On February 9, 2019, AMC canceled the show after three seasons.
The series follows a warrior and a young boy who journey through a dangerous feudal land together seeking enlightenment. Season 1 was too subdued and Season 3 is almost out of control, so Season 2 is genuinely the apex of this series, and a great testament to how great Western-made Martial Arts entertainment can be, when the thought and effort are both actively accounted for. Into the Badlands has been described as a high-octane sci-fi martial arts series and as a post-apocalyptic drama.
Twice in this episode we see Sunny hesitate to kill so as not to orphan a deer, and then children. Sunny is great when bouncing off Bajie, the two working almost like a double-act between the killer and the semi-genius/semi-moron, and Tilda, the adorable killing machine, gets a lot of moments to shine as well, her character showing some serious amounts of agency, as well as the performance being far more nuanced. Daniel Wu as Sunny Into the Badlands Season 3, Episode 1 Photo Credit: Aidan Monaghan/AMC. Much of this might have been because of the higher budget, such as improved sets and more varied landscapes, but beyond that everything is far more epic, far more intense, the plot more labyrinthine (but never too complicated) and the quieter moments more meaningful. With a larger scope, higher stakes, faster pacing, genuine levity and an EXCELLENT co-starring role played by Nick Frost, Season 2 of Into The Badlands is exactly what I wanted from the first.
