[7] Set in the present day, the series follows a young Chinese American woman whose personal issues force her to leave college and make a life-changing journey to an isolated monastery in China.

This version is a re-imagining, rather than a reboot, of the 1972 television series starring David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine, the fugitive monk traveling the American Old West.

[53] In October 2018, it was announced that Sleepy Hollow executive producer Albert Kim was redeveloping the series and that Fox had given the project a put pilot commitment.

[54] In November 2019, it was announced that the reboot had moved to The CW – which is home to the majority of the Arrowverse shows, all of which are produced by Berlanti – and would be written by Christina M. Kim and Martin Gero.

[56] It was announced on May 12, 2020, that The CW had given Kung Fu a series order; a poster featuring Liang and social media accounts was set up the same day.

The first reboot attempt had a main character named Lucy Chang, a Buddhist monk and kung fu master who traveled through America in the 1950s in search of the man who stole her child years before.

The second reboot attempt was about a young Chinese-American woman who inherits her father's kung fu studio, only to find out it's a secret center dedicated to helping members of the Chinatown community who have nowhere else to turn.

[12] The main actress Olivia Liang mentioned she avoided martial arts prior to this role due to stereotypes and would only learn when she got paid.

The website's critic consensus states, "Kung Fu's early episodes could use a little more focus, but beautifully choreographed fight scenes and a likable cast—led by Olivia Liang's star-making performance—inspire hope for a bright future.

While having a mainly Asian-American cast was praised, the review goes on to say "Like America herself, the series needs to show its characters a little more love, and demonstrate a determination to look beyond formula, cliches, and stereotypes for that which truly connects us, as TV viewers, as superhero fans, but mostly as human beings.

[80] Max Gao of Vulture rated the first episode 4 out of 5 and said, "It wouldn't be a CW show without a classic love triangle—and Kung Fu has set up a brilliant one.