Is there DEI in Warrior?

The biggest factors in our score are Identity-driven story themes, Woke representation / casting, Creator track record context. A gritty, action-packed crime drama set during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the second half of the 19th century. The series follows Ah Sahm, a martial arts prodigy who immigrates from China to San Francisco under mysterious circumstances, and becomes a hatchet man for one of Chinatown’s most powerful tongs.

TV Show review

Warrior

Q: Is Warrior woke?

Warrior has a woke score of 34/100, which means it is not especially woke compared with higher-scoring titles. Warrior is a historical action crime drama set in 1870s San Francisco during the Tong Wars. It follows Ah Sahm, a skilled fighter from China, who joins one of Chinatown's powerful gangs after arriving in America and gets caught in brutal rivalries, family ties, and power struggles. The show features a largely Asian cast in lead and authority roles, strong female characters who lead criminal operations, and a supporting gay character with a romance subplot.

Review basis: 3 seasons, 30 episodes · through August 17, 2023

April 5, 2019 · 55 min · TV-MA · Canceled

Woke Score

34/ 100

Lower is better

8.4 / 10IMDb↗93%Critics95%Audience↗

ActionDramaAdventureCrime

Review

Summary

Warrior is a historical action crime drama set in 1870s San Francisco during the Tong Wars. It follows Ah Sahm, a skilled fighter from China, who joins one of Chinatown's powerful gangs after arriving in America and gets caught in brutal rivalries, family ties, and power struggles. The show features a largely Asian cast in lead and authority roles, strong female characters who lead criminal operations, and a supporting gay character with a romance subplot.

Breakdown

Factors & Ratings

These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Warrior.

Woke representation / casting

A largely Asian cast fills lead and supporting roles in a story set in historical Chinatown. Strong female characters such as Ah Toy and Mai Ling hold significant power through competence in the criminal world. A recurring supporting gay character receives visible focus.

30 / 100

Woke political dialogue

Conversations stay in period style around survival, loyalty, and gang business. No modern activist speeches or lectures appear.

0 / 100

Identity-driven story themes

The core follows immigrant gang life, family loyalty, and rival power struggles. Historical prejudice against Chinese immigrants drives some plot. A supporting gay character and his romance subplot add identity elements.

34 / 100

Western institutional / cultural critique

Politicians and wealthy figures exploit tensions between Chinese and Irish workers for power. Racism is shown as a tool used by corrupt leaders in the 1870s setting.

18 / 100

Production

Production companies: Perfect Storm Entertainment, Bruce Lee Entertainment, Tropper Ink Productions
Networks: Cinemax, Max

Main Cast

Andrew Kojias Ah Sahm
Olivia Chengas Ah Toy
Jason Tobinas Young Jun
Dianne Doanas Mai Ling
Kieran Bewas Officer “Big Bill” O’Hara
Dean S. Jaggeras Dan Leary
Tom Weston-Jonesas Richard Lee
Hoon Leeas Wang Chao

Director & Crew

Danielle WoodrowProducer30 episodes credited for this role (TMDB aggregate — higher usually means a recurring or lead creative role).
Justin LinProducer30 episodes credited for this role (TMDB aggregate — higher usually means a recurring or lead creative role).
Richard SharkeyProducer30 episodes credited for this role (TMDB aggregate — higher usually means a recurring or lead creative role).
Shannon LeeProducer30 episodes credited for this role (TMDB aggregate — higher usually means a recurring or lead creative role).
Evan EndicottWriter7 episodes credited for this role (TMDB aggregate — higher usually means a recurring or lead creative role).
Josh StoddardWriter7 episodes credited for this role (TMDB aggregate — higher usually means a recurring or lead creative role).

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