Jean-Claude Van Damme Meets Chuck Norris In AMC’s 32-Episode Dystopian Action Thriller

Published Sep 20, 2026, 1:30 PM EDT Laura Hurley has been writing about the entertainment industry for more than twelve years, after a decade as a content producer and editor at CinemaBlend after writing for WhatCulture and Examiner. Attending events like SCAD TVfest and San Diego Comic-Con over the course of her career, she has been immersed in the world of network, streaming, and cable TV. Not many TV shows can offer action that's comparable to the work of some of the most legendary action stars in film history, but AMC delivered a three-season thriller worthy of icons like Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme. While that's not to say that either of the Expendables 2 stars appeared on the dystopian series, anybody with a taste for the kind of action that they brought to their projects can enjoy what Into the Badlands had to offer on cable. Set in a post-apocalyptic version of the United States, the show, which ran on AMC from 2015-2019, followed a warrior named Sunny (Daniel Wu) and a teenage boy named M.K. (Aramis Knight) as they traveled through the dangerous new world together. Only the strongest (and most brutal) could survive and thrive in this dystopian reality, which meant plenty of martial arts action from characters who would do anything to keep going. Since guns weren't a factor in Into the Badlands, the series boasted plenty of physical stunts without the need for firearms. The drama was created by writing/producing partners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who would later go on to create Wednesday for Netflix. Although the Into the Badlands universe was complex enough to run for more seasons, if given the chance by AMC, the early cancellation nevertheless didn't prevent the show from ending on a strong note. New viewers, who can find all three seasons streaming on AMC+ now, can check Into the Badlands out without risking a major cliffhanger ending that will never be resolved. AMC’s Into The Badlands Is An Underrated TV Action Thriller Credit: MovieStillsDB Into the Badlands never got the audience that it deserved on AMC, possibly due to the network investing more heavily in the zombie-filled dystopia of The Walking Dead franchise than the post-apocalyptic world created for Gough and Millar's series. Still, Into the Badlands didn't need zombies to deliver life-or-death stakes after the fall of civilization; a new feudal society resulted in a high death toll, especially at the hands of Sunny. The drama managed to build a complex world very quickly, making it easy for viewers to suspend their disbelief about a sword-wielding martial artist striking down foes en masse in this dystopian reality. Daniel Wu was easily the standout, and Into the Badlands remains his longest-running TV role to date. The show had a fantastic ensemble as well, with actors including Orla Brady, Sarah Bolger, Emily Beecham, Madeleine Mantock, Marton Csokas, Nick Frost, Lorraine Toussaint, and then-future 9-1-1 star Oliver Stark in addition to Wu and Aramis Knight. Into the Badlands also wasn't limited to action, either. There was as much intriguing political drama as could be packed into a show about a feudalistic society, as well as some touching romances in a landscape that didn't encourage love stories for warriors. The show also deserves credit for freshening up the cast between seasons 2 and 3, and the creators made the most of their 16-episode third season to finish Sunny's story on a strong note. Season 3 was by far the longest; the first two ran for a total of 16 episodes between them. Daniel Wu’s Into The Badlands Character Combines Chuck Norris With Jean-Claude Van Damme Credit: MovieStillsDB Into the Badlands definitely wasn't a 21st-century version of Walker, Texas Ranger, and nobody would confuse Daniel Wu's Sunny with any character from Bloodsport, but the AMC drama delivered action worthy of Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme on a weekly basis. That isn't too surprising, considering Wu's talents in stunts and fight sequences. Speaking with Motor Trend in 2017, Wu shared: I do all the fighting, I'm not allowed to do the dangerous stuff like jumping off buildings. The network doesn't allow that, but I do all the fighting. The show makes it obvious that Wu is handling the fight stunts himself, and the action shots clearing showing his face as Sunny enhance the sense of danger in the dystopian reality. Into the Badlands would never have worked without a leading man who couldn't wield swords and deliver believable fight scenes, and Wu certainly delivered. Wu was an executive producer as well as star, and it remains the magnum opus of his TV career. In the years since Into the Badlands ended in 2019, he only appeared in four episodes of Westworld and the single season of Disney+'s American Born Chinese on the small screen, with his focus largely shifting to film work after Into the Badlands was cancelled. With a solid ending after just 32 episodes, Into the Badlands is still worth watching, seven years after AMC cancelled it. The post-apocalyptic setting guarantees that the plot really can't feel dated, and Wu's action-packed performance still deserves plenty of credit. Into the Badlands was underrated in its time, but doesn't have to remain that way. Release Date 2015 - 2019-00-00 Network AMC Showrunner Miles Millar Directors Miles Millar Writers Miles Millar