April Variety Shows

With Eric Tsang at the helm, TVB released a full line-up of new variety shows in April. Here are my thoughts on them:

• Big Big Old World (尋人記): I watched two episodes of this and it was not as boring as I thought it would be. It was interesting to see what has changed and what hasn't for the subjects of the old news clips. Rating: 5/10.

• Stars Academy (聲夢傳奇): The format of the competition is what makes this show thrilling. The staged totally coincidental twists and turns has me at the edge of my seat each week. The singing talent is good for the most part, but not as great as JW's expressions. Rating: 9/10.

• Mamas' Day (日日媽媽聲): This show is unexpectedly hilarious with the three hosts badgering male guests. It is probably borderline male-hating, but women go through enough with pregnancy and childbirth that they should be allowed to have some fun at the expense of men. Rating: 7/10.

• Have a Big Laugh (開心大綜藝): Many people say this show is just a revival of Enjoy Yourself Tonight (EYT), but I don't mind that. The first episode was way too loud and chaotic, which they thankfully fixed in more recent episodes. The segments range from unfunny to mildly entertaining. Rating: 5/10.

• Prankenstein (大整蠱): This show is a straight-up copy of Johnson Lee's Office of Practical Jokes, except with more immature and juvenile pranks. The only watchable part was the "big" prank of each episode and even most of those fell flat. However, the show gave us this cute segment that basically made me an instant fan of Ali Lee, so I will forgive its shortcomings. Rating: 2/10. 

Even though I don’t love all of the shows, it’s great to see TVB finally putting the “variety” back in its variety shows, rather than just travel and cooking shows! 

Overview - Death By Zero

An assassin story that happens in an unrealistic world: Wayne Lai, who has the former nickname "Yama", has been reduced to a low-level assassin after a mishap caused his family to be ruined. His downfall led to the rise of the legendary assassin "Zero" (Moses Chan). However, their destinies are rewritten due to a wealthy Taiwanese man (Lam Lei)... Luckily, Wayne has a good friend, Elena Kong, who is a prostitute and acts as a bridge between Wayne and his daughter Louisa Mak. But Wayne is endlessly pestered by the troublesome female assassin Katy Kung. Moses opens a coffee shop as his cover and hires the single mother Ali Lee. He has a crush on a temple keeper whose identity is ambiguous (Samantha Ko). The "Assassin Hunter" appears and forces Wayne and Moses into a life or death confrontation.

Overview - Big White Duel

Health care reform in Hong Kong is imperative. A radical proposal is to privatize public hospitals and raise funds from the stock market to sustain their operations. The leading public hospital becomes the experiment for this reform proposal. Vice president and head of neurosurgery Roger Kwok has planned for five years to turn the hospital into a medical empire worth over $100 million and covets being its top decision-maker! The head of cardiology, Kenneth Ma, has a different philosophy from Roger. Guided by a philosophy of protecting a patient's life and putting human life ahead of the medical system, Kenneth and his mentee Matthew Ho fight side by side. Yet they are pulled into the power struggle for counter-reform by the hospital's president, John Chiang. Roger, Kenneth, cardiologist Ali Lee, emergency room doctor Natalie Tong and neurologist Kelly Cheung are strong people in white robes. Their opponent is not only disease, but human greed.

Overview - Who Wants A Baby?

An unexpected pregnancy disrupts the plans of married couple, Ali Lee and Chris Lai. They initially hoped to rely on their mothers for help, but their mothers have opposite methods of raising the baby, resulting in frequent conflicts. The couple find themselves in a never-ending 24 hour cycle of taking care of their daughter. Due to the circumstances, they hire the expert postpartum caregiver, Griselda Yeung.

Because of the baby's arrival, Ali bid farewell to her career in fashion, while Chris must stay away from his nightly pastimes. In order to make more time for her daughter, Ali makes a career change and takes over a postnatal care agency. With Griselda's help, she comes into contact with many clients and caregivers, giving her a new understanding of being a mother. Meanwhile, she and Chris are drifting apart. She even suspects that he is having an affair with his colleague from the bar, Samantha Ko. Unexpectedly, Chris becomes an internet sensation after rescuing a child from an accident. The care agency instantly becomes a key influencer in the baby industry, which turns everything on its head...

Overview - Watch Out Boss

The workplace is like a battle field. There is no eternal friend or enemy in the office, only people who mutually benefit from each other! Flora Chan, the senior secretary in the marketing department, has always enjoyed the favour of her boss - marketing director Waise Lee, and is known as the "Secretary Queen" in the company.  She is constantly fighting against the rivaling camp, which is led by sales director Tony Hung. Tony's secretary Ali Lee goes to work every day in "battle mode", using her beauty to cover up her mistakes. Flora sees this as nothing and easily wins with her intelligence. When the company decides to launch a new brand, it becomes the battleground for both sides. But surprisingly, upper management hires an outsider, Ben Wong, to be the marketing director of the new brand, to the great shock of Flora. Additionally, she is busy with helping the heir, Steven Cheung. The power dynamics in the company undergo a big shift. When Ben and Flora's former relationship as a married couple is eventually revealed, it drastically increases the intensity of political climate in the office. Even the boss and secretary relationship, which shares in times of honour and disgrace, takes on a new style every day.

Overview - Legal Mavericks

After losing his vision due to an accident, Vincent Wong faced discrimination and bullying. But it only boosted his willpower and determination to obtain his barrister's license. At the same time, he developed a superior sense of touch and becomes widely-known in the legal community as the Blind Lawyer. Still, it is difficult for anyone to truly understand his dark inner-world. Fortunately, he has two friends who are always there for him. One is his housemate and private detective Owen Cheung, the other is his paralegal with a triad background Sisley Choi. The trio is known the "Three Swordsman", unafraid of standing up to authority and helping vulnerable populations fight for justice. Vincent's borderline tactics attract the attention of judge Ali Lee, who is interested in developing their relationship beyond friendship. The four people's fate experience drastic changes as they encounter many difficult cases. On top of that, Vincent's father and junior classmate (Tracy Chu) reappear, leading to problems that even the law cannot resolve...


TVB will be airing Legal Mavericks on Saturdays and Sundays, beginning June 24. The Mandarin version will be released weekly through iQiyi. 

Overview - Provocateur

Cosmetics mogul Gallen Lo lives with his step-daughter (Jacqueline Wong) after the deaths of his first and second wife. Gallen eventually seeks to start the second half of his life. He meets a resourceful young man (Fred Cheng), within whom he sees shades of his younger self and feels a special sense of familiarity. His personal secretary (Ali Lee) is also impressed with this new marketing manager and believes he can bring the company to a new level. Since the disappearance of her husband (Raymond Cho), Ali has been using work to numb herself and has made Gallen and the company the focus of her life. On the surface, Fred appears to be trying to win the favour of Gallen and to gain Ali's trust. But in fact, he and his partners, including Jonathan Cheung, who gathers intelligence, Roxanne Tong, an expert in socializing, Winki Lai, a technology nerd, and Jack Wu, a whiz at changing disguises, make a living from stealing trade secrets from various corporations. Fred has planned for many years and is waiting for the best opportunity to launch a destructive revenge plot. A power struggle like that of father and son slowly unfolds on the invisible battlefield...

Provocateur Promo Clips

Promo #1


Promo #2


Promo #3


Promo #4


Promo #5


Promo #6


Promo #7


Promo #8


Promo #9


Extended Trailer

Overview - Law dis-Order

As the founder of the leading Chinese-backed law firm in Hong Kong, Lau Dan has served as the committee chair for many terms. Although he has promised managing partner Liu Kai-chi that he will step down, he invited the profit-oriented Alex Fong to join the firm to counterbalance the power-hungry Liu Kai-chi. Liu Kai-chi has cemented his power at the firm throughout the years. He expects his top associates, Raymond Cho and Mandy Wong, to easily handle Florence Kwok and Matthew Ho from Alex's camp, until a car accident throws off his calculations. Meanwhile, Alex takes advantage and receives a lucrative deal from Lau Dan, officially being promoted to senior partner. Alex re-encounters Ali Lee, who is also a lawyer. Ali has a special status within the firm. From her initial disdain towards Alex to admiration of him, the two of them establish a mentor and friend relationship. This forces Liu Kai-chi, a ticking time bomb, to show his hand to Lau Dan. As each camp struggles for power, a toothless tiger who has been hibernating for many years prepares to get revenge...

Overview - Fashion War

The fashion magazine under the leadership of fashion icon Moses Chan is like the imperial palace with its constant infighting. Publisher Hanjin Tan appears to be fawning over editor-in-chief Moses, but is actually hiding a dagger beneath his smile. Hanjin purposely appoints Ali Lee to be the Marketing Director to balance against Moses' power at the magazine. Moses can handle the infighting with ease, but one time, he falters and is caught up in a lawsuit. The incident involves a rejected job applicant (Sisley Choi). Moses uses this opportunity to stir up the news story by hiring Sisley, a tailor from Sham Shui Po, as his assistant. It sets off upheaval at the magazine and causes the lazy fashion editor (Him Law) to change his attitude completely. Meanwhile, with her hard-working and sunny attitude, Sisley is able to break through many barriers and whole-heartedly works for her idol Moses. When the magazine falls dangerously close to shutting down, Sisley and Him join forces to create a miracle and help Moses win back all the applause. At this time, Moses decides to announce his successor and retire from the fashion industry...

Fashion War Promo Clips

Promo #1


Promo #2


Promo #3


Promo #4


Promo #5


Promo #6


Promo #7


Promo #8


Promo #9


Promo #10


Promo #11


Extended Trailer