The New Legends of Monkey

The New Legends of Monkey
Company type	Television series
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	2018
Area served	International
Products	Television series
Parent	Australian Broadcasting Corporation, TVNZ, Netflix

The New Legends of Monkey is a fantasy adventure television series that draws inspiration from Monkey, a Japanese show from the 1970s–80s which developed a dedicated fanbase in regions including New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. That original production was itself adapted from the 16th-century Chinese literary classic Journey to the West. This contemporary version represents an international co-production involving the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, New Zealand’s TVNZ, and Netflix.

The debut season, consisting of ten episodes, aired on ABC Me in Australia starting 28 January 2018 and was subsequently made available worldwide on Netflix from 28 April. A follow-up season with ten episodes was released exclusively on Netflix on 7 August 2020.

Premise

The narrative centers on a young monk accompanied by divine beings, embarking on a perilous expedition through an ancient realm dominated by demons, with the goal of reclaiming sacred scrolls containing profound wisdom.

Plot

Half a millennium ago, the Monkey King was sealed beneath a mountain. Since then, malevolent demons have subjugated the mortal world and its people. A scholar formulates a strategy to assemble warriors alongside a monk named Tripitaka to resurrect the Monkey King and recover the Heavenly scrolls, which bestow limitless power. However, before their journey commences, a demon massacres everyone in the scholar’s household except his adopted daughter. She inherits their mission and adopts Tripitaka’s identity.

She finds refuge working for a tavern keeper but seizes the enchanted crown essential for reviving the Monkey King when the demon returns. Disguised as a monk, she flees the town. At a sacred mountain site, she liberates the Monkey King by placing the crown upon him, though it restrains much of his strength. Accompanied by gods Pigsy and Sandy, they set out to locate the stolen scrolls and dismantle demonic dominion.

Main

Chai Hansen as Monkey (Sūn Wùkōng) – a proud yet altruistic deity who was banished for 500 years; freed by Tripitaka to recover the scrolls and free humanity from demons. Hansen also plays Shadow Monkey in season two.
Luciane Buchanan as Tripitaka (Táng Sānzàng) – an orphan brought up by a scholar, entrusted with retrieving the scrolls and releasing Monkey. She conceals her gender by assuming Tripitaka’s identity and pacifies Monkey through chanting.
Josh Thomson as Pigsy (Zhū Bàjiè) – the most intelligent and physically powerful god among them, wielding electrical abilities through his rake. Previously involved with demon Princess Locke, he abandons her to join the quest.
Emilie Cocquerel as Sandy (Shā Wùjìng) – an eccentric yet empathetic god who can control water and teleport; initially mistaken for a demon, she also has influence over human feelings.

Recurring

Jarred Blakiston as Font Demon (season 1)
Josh McKenzie as Davari (season 1)
Jordan Mooney as Raxion (season 1)
Daniel Watterson as Shaman (season 1)
Bryony Skillington as Princess Locke (season 1) – demon ruler of Palawa, imprisoned and exiled by Pigsy, her former lover and confidant.
Chelsie Preston Crayford as Gwen (season 1) – a deity who banished Monkey for five centuries after erroneously accusing him of murder; reconciles with Monkey and joins their mission; sacrifices herself to save Tripitaka from poisoning; first to discover Tripitaka’s true identity.
Rachel House as Monica (seasons 1–2)
Jayden Daniels as Gaxin/the genuine Tripitaka (seasons 1–2) – monk assigned to retrieve scrolls and free Monkey; killed early by demons; briefly resurrected in season two before dying again during an attempt to recover a scroll.
Atticus Iti as Kaedo Zef (season 2) – youthful ally supporting Monkey’s mission.
Michelle Ang as General Khan (season 2)
Fasitua Amosa as Dreglon (season 2)
Simon Prast as Hagfish (season 2)
Tawanda Manyimo as Gorm (season 2)
Natasha Daniel as Mothrax (season 2)
Katherine Kennard as Mycelia (season 2)

Broadcast

In Australia, the initial three episodes were broadcast together as a 90-minute telemovie on 28 January 2018, followed by the release of the remaining seven episodes on a daily basis until 4 February. The full ten-episode series became available worldwide on Netflix starting 28 April 2018. Later, in October 2020, CBBC secured the UK broadcasting rights and aimed to air the show by early 2021, notwithstanding Netflix's ongoing rights in the UK.

In the Philippines, The New Legends of Monkey was shown on GMA Network from 31 October through 25 November 2022, featuring a Tagalog/Filipino dub.

Reception

According to Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a perfect approval rating of 100%, with an average critic score of 6 out of 10 based on six reviews.

Awards and nominations

2018 New Zealand Television Awards

Nominated for Best Children's Program
DJ Stipsen received a nomination for Best Cinematography
Peter van der Fluit was nominated for Best Original Score
Liz McGregor earned a nomination for Best Costume Design
Susie Glass, Jacqueline Leung, and Joe Whelan won Best Make-up Design

8th AACTA Awards

Nominated in the category of Best Children's Program
Liz McGregor received a nomination for Best Costume Design in Television

18th Annual Screen Producers Australia (SPA) Awards

Nominated for Children's Series Production of the Year

46th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards

DJ Stipsen nominated for Outstanding Cinematography
Nominations also included Outstanding Sound Mixing and Outstanding Sound Editing for a Live Action Program
Liz McGregor won Outstanding Costume Design/Styling

48th Daytime Emmy Awards

Nominated for Outstanding Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design
Won Outstanding Sound Mixing and Editing
Emilie Cocquerel was nominated for Outstanding Principal Performance in a Children’s Programme

ASSG Awards 2021

Nominated for Best Sound for a Children’s Programme

External links