Cinemax's Warrior premiered in April 2019 and was renewed that same month, so what's the status of Warrior season 2? Based on the writing of martial arts icon Bruce Lee, the series takes place in San Francisco during the late 19th century and follows a man's quest for truth.
Warrior season 1 stars Andrew Koji as Ah Sahm, a Chinese immigrant who immediately makes his presence known in America. After traveling across "the salt," he defends an acquaintance who is mocked by local officials. From there, Ah Sahm links up with the underworld organization, or "tong," known as Hop Wei, and attempts to find his long-lost sister, Xiaojing (Dianne Doan), who is revealed to be the wife of a tong leader. Warrior season 1 explores sociopolitical issues by linking Ah Sahm to the Mayor's office, and also to an Irish gang that protects "American" jobs. Olivia Cheng co-stars as a brothel owner named Ah Toy, and Jason Tobin portrays Young Jun, a Hop Wei heir who orchestrates a violent underground fight designed to settle an opium beef between two tongs. Warrior season 1 was co-produced by Shannon Lee (Bruce Lee's daughter) and filmmaker Justin Lin, who is best known for directing Star Trek Beyond and several films in the Fast & Furious movie franchise.
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Ah Sahm has a rough time in the penultimate episode of Warrior season 1, as he's nearly killed while defending a Hop Wei business venture. In the season finale, he recovers and works as a blue-collar laborer while figuring out the next steps. When an Irish mob leader named Dylan Leary (Dean Jagger) attacks Chinese-American workers, Ah Sahm receives a chance to show off his skill set. He's then given some advice from an underground arms dealer (Hoon Lee as Wang Chao), and re-assesses who he wants to be moving forward. Here's everything to expect from Warrior season 2.
Warrior Season 2 Release Date Info
Warrior season 2 will reportedly premiere on October 2, 2020, according to the aforementioned Tobin, who confirmed the news on Instagram. Given that Cinemax ordered new episodes well over one year ago, it seems that production was completed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed for post-production teams to finalize Warrior season 2 in recent months.
Warrior Season 2 Story Details
Thematically, Warrior season 2 will most likely reference Bruce Lee's 1960s philosophy, as detailed in the recent ESPN documentary Be Water. Given the series' Old West premise, the main protagonist Ah Sahm will presumably attempt to acquire power with his intellect, but will be forced to use his physical abilities during the on-going Tong Wars. In real-life, the conflict extended all the way to the early 1920s in Chinatown.
Assuming that Warrior season 2 will set up future installments, expect the new episodes to explore Ah Sahm's rise to power after nearly losing his his life. He'll be forced to compromise - given the tricky politics of Chinatown - but will likely attempt to reconnect with his sister, who has her own problems to deal with after establishing herself as a formidable tong leader. According to the aforementioned Lee (Wang Chao), viewers shouldn't expect Warrior season 2 to be an authentic history lesson:
"This isn't a historically accurate period piece, and there's no need for us to pretend it is, and that there's a sort of the affect that is created by the language and the wardrobe and the music is supposed to imbue the world with an attitude, and the attitude is what's really important."