'Kung Fu' Star Tzi Ma Is Ready To Join The TV Dad Hall Of Fame

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'Kung Fu' Star Tzi Ma Is Ready To Join The TV Dad Hall Of Fame

Before landing the role of Chen family patriarch, Jin, in Kung Fu, Tzi Ma had made a name for himself as the premiere Asian Girl Dad in film. His dad characters are known for breaking the strict Asian dad stereotype; they're not strict or distant, nor are they ashamed of their sometimes rebellious daughters. Jin is no different.

With Kung Fu premiering on The CW, Ma is adding Nicky (Olivia Liang) to his impressive line-up of on-screen daughters, which already includes Soo Yung (Julia Hsu) from Rush Hour, Billi (Awkwafina) from The Farewell, and Mulan (Yifei Liu) from Mulan. "I have an all-star team of daughters. They're all smart, they're all strong, capable, beautiful," Ma tells me over the phone. "And Nicky fits right in there."

The new show, a reinterpretation of the 1972 series of the same name, kicks off with Nicky returning home to San Francisco after years spent away studying martial arts in China against her parents' wishes. Her mother, Mei-Li (Kheng Hua Tan) is hesitant to welcome her back home, but Jin is thrilled. Unlike the stereotypical strict Asian parent, Jin is supportive and loving, even when his children don't do what he might want them to. "I really wanted to showcase a very supportive dad. A dad that doesn't have so much angst, or have baggage," he says. "Everything is about the family."

Image: Katie Yu/The CW
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