"The Confidant" Character Map

Source: TVB.com

Related: Overview - The Confidant

TVB Inventory Levels

The number of series that each artist still has on hand.
As of October 22, 2012.
Source: kuangaitvb on Weibo

Legend:
Purple = Ancient
Green = Pre-modern
Yellow = Modern
Red = All of the above
Blue = Professional






Check out Upcoming TVB Dramas page for more info on series

TVB Anniversary Series

Heading into TVB Anniversary season, we have some exciting dramas ahead: The Confidant, starring Wayne Lai and Michelle Yim, and Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles, featuring Damien Lau, Idy Chan, Kenneth Ma, and Tavia Yeung among others.

A look back at TVB Anniversary dramas in the past several years.

2011

Forensic Heroes III – The popular Forensic Heroes franchise was rebooted with a fresh cast in an ultra-high-tech atmosphere. Reigning TV King Wayne Lai finds chemistry with a new partner in Maggie Cheung, boosting the series to the top rank in ratings for 2011. Still, Wayne and the series lose to Kevin Cheng’s Law Ba and Ghetto Justice. 

Curse of the Royal Harem – Another palace-scheming production pitting very intelligent women against each other and a rather useless emperor in the background. The series was a new challenge to the actresses as Jessica Hsuan participated in her first Qing-dynasty palace drama and Myolie Wu was cast in her first villian role. Though Jessica’s character prevails in the series, Myolie is the ultimate winner in capturing her first TV Queen title.

Super Snoops – Liza Wang and the Three Gods bring their cross-dressing and imitation talents from variety show to drama. This was the first comedy used as a TVB Anniversary series since 2007. However, the silliness of the series didn’t attract many viewers and the series only managed average ratings, not even breaking into the top ten for the year.

2010

Gun Metal Grey – This series had an intriguing premise about a vigilante police officer, supported by a stellar cast, including two of the Five Tigers – Michael Miu and Felix Wong. Felix agreed to return to TVB for the 30^th anniversary of the first collaboration between him and Michael. Unfortunately, TVB seemed to favour No Regrets more and neglect Gun Metal Grey, leading to a sour ending for TVB and Felix.

No Regrets – Following the success of Rosy Business, Wayne Lai and Sheren Tang led the audience back to the wartime era. The epic and moving story of Lau Sing and Miss Kau easily matched the success of its predecessor as it nearly swept the awards ceremony. Wayne and Sheren became the first duo to win back-to-back TV King and Queen. Surprisingly though, No Regrets lost out on the Best Drama award to Can’t Buy Me Love. 


2009

Beyond the Realm of Conscience – Hoping to recreate the success of War and Beauty, this series had a star-studded cast, featuring four top siu-sangs and fadans alongside strong veterans. In the finale, it broke the all-time ratings record of 50 points, set by Korean drama Jewels in the Palace. Despite this, Beyond was largely overshadowed by Rosy Business at the Anniversary Awards.

Born Rich – Featuring a cast of A-listers, the drama marked the return to TVB of several prominent actors, such as Ray Lui, Kenix Kwok and Jamie Chik. But in the end, it failed to materialize as the audience were simply uninterested in the case of older generation actors and the illogical plot.

2008

Gem of Life – The 82 episode mega-production was all about glamour and riches. It was the most expensive television drama ever produced in Hong Kong history, having a $100 million budget. However, the convoluted plot, messy character relations and sheer length of the series turned away many viewers.

When Easterly Showers Fall on the Sunny West – Joe Ma and Charmaine Sheh find themselves together again after the critically acclaimed Maiden’s Vow. But their chemistry wasn’t enough to save the series from finishing near the bottom in terms of ratings.

Random Things

- Wayne Lai has now starred in an anniversary series for three consecutive years (No Regrets, Forensic Heroes III and The Confidant)

- Nancy Wu has been a part of five anniversary series in the past three years (No Regrets, Gun Metal Grey, Forensic Heroes III, COTRH, The Confidant).

- This is the second year in a row that Wayne and Nancy play a pair in an anniversary series (Forensic Heroes III, The Confidant)

"Silver Spoon Sterling Shackles" Character Map

Damien Lau: The first Chinese barrister in Hong Kong. Intelligent, righteous, stubborn.

Mary Hon (1st wife): Largely neglected by her husband. Dies from a stroke.

Idy Chan (2nd wife): Esteemed social status as former Qing-dynasty princess. Most favoured by Damien.

Elena Kong (3rd wife): Daughter of a banker. Is easily jealous, leading to her divorce with Damien.

Tavia Yeung (4th wife): Was initially a maid, later becomes famous Peking opera singer.

JJ Jia (girlfriend): Nightclub dancer. Exchanges love for money. Damien uses her to anger Tavia.

Kenneth Ma (son): Barrister with reformist views that disagree with his father's opinions.

Vincent Wong (illegitimate son): Casual and loves to have fun. Falls out with Damien.

Sire Ma (daughter, wife of Adrian): Naive and simple. Love comes before anything.

Rebecca Zhu (wife of Kenneth): An orphan. Childhood lovers with Ron, but believing he had died, she marries Kenneth.

Ron Ng (mutual admiration with Rebecca): An orphan and gangster. After losing Rebecca, he enters in the Chung family to plot revenge.

Adrian Chau (good friend of Ron): Also an orphan. An upstanding character who becomes a police officer. His romance with Sire meets many barriers.

TVB Sales Presentation Filming

Updated October 20, 2012 with more new dramas.


With all the talk about TVB Anniversary Awards, it also means another thing is coming up. If you guessed the annual TVB Sales Presentation, you're correct!

Each year, TVB hosts a show for advertising clients. It is a chance to showcase all the exciting new programmes that is in store for the upcoming year (so, you know, advertisers can pour more money in TVB's bank account). This year's event will be held on November 8 (which no one needs to care about except for the lucky people attending). The important date to be circled on fans' calenders is November 24, when the programme will be aired.

Currently, all the siu-sang and fadans are busy sucking up to senior executives for awards filming for sales presentation clips. Here's a glimspe of what is in store for 2013:


Rosy Business 3 - Out with Sheren Tang and Pierre Ngo. In with Myolie Wu and Edwin Siu. Wayne Lai stays. Lee Tim-sing stays (with TVB).

Myolie and Wayne are spies. Edwin is the villian. The story takes place in 1920-30s China.





The Hippocratic Crush 2 - The original cast will remain intact with Lawrence Ng joining them. Here's hoping everyone remembers how to be a doctor and not just be involved in an endless love triangle (ahem, Ghetto Justice 2).

 



Three Lifetimes of Fate - Bobby Au-yeung and Esther Kwan continues their fate - for three lifetimes and a thousand years this time. Let's call it Maiden's Vow 2.

Bobby will be Justice Bao (ancient), detective (pre-modern) and police officer (modern). Esther will portray a talented lady (ancient), triad leader (pre-modern) and talk show host (modern). Ben Wong will obviously get the bad guy role.





Eat For Slave - Raymond Lam and Ron Ng reunite for fans of the RR bromance. The female cast will consist of Fala Chen, Sharon Chan and Nancy Wu.

The story takes place in the Qing Dynasty. Raymond will be an Emperor. Fala and Nancy are fighters. Sharon Chan might be a concubine the looks of her costume. I'm guessing Ron Ng will be the fatty that will make the series live up to its name?

Good Heart Goes Haywire - Michael Miu, Bosco Wong, Niki Chow, Vincent Wong, Joey Meng, Mandy Wong.

See location filming for this series here.





Sniper Attack 2013 - Laughing Gor returns? Not quite. But Michael Tse will be a cop once again, this time paired with (soon-to-be TV Queen?) Kate Tsui. No undercover work this time (probably). They will be members of the SDU aka Flying Tigers. Well, TVB did promise a Tiger Cubs 2, didn't they?





Office of Spreading Love - The historic collaboration between the TV Kings Wayne Lai and Moses Chan! Not really. People seem to forget that they were both in The Gentle Crackdown (even Moses himself, who said "I've always wanted to work with Wayne. I finally get my wish.")

It is the first time for both Wayne and Moses to portray lawyers. They will battle things out in court over inheritance cases. Fala Chen, Evergreen Mak and Samantha Ko are also part of the cast.






Big Wheel - Ruco Chan and Edwin Siu are long-lost brothers living in Hong Kong and Macau, respectively. What happens when they meet again? In TVB world, there's only one answer: fight over Linda Chung. The story spans 30 years from 1980s to the present.





Cold Mountain Hidden Dragon - Will feature Raymond Wong, Kenneth Ma and Kenny Wong in weird costumes. Female leads are Aimee Chan and former ATV actress Priscilla Wong.





Unrequited Love in Twin Cities - Aimee Chan, Lin Xia Wei (Raymond Lam's cousin) and Tony Hung in a modern drama. The crew travelled to Malaysia for filming, making this the first sales presentation clip that is filmed outside of Hong Kong.




To be updated as more information becomes available.....................

Ironman Raymond Lam Returns!

How does he survive this?

 

No scratches, no injuries, no hospital stay. Not even a scrawny little band-aid this time. Seems like TVB siu-sangs have the supernatural ability to survive explosions (taught by Joe Ma of Tiger Cubs).

 

 

 

(Screenshots from Highs and Lows Episode 13)

 

Need more proof that Raymond is secretly Ironman? More of his invincible powers here.

 



Tour of TVB City

Never visited TVB City and want to have a peek inside? No fear! All you need to do is watch TVB’s dramas. TVB effectively uses every part of its grounds for productions.

For example, the lobby of the main building is very versatile. In Tiger Cubs, it stood as two different locations – the hospital where Kenny Wong was hiding and the hotel housing the rich kids. In Ghetto Justice II, it was used as the corporate office of the pharmaceutical company that was selling tainted medication.





 

Meanwhile, a shot from above offered a refreshing view of main building. No one can whether it is TVB's office building or an hotel.

 

Another commonly seen place is the garden outside the second floor restaurant. It made an appearance in almost every episode of The Hippocratic Crush, where doctors and nurses went in and out of the hospital. In Ghetto Justice II, this is where KK Cheung punched Kevin Cheng when Christine Kuo was hospitalized.

 

The restaurants connected to the garden also make frequent appearances. The group of doctors in The Hippocratic Crush always hang out in the Western restaurant. On the other side, there is a Chinese/Western restaurant occupying two levels. In Wish and Switch, this was the fast-food restaurant that Johnson Lee worked at. The cafeteria of the police headquarters in Witness Insecurity is actually the top floor of the restaurant.

 

 

Article and Photos source

"Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles" Theme Song

The theme song for SSSS is "At This Moment" (此時此刻), sung by Fiona Sit.

Fiona is a bit of a surprise choice but glad that TVB is finding some quality singers for their theme songs.





The subtheme song is called "Sometimes" (有時), sung by Ron Ng.

Overview - The Confidant

Wayne Lai and Raymond Cho were sold into the palace and became eunuchs at a young age. The two were very close with each other and their mentor, Chung King-fei. Eventually, both gained the trust of Empress Dowager Cixi (Michelle Yim). Regrettably, Raymond is overcome by greed, causing his friendship with Wayne to gradually fade. The Head of Eunuch, Elliot Ngok, feels threatened by Wayne and Raymond’s rise to prominence. He plots against them, but Wayne is saved by two other palace servants, Nancy Wu and Raymond Wong.

The other Empress Dowager Ci’an (Maggie Siu) is increasingly worried that Michelle will gain too much power, so she allies with KK Cheung, uncle of the Emperor (Oscar Leung), to isolate Michelle. On this ever-changing political scene, Wayne survives by adhering to the words “A servant is a servant”.







Original Article
Photos: Asianfanatics

Comment: So excited!!! I've been waiting ever since the sales presentation. This series is the second TVB Anniversary series this year and will begin airing in Hong Kong on November 5. It will contain a lot of historical background so stay tuned for my Historical Context posts!


See overview of the other TVB Anniversary series: Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles.

Overview - Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles

 

Hong Kong in the 1930s was precisely when Eastern and Western cultures clashed, when women gained power and status to challenge the male-dominating society. Famed barrister Damien Lau was educated in England and leads a Western lifestyle, but at his core, he is a traditional Chinese man. He takes many wives to highlight his high societal status. First wife Mary Hon comes from a rich family; second wife Idy Chan is a former Qing Dynasty princess; third wife Elena Kong is the daughter of a banker; fourth wife Tavia Yeung is a famous opera performer; and fifth girlfriend JJ Jia is greedy for fame and wealth.

 

Of the women, Damien loves Tavia the most. But they disagree when Tavia becomes an activist for women’s rights. At the same time, the children begin to rebel against the strict discipline of their father. The sons, Kenneth Ma and Vincent Wong, fall out with Damien. The daughter, Sire Ma, ignores his objections and marries a poor policeman. Rebeccca Zhu becomes the newest member of the family as Damien’s daughter-in-law. As the infighting becomes more intense, Ron Ng adds himself into the mix to get revenge on the family. A story about a seemingly glamorous family on the outside, but is broken from within…






Original Article    Pics from Asianfanatics

 

Comment: Sounds like a typical big family drama with the infighting and revenge plots. Heart of Greed 1930s version? The HK audience is going to soak it all up.

This is one of the TVB Anniversary Series this year. It will begin airing in Hong Kong on October 22, after The Last Steep Ascent.

 

See overview of the other TVB Anniversary series: The Confidant.