Ben Levin reunites with Olivia Liang post-Legacies in Season 3 of Kung Fu. Fans are thirsty for more from The Vampire Diaries universe, especially Levin's character Jed, after Legacies' unceremonious cancellation. While this doesn't necessarily fill the void because Liang and Levin portray different characters, it keeps Levin on The CW with a character description that unintentionally nods to Jed. However, despite that connection, the dynamic between Kung Fu's Nicky Shen and Bo differs from the one shared by Legacies' Alyssa Chang and Jed Tien.
First and foremost, Alyssa Chang is a supporting character who often acts as an antagonist and only appears in Legacies' second and third seasons. Throughout her 13 appearances, the show unpacks her tragic background and more complicated motivations. Some lead to the return of one of The Vampire Diaries' most iconic villains, Kai Parker, while others involve romantic shenanigans with Jed. Alternatively, Nicky Shen is Kung Fu's heroic protagonist, and any romance between Nicky and Bo has less chance of being as dramatic -- at first.
Nicky and Eddie Liu's Henry Yan break up in the Season 2 finale when Eddie decides to leave town and find out more about his estranged father after his death. Circumstance drives the two apart, so there's always a chance they may rekindle their romance when he presumably returns in the new season. Until then, the trailer posits that Nicky Shen is single, but she says, "I'm not looking for love." Instead, it seems like it may find her through Levin's Bo, which already sets her possible romance with Bo apart from Alyssa and Jed's.
On Legacies, Alyssa cheats on her boyfriend MG, who happens to be a vampire, with Jed. Alyssa and MG almost get back together after he finds out the truth, but they call it quits in Olivia Liang's final episode, "Yup, It's a Leprechaun, All Right." In that same season, the YA supernatural show promotes Ben Levin to a series regular, which bodes well for Jed's arc. Before its cancellation with six other The CW shows, Legacies gives Jed an epic love story and finally dives into Jed's backstory, explaining how he triggered his werewolf curse.
The former comes through Prometheus/Ben, a demigod played by Zane Phillips. The latter stems from an abusive upbringing with his father and his pack. Jed loses his werewolf curse in Legacies' final battle, a decision the showrunner Brett Matthews says gives Jed a clean slate to do things his own way that is both deserved and earned. It's evident that Legacies would have followed the evolution of Jed's clean slate and romance with Ben if the show continued. Instead, Ben Levin finds a different kind of clean slate in a recurring role as Bo on Kung Fu.
Coincidentally, Bo is described as a barista who "moonlights as a vigilante." It's almost as though Levin cannot escape characters with some connection to the moon -- even if it's not literal. Bo's eagerness to fight alongside Nicky is evident in his brief appearance in the trailer. His demeanor and fighting skills catch Nicky off-guard, which may mean that their feelings for each other could do the same. A romance may not be in the cards for Nicky and Bo, but the trailer teases how fun that could be. Either way, this Legacies reunion won't be one to miss!
Kung Fu Season 3 premieres Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 9/8c on The CW.