint for the modern martial arts blockbuster.

But Thin plot, dated effects, more spectacle than character study — pure genre pleasure, nothing subtler underneath.

Marvel's Daredevil2015

A masked vigilante with a day job and a moral code, updated for grittier, bloodier times. If Hornet's secret identity hooked you, this drags the idea into darker territory.

But Much heavier and more violent — none of Hornet's breezy pulp charm, more prestige-drama brooding.

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Lone Ranger1949no page yet

Same creator, George W. Trendle, built both properties into one shared fictional universe — the Green Hornet's mythology is literally a family-tree spinoff of this show's world.

This isn't just a similar show, it's canon — Britt Reid is written as the Lone Ranger's own grand-nephew, both born from the same radio producer's fictional universe. This fills in an origin Hornet never spells out.

But Older, slower, and unmistakably early-television Western — no lasers, no armored car, just horses and honor.

Kung Fu1972

Bruce Lee was famously passed over for this lead role, and watching it now is a strange, illuminating exercise — a wandering monk instead of a masked crimefighter, same era's fascination with martial philosophy.

But Slow, meditative pacing that's the exact opposite of Hornet's punchy half-hour format; patience required.

The Wild Wild West1965no page yet

The same decade's appetite for gadget-fuelled derring-do, just dressed up as a Western instead of a crime drama. Big inventions, secret missions, tongue only half in cheek.

But The Western trappings and campier tone might not suit if you wanted Hornet's straighter, grittier feel.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.1964

Sixties spy glamour with gadgets and cool nerve, airing the same year as Hornet and sharing its love of hardware, disguises, and secret missions run out of unassuming front businesses.

But Slicker and more jet-set than Hornet's back-alley focus; less fisticuffs, considerably more espionage banter.

Zorrono page yet

The masked-vigilante-by-night template Hornet inherited, done as swashbuckling adventure a full decade earlier. Great for tracing the lineage of secret identities back before capes were cool.

But Black-and-white, family-friendly, and slower paced — charming as a relic rather than thrilling by modern standards.

The Shadow1994no page yet

Another pulp radio hero brought to the screen, complete with secret identity and shadowy underworld dealings — Hornet's genre cousin, reimagined as big-budget nineties spectacle.

But Campier and far more effects-heavy than Hornet ever attempted; the tone can feel uneven.

The Way of the Dragon1972no page yet

Bruce Lee not just starring but directing, finally given full control over the fights and the story. A fun, lower-stakes companion piece to see him working entirely unguarded.

But Slight plot and dated production values; this one's really for Lee completists rather than casual viewers.

Be Water2020no page yet

Directly addresses the racial politics of Lee being cast as chauffeur-sidekick instead of lead, the very frustration that shaped everything he did afterward.

A documentary about Bruce Lee's real fight against Hollywood typecasting — the exact frustration simmering under his role as Kato — told through his own words and rare family archives.

But Contemplative and sometimes sombre where Hornet is pure action; this is about the man, not the fists.

Mystery Men1999

Same core fantasy — ordinary person adopts costume, gadgets, and secret identity to fight crime — pushed into satire, exposing how thin the line is between earnest pulp and parody.

A gleeful spoof of exactly this kind of gadget-toting masked vigilante, following a squad of deeply unqualified heroes who take secret identities to glorious, absurd extremes.

But Broad comedy that undercuts everything Hornet plays straight — if you want sincerity, this mocks it relentlessly.