Show cover for Martial Law

The Best Episodes of Martial Law

Every episode of Martial Law ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Martial Law!

Martial Law is an American/Canadian crime drama that aired on CBS from 1998 to 2000, and was created by Carlton Cuse. The title character, Sammo Law, portrayed by Sammo Hung, was a Chinese law officer and martial arts expert who came to Los Angeles in search of a colleague and remains in the US. The show was a surprise hit, making Hung the only East Asian headlining a prime-time network series in the United States. At the time, Hung was not fluent in English, and he reportedly recited some of his dialogue phonetically. In many scenes, Hung did not speak at all, making Martial Law perhaps the only US television series in history that featured so little dialogue from the lead character.

Genres:Action & AdventureComedyCrimeDrama
Network:CBS

Top Episode Ratings Summary

The best episode of "Martial Law" is "Nitro Man", rated 8.4/10 from 56 user votes. It was directed by Greg Beeman and written by Carlton Cuse. "Nitro Man" aired on 3/27/1999 and is rated 0.0 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "Honor Among Strangers (1)".

  • Nitro Man
    8.4/10 56 votes

    #1 - Nitro Man

    Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 3/27/1999

    During a robbery at Melanie's bank she ends up as a hostage and is kidnapped. Sammo is desperate to find her and save her from danger.

    Director: Greg Beeman

    Writer: Carlton Cuse

  • Honor Among Strangers (1)
    8.4/10 82 votes

    #2 - Honor Among Strangers (1)

    Season 2 Episode 16 - Aired 2/19/2000

    An ex-army man, Cliff Eagleton, and his men, The Freedom Brigade, rob a bank equipped with fully automatic weapons and body armor. A Military Intelligence Officer, Lt. Garrett, reveals that he escaped from a court and killed a Texas Ranger. She also tells them that the guns they managed to capture at the robbery were supposed to have been scrapped at an Army base. Grace goes undercover at the base to find out why they were not scrapped and who on the base is involved. Sammo meanwhile teams up with Walker, a Texas Ranger, who is also after Eagleton.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: David Bennett Carren, J. Larry Carroll

  • 24 Hours
    8.3/10 53 votes

    #3 - 24 Hours

    Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 10/16/1999

    Sammo and Tyrell are given the assignment of 'babysitting' a prisoner who has bee given permission to go to his sisters funeral. The prisoner is Alistair Temple, 'The Silver Phantom', a master criminal whi is known to be able to get in anywhere, get out of any restraints and should never, never be left unguarded! When the three of them get to the church they are ambushed and Temple is taken from Sammo and Tyrell. Can Sammo, Tyrell and Grace find Temple, uncover who took him and why and manage to do it all before the news of his escape gets out and ruins Amy's chance of promotion to Commander of Administrative Technical operations.

    Director: Bruce Seth Green

    Writer: N/A

  • Trackdown
    8.2/10 60 votes

    #4 - Trackdown

    Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 11/7/1998

    The murder of a DA leads to Sammo and his colleagues uncovering a lawyer who hires a gang to steal prosecution evidence.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Lock-Up
    8.2/10 51 votes

    #5 - Lock-Up

    Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 12/19/1998

    Sammo and Tyrell go undercover to infiltrate a gun-smuggling operation run by prison inmates.

    Director: John Patterson, Kevin Murphy

    Writer: Carlton Cuse

  • Red Storm
    8.2/10 53 votes

    #6 - Red Storm

    Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 4/24/1999

    While waiting at the airport for the arrival of his teacher, Master Reng, from China Sammo gets involved with trying to stop a gang of crazed terrorists.

    Director: Greg Yaitanes

    Writer: Mark Verheiden

  • Ninety Million Reasons to Die
    8.2/10 55 votes

    #7 - Ninety Million Reasons to Die

    Season 2 Episode 5 - Aired 10/23/1999

    A visit to the bank reveals that $6 million dollars has been deposited in Sammo's account. He is still wondering what is going on as he leaves the bank and is immediately approached and kidnapped by some men. They want to know how he knows Alison and where she is? When he manages to escape he is determined to track down this girl before his captors do and find out exactly what is going on.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • End Game (2)
    8.1/10 60 votes

    #8 - End Game (2)

    Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 5/8/1999

    Lee Hei and his daughter continue to cause trouble for Sammo and his fellow cops. This time though they are told that if they don't catch them then their unit could be shut down.

    Director: Michael Lange

    Writer: N/A

  • My Man Sammo
    8.1/10 46 votes

    #9 - My Man Sammo

    Season 2 Episode 6 - Aired 10/30/1999

    Sammo and Tyrell accidentally mess up an Interpol undercover operation when they arrest some arms dealers. Charlton McCallister, the Interpol agent, knows that the female arms dealer he was pretending to work for has a very big deal coming up. Amy volunteers to go undercover, even though she has no experience of that kind of work. At her first meeting McCallister gets shot and injured and she has to carry on without him. Sammo takes on the part of her butler/bodyguard so that they can try and find out exactly what is being sold and who is out to buy it.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Scorpio Rising
    8.1/10 44 votes

    #10 - Scorpio Rising

    Season 2 Episode 12 - Aired 1/15/2000

    The leaders of an international crime organization known as Scorpio threaten to kill executives of various worldwide companies unless they pay them $25 million. Meanwhile, a young pickpocket inadvertently steals a crucial item belonging to Scorpio that places her life in danger.

    Director: Bruce Seth Green

    Writer: N/A

  • Shanghai Express
    8.0/10 94 votes

    #11 - Shanghai Express

    Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/26/1998

    Sammo's comes to America to find one of his colleagues from China who has disappeared whilst infiltrating an international car theft ring. Sammo ends up taking part in a cop exchange programme between USA and China.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Carlton Cuse

  • Cop Out
    8.0/10 64 votes

    #12 - Cop Out

    Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 10/24/1998

    Using his status as a new and unknown member of the LAPD Sammo goes undercover to help the team root out a group of vigilante cops.

    Director: Whitney Ransick

    Writer: Miles Millar, Alfred Gough

  • Painted Faces
    7.9/10 53 votes

    #13 - Painted Faces

    Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 1/9/1999

    Sammo's nemesis, Lee Hei, is back in the US and attempts to assassinate the mayor of Shanghai.

    Director: Whitney Ransick

    Writer: Miles Millar, Alfred Gough

  • Breakout
    7.9/10 53 votes

    #14 - Breakout

    Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 2/13/1999

    A prisoner escapes from jail and goes looking for the $3 million he and his colleagues stole 5 years earlier.

    Director: Deran Sarafian

    Writer: N/A

  • Requiem (1)
    7.9/10 52 votes

    #15 - Requiem (1)

    Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 5/1/1999

    Lee Hei and his daughter, Lin Pai Chin, are back in America trying to set up a big drug deal to finance their other criminal activities.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • This Shogun for Hire
    7.9/10 48 votes

    #16 - This Shogun for Hire

    Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 10/9/1999

    A notorious Japanese assassin arrives in America, brought in by Gordon Ganza, a top ranking drug dealer. He is there to make sure that a deal with the Bolivians goes through by killing a public official that is causing them difficulties. Grace, who is working undercover in the Ganza organization, tries to get close to Nakamura so that she can find out who his target is and get that information back to Sammo & Terrell.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: David Bennett Carren, J. Larry Carroll

  • Deathfist Five: MCU
    7.9/10 42 votes

    #17 - Deathfist Five: MCU

    Season 2 Episode 15 - Aired 2/12/2000

    Jake Cord, international action star of the Deathfist movies, is assigned to follow Sammo and Tyrell. His latest Deathfist movie is going to involve the MCU and he wants to learn more about their work to make his film more authentic. The case Sammo and Tyrell are investigating is that of an arson attack at a judges' house. The arson was more than the normal matches and gasoline, there were traces of the fuel used in flame-throwers found at the site.

    Director: Terrence O'Hara

    Writer: N/A

  • Diamond Fever
    7.8/10 67 votes

    #18 - Diamond Fever

    Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 10/3/1998

    Sammo uncovers a diamond counterfeiting and smuggling operation ran by a major Chinese criminal, Lee Hei.

    Director: Rick Wallace

    Writer: Carlton Cuse

  • Dead Ringers
    7.8/10 72 votes

    #19 - Dead Ringers

    Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 10/10/1998

    When fighters start dying in an Internet based all-in-fighting competition the LAPD are called in. Louis goes undercover to see whether or not the fighters are being murdered

    Director: Whitney Ransick

    Writer: Miles Millar, Alfred Gough

  • Take Out
    7.8/10 58 votes

    #20 - Take Out

    Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 11/14/1998

    A friend of Sammo's owns a restaurant. He refuses to sell to Nathan Babbott, a big businessman, and then gets attacked. To help his friend Sammo begins an investigation into Babbott. Sammo has problems trying to open a checking account at the local bank.

    Director: John T. Kretchmer

    Writer: Patty Lin

  • Big Trouble
    7.8/10 50 votes

    #21 - Big Trouble

    Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 3/20/1999

    A gang threatens the supermarket owned by Terrell's mum and step dad. He decides that he is going to help them out and enlists Sammo to aid him.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Miles Millar, Alfred Gough

  • Sammo Blammo
    7.8/10 54 votes

    #22 - Sammo Blammo

    Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 9/25/1999

    The MCU gets a new chief, Amy Dillon, after Winship retires. As soon as she takes up her appointment Sammo is kidnapped by a recently released thief and has a very complex bomb strapped to his chest. Daniel Darius, the thief, was part of a team who managed to steal over $50 million worth of art from an auction house. He was the only one who was caught and now he wants his share of the money. Problem is he has no idea who the rest of the team were and has only very brief descriptions of them. The MCU has only 8 hours to solve a 15 year old case before Sammo goes Blammo!

    Director: Joe Napolitano

    Writer: William Rabkin, Lee Goldberg

  • Funny Money
    7.7/10 65 votes

    #23 - Funny Money

    Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 10/17/1998

    With the help of a federal agent Sammo and his fellow officers go after a gang who are counterfeiting money.

    Director: Deran Sarafian

    Writer: Pam Veasey

  • Trifecta
    7.7/10 50 votes

    #24 - Trifecta

    Season 1 Episode 17 - Aired 2/27/1999

    Billy Rafferty, Terrell's former partner is found murdered. Terrell and Sammo investigate the last case he was working on, working undercover at a racetrack.

    Director: Greg Beeman

    Writer: N/A

  • Blue Flu
    7.7/10 49 votes

    #25 - Blue Flu

    Season 2 Episode 9 - Aired 11/20/1999

    A biological virus is unleashed in a police precinct and the whole station is quarantined. Sammo and Tyrell investigate a student who stole the virus from his university by injecting it into himself. While they try to find out where the virus and vaccine is, and who is behind the outbreak, Amy and Grace find themselves quarantined in the MCU precinct when it to is attacked.

    Director: Oley Sassone

    Writer: N/A