Into the Badlands (TV series)

Into the Badlands is an American action drama television series that premiered on November 15, 2015, on AMC. Into the Badlands has been described as "a high-octane sci-fi martial arts series" and as a "post-apocalyptic drama". The series follows a warrior and a young boy who journey through a dangerous feudal land together seeking enlightenment. On February 9, 2019, AMC announced that season 3 would be the show's last. The series finale aired on May 6, 2019.
Approximately five hundred years from now, war has left civilization in ruins. A few elements of technology, such as electricity and ground vehicles, have survived the apocalypse, but society now shuns firearms and relies on melee weaponry and crossbows.
In a territory known as the Badlands, encompassing several states located between the Rocky Mountains and Mississippi River, a feudal society has developed to fill the power vacuum left by the war. Barons control land and monopolies over commodities like opium and fuel, trading amongst themselves to maintain the peace. Each baron is served by slaves called "cogs", as well as a prostitute class called "dolls". A baron maintains power through an army of young men and women called clippers: highly trained and loyal warriors, clippers are forbidden from marrying and having children lest their loyalties be divided. Each clipper force is captained by a regent.
A few groups exist outside the hierarchy imposed by the barons. Nomads are the most common, most of them bandits who steal from trade convoys between the baronies, while others live in organized clans. The River King controls water trade and is considered a neutral party in the barons' power struggles. An ascetic religious movement called the Totemists lives in isolated communities and practices a form of idol worship. The Widow leads a revolutionary group of anti-feudal fighters from her late husband's barony; although recognized as a baron by her peers, they do not respect her, and the contempt is mutual.
Little is known of the world beyond the Badlands, but it is implied that it is far less politically stable yet environmentally sound like the Badlands. The mythical utopian city of Azra is believed to exist outside the Badlands, but most dismiss it as a legend.
Described as a "genre-bending martial arts series", the story is loosely based on the classic Chinese tale Journey to the West. AMC ordered six one-hour-long episodes of the action-drama developed by AMC Studios for a premiere in late 2015. Executive producer Stephen Fung also serves as the series' action director alongside veteran Hong Kong choreographer, Ku Huen-chiu. AMC renewed the show for a 10-episode second season, which premiered on March 19, 2017. On April 25, 2017, AMC renewed the series for a 16-episode third season which premiered nearly a year later on April 22, 2018.
The series was filmed in Louisiana for the first season, but production then moved to Ireland, shooting around Dublin and County Wicklow.
On February 9, 2019, AMC announced that the series would end after season 3, with its final episode airing May 9. Sherman Augustus has stated that there were originally plans for a fourth season, which would have explored the lore behind the show's post-apocalyptic setting. He has also claimed that there were plans for a spin-off series which were ultimately scrapped. Alfred Gough and Miles Millar later revealed that the planned spin-off would have been set 20 years after the events of the original show, following Sunny's son Henry and The Widow's daughter as young adults in a town run by Nick Frost's Bajie, who would have acted as a mentor figure.
Internationally, the series premiered in Australia on November 17, 2015, on Showcase. In Germany, Austria, Italy, and the UK, the series is available through Amazon Prime Instant Video with each episode accessible the day after the U.S. air date. BBC America began airing double episodes on August 20, 2016, at 10pm ET.
The first season received mixed reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 54% approval rating with an average rating of 4.72/10 based on 39 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Into the Badlands is loaded with off-kilter potential that's left largely unfulfilled -- although its well-choreographed action sequences should satisfy martial arts fans." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 54 out of 100 based on 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
The second season received positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reports a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 7.53/10 based on 6 reviews.
The third season also received favorable reviews. Rotten Tomatoes reports an 88% approval based on 8 reviews.
Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter gave a generally positive review and wrote, "AMC finds a bloody, fun and entertaining non-zombie counterpart to The Walking Dead and turns Sundays into an escapist red zone." Maureen Ryan of Variety wrote,