Television series

Wu Assassins

Name: Wu Assassins
Genre: Drama, Action, Science Fiction
Released: 2019
Cast: Iko Uwais, Lawrence Kao, JuJu Chan, Katheryn Winnick, Lewis Tan

Action

A martial-arts-inflected supernatural thriller set in San Francisco's Chinatown, where a reluctant young chef becomes an unwilling assassin tasked with stopping ancient magical threats. Slick action sequences and character work anchor what's essentially a superhero origin story with genuine moral weight. For fans of grounded genre television who want their martial arts with emotional stakes.

TVMaze rating

3.4

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love martial arts fight scenes built on real physical grit, and you don't mind a supernatural myth wrapped around a crime story set in a rain-soaked Chinatown.

Skip it if you want a tidy, self-contained story; the mythology sprawls, the pacing wobbles between brawls and quieter domestic scenes, and some plot threads feel unfinished.

What it asks of you: About ten episodes of roughly forty-five minutes each, so a weekend's commitment. Expect to sit with dialogue and slower character moments between the punches.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Witcher2019

A reluctant chosen one discovers vast supernatural forces at play while learning to survive them. Like Wu Assassins, it weaves martial-arts-adjacent action with character drama and mythology, building a world that feels lived-in.

But The first season's narrative structure is deliberately fragmented across timelines, which can feel confusing rather than clever.

Marvel's Daredevil2015

A man uses martial expertise to fight criminal empires while wrestling with the moral cost of violence and vigilantism. The same engine: combat mastery as both gift and curse, street-level action, and a hero trying to stay human.

But Heavier and slower-paced than Wu Assassins, with less supernatural spectacle and more brooding Catholic guilt.

Kung Fu2021

A martial artist returns home to confront ancient enemies threatening her family and city. Another origin story where action skill intersects with duty, heritage, and the weight of expectation on a protagonist who never asked for this role.

But The CW production values are noticeably lower, and some character arcs rely on television soap-opera timing rather than earned progression.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Wu Assassins

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Bloodsport1988

Both make martial-arts mastery inseparable from internal conflict. The fighting isn't spectacle; it's character. A man proving something to himself through combat, with everything on the line.

Jean-Claude Van Damme gives a genuinely committed dramatic performance as a soldier in an illegal martial-arts tournament, grounded by real emotional stakes. It's proof that martial-arts storytelling can carry genuine weight when the character work is sincere.

But The 1980s action-movie aesthetic is intentional but unmistakable, and you need patience for long sequences of tournament fighting without narrative momentum.

Marco Polo2014

Lavish production design, martial-arts spectacle, and a young man navigating dangerous political and magical forces in an opulent setting. Shares Wu Assassins' blend of action, mythology, and the education of a reluctant hero.

But Netflix cancelled it after two seasons, and it does feel occasionally aimless in its storytelling ambitions.

Marvel's Iron Fist2017

A man returns to his home city with supernatural martial abilities, forced to use them for vigilante justice despite deep reservations. Same core idea: superhuman fighter grappling with responsibility and secrecy.

But The action choreography is notably less inventive, and the character work is thinner than what Wu Assassins achieves.

Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments2016

Young people discover they're part of a hidden magical world requiring them to fight ancient supernatural threats. Delivers ensemble character work, mythology world-building, and action-fantasy appeal in a similar register.

But Heavily romance-focused, and the tonal shifts between humor and drama don't always land cleanly.

Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments poster

Into the Badlands2015

A post-apocalyptic martial-arts epic centered on a warrior trying to escape the system that made him. Gorgeous action sequences and a protagonist haunted by moral compromise, in a fully realized alt-world.

But The narrative becomes increasingly baroque and mythology-heavy in later seasons, potentially losing viewers who want clearer storytelling.

Warrior2019

A Chinese immigrant navigates San Francisco's violent underworld while mastering martial arts and discovering his power. Shares the setting, the martial tradition, and the theme of a skilled fighter caught between worlds and moral extremes.

But Grittier and more unflinching about brutality than Wu Assassins, with less supernatural seasoning if you want the fantastical elements.

The Defenders1961

Four martial artists and metahumans unite against a shadowy ancient organization. The team-up carries echoes of the chosen-one mythology and the weight of inherited conflict that drives Wu Assassins.

But A miniseries rather than a full season, and the ensemble format means less deep character focus on any one protagonist.

Audition2000

Both are about deception—a protagonist hiding who they really are and what they're capable of, while another person hides something far darker. Intimacy fractured by supernatural threat.

A widower searching for love discovers his audition date is someone far more sinister and supernatural than he expected. A stunning genre-pivot that scrambles tone and expectation, where intimate character drama collides with horror and violence.

But Graphically brutal in its third act, and the early romantic atmosphere makes the violence feel deliberately destabilizing rather than cathartic or entertaining.

The Handmaiden2016

A hero whose real identity must stay hidden, navigating a world of dangerous people who suspect nothing. The performance of normalcy as survival, paired with carefully concealed competence and agency.

A con artist infiltrates a wealthy household as a handmaiden to steal from a mysterious collector, in 1930s Korea. Exquisite filmmaking, intricate plotting, and a female lead using martial and interpersonal skill as parallel weapons. Genre-bending without apology.

But Deliberately convoluted narrative structure that requires close attention, and the sexual content is explicit and central to the plot rather than incidental.