Thursday, September 23, 2021

Aeren x Steven - We Will Not Say Goodbye Again

過去那污點 成了優點
終於都發現 感激可再見

Stains from the past become a virtue
Finally realize, we are grateful to see each other again


Rumoured couple Aeren and Steven from Stars Academy recently released a MV for their cover version of Joey Thye and Oscar Tao's duet "We Will Not Say Goodbye Again" (我們再不講再見). I didn't pay attention to this song when it came out, but Aeren and Steven performed it with a whole new level of sweetness. With the way they gaze into each other's eyes, it's hard not to believe the rumours of them dating.

The song is about a former couple who meet again and realize the good in each other. Hearing the lyrics, I wonder if we meet each other again, whether we can mutually put the past behind us and appreciate the beauty of our friendship. 

Another version of the song and MV was recorded by Sherman and Aska, but they seem to be missing the sweetness that a real-life couple would have.  


Which version do you like better?

Friday, July 23, 2021

TVB Olympic Team

The Tokyo Summer Olympics are finally upon us! If TVB had its own Olympic team, who would be on it?

Swimming 

Alex Fong: Alex famously represented Hong Kong in swimming at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He once held nine Hong Kong swimming records and his 200 m backstroke and 400 m individual medley records were only recently broken. In 2019, he set a new swimming record for fastest swim around Hong Kong Island (45 km).


Dickson Yu: Dickson was a member of the Hong Kong swimming team in high school and represented Hong Kong abroad in youth competitions, including at the 2004 Queensland Open & Age State Championship and 2005 Australian Youth Olympic Festival. He retired in 2013 after not qualifying for the Asian Games. Dickson specialized in the butterfly style. 


Susan Tse: Susan was a formidable swimmer back in the day and excelled in the backstroke. She was already swimming in competitions by the time she was 3 years old. At age 6, she was the youngest swimmer at the Hong Kong cross harbour swim. By age 12, she already had an instructor license. Susan achieved her best finish (5th) in the 1968 cross harbour swim.


Tennis

Cindy Lee: Cindy was a professional tennis player. At the highest level, she played at the Federation Cup (now Billie Jean King Cup), one of the top international tournaments for women’s tennis. Cindy is also an accomplished golfer, claiming multiple awards in charity tournaments. Athletics is in her DNA, as her mother and cousin were on the Hong Kong bowling team, her father and sister were avid tennis players, and another cousin was an Asian Games bronze medalist in swimming.


Golf

Stephanie Ho: Stephanie started golfing when she was 6 and by age 10, she was part of the Hong Kong national golf team. In 2010, she represented Hong Kong at the Asian Games. She retired from competition to focus on her music career, but in 2018, she dusted off her clubs to rejoin the national team. Stephanie said she hopes to make it to the Asian Games again. 


Table Tennis

Ruco Chan: Ruco was recruited into a sports institute at the age of 13 and made it onto the Hong Kong youth table tennis team at age 15. At that time, he was the youngest table tennis player to represent Hong Kong in competition. He competed at the 1994 Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships. He quit after his coach left the team. 


Triathlon

Tony Chui: Tony, who plays “Andy” in Come Home Love: Lo and Behold, is a former triathlete. He represented Hong Kong in three World Triathlon Championships and in five consecutive Asian Triathlon Championships from 1992 to 1996. His best result was a silver medal in the team event and 7th overall finish individually. Tony was an all-round athlete, participating in soccer, track and field and swimming competitions as well. In 2019, Tony proved he still had in it him by representing Hong Kong at masters (age 35+) track and field competitions in Singapore and Asia.  


Rhythmic Gymnastics

Tania Chan: Tania was a member of Hong Kong rhythmic gymnastics team. Tania started learning rhythmic gymnastics at age 7 and fell in love with the sport because of its elegant movements. She represented Hong Kong in many competitions and specialized in using a ball in her performances. Tania was a 2018 Miss Hong Kong contestant and won an audience favourite award for her rhythmic gymnastics talent performance.


Sharlene Wong: Sharlene was also a member of the Hong Kong rhythmic gymnastics team and a national level athlete. She was awarded that recognition in 2009 when she placed first in the ribbon competition and fourth overall in the National Youth Competition. She retired in 2012 when she realized her body was not flexible enough anymore. Sharlene appeared on TVB even before joining the industry. She performed as a rhythmic gymnast at the TVB Anniversary Gala in 2014 alongside actresses from Never Dance Alone. She is now a host of Kids, Think Big.


Track and Field

Tiffany Tang Yi Ching: Tiffany is a rising star in high jump. She has won in intercollegiate and Hong Kong wide competitions and represented Hong Kong at the 2015 China National Youth Games. She recently recorded a personal best of 1.77 m. Tiffany had a short stint as a host of Young and Restless, but left TVB last year to focus on training for the Asian Athletics Championships. 


Fencing

Last but not least, one of TVB's very own will be competing at the Tokyo Olympics!

Lawrence Ng Lok Wang: Lawrence is a former TVB child actor who has appeared in over 30 dramas. As a kid, Lawrence became interested in fencing because he thought the uniforms looked cool. Using the foil as his weapon, he is a five-time medalist in the Asian Fencing Championships and finished in fifth place at the 2016 Junior World Fencing Championships. He served as the fencing director for the fencing scenes in OMG, Your Honour before leaving TVB to become a full-time athlete. Last year, Lawrence and the Hong Kong team won bronze at the Fencing World Cup tournament in Cairo to secure a spot at the Tokyo Olympics. Look for Lawrence in the men's team foil competition at the Olympics. 


Monday, July 12, 2021

Artist Spotlight: Carman Kwan

This is a new feature where I will be highlighting some of the new and old faces at TVB. 

Carman Kwan (關嘉敏) is the captain of the girl group, Bingo. She first became known to audiences for looking like Chrissie Chau when she appeared on a ViuTV reality show. She also competed on ViuTV's King Maker III, making it to the Top 20. 

Carmen drew criticism from netizens for being a “turncoat” when she signed with TVB earlier this year, but she clarified that it was because ViuTV did not offer her a contract. After signing with TVB, Carman has appeared on a number of variety shows, including Mean Talk, Prelude to TVB All Star Games: The Ring and Dance for Life. She has also had cameos on Forensic Heroes IV and Sinister Beings.

Carman’s talents include Chinese dance and gymnastics. 

As a wedding dress model in Forensic Heroes IV (right)
As an e-sports gamer in Sinister Beings (center)


Sunday, July 11, 2021

May-June Variety Shows

It’s time for another round-up of TVB’s variety shows under the direction of Eric Tsang and Wong Cho Lam. Through May and June, it felt like TVB was producing variety shows at a breakneck pace and ended up giving short shrift to its shows. Many of the concepts have potential, but was not given enough time to develop. 
  • Dub of War (好聲好戲): The show shined a spotlight on the unseen voice actors at TVB. It was amazing to learn about how dubbing works and all the skills it takes to do a good job. I was genuinely surprised by the excellent performances from some of the participants. Rating: 9/10. 

My top five most impressive performances: 

5. Yuki Law and Marktwo Lee - For newbies, this was an impressive performance. Especially when Marktwo says his first line, I thought they were using Ron Ng’s voice.

4. Moon Lau and Tedford Wong - Moon and Tedford were better at dubbing characters outside of their age range than the three finalists. 

3. Sisley Choi and Owen Cheung - They sounded as if they were playing the original clip. The chip goes through a lot of emotions and both of them were handled it well. Owen Cheung has always been more impressive doing imitations than using his own voice. 

2. Yoyo Chen - Yoyo was able to speak in another dialect as if she was fluent and no one even taught her!


1. Joey Thye - I was most surprised by Joey’s performance. She sounds just like Grace Chan and even timed her breathing and crying perfectly with the clip. 

Bonus: Coty Wong and Tinson Lung - They are instructors for a reason. Their performance was at the next level. 

  • Case Unclosed (死因有可疑): In the first head-to-head battle with ViuTV, TVB brought a knife to a gunfight. The show looked like an amateur production next to ViuTV’s serious efforts. It is disappointing because I really like the concept of a murder-mystery show. Rating: 5/10. [Full review here]

  • Top Sales (識貨): This was essentially an advertising spot disguised as a show. Zero interest from me when I couldn’t (and wouldn’t, even if I could) buy the products they were selling. But Yoyo Chen is on a hot streak. Rating: 2/10. 

  • Prelude to TVB All Star Games: The Ring (明星運動會前哨戰: Fight盡): The show suffered from some major cutting issues. Training, interview and competition clips were haphazardly thrown together like a tossed salad. The show also makes a lacklustre effort to introduce the fighters to the audience. The audience can’t feel like they are part of the fighters’ journeys when they only see them for seconds at a time and barely know who they are. Rating: 4/10. 

  • Mean Talk: I loved the juicy gossip that was being spilled on the show! Six episodes was definitely too short. There’s plenty more tea to be spilled. Rating: 7/10.

Thursday, July 08, 2021

9th Anniversary

Casual TVB is 9 years old! Can you believe it? I missed the blog’s anniversary last year (because what was time in 2020?), so let’s see what I’ve done over the past two years. 

It’s been years since TVB has given me reason to write posts, but the recent line-up of variety shows seem to be breathing new life into both TVB and this blog. Many fans may have already changed the channel on TVB, but I'm still around and hope TVB will continue to improve.


Tuesday, July 06, 2021

TV Wars: Battle of the LARP

TVB and ViuTV recently had their first direct battle. Both stations produced a variety show that involves "live action role playing" (LARP), where players role play as characters in a scenario and solve mysteries. To intensify things, the twin shows debuted on the same day, in the same time slot. 

Let's see how the stations fared in the "Battle of the LARP"!

Participants:


TVB's Case Unclosed was hosted by Alex Fong, Sammi Cheung, Arnold Kwok and Kayan Yau. Matthew Ho, Moon Lau, Pakho Chau and Stephanie Cheng appeared as guests. 


ViuTV's All Suspicious featured a rotating cast of players, headlined by Justin Cheung and Hedwig Tam, and included Yatho Wong, George Au, Tang Lai Ying, Jace Chan and others. 

Verdict: Tie. Unless you are a fan of a particular artist, it is unlikely that the line-up for either show had much effect on the average viewer. 

Format: 


Case Unclosed had two cases over five episodes. Each case featured six players, led by “Detective Soap” Alex Fong. Each case began with the players introducing themselves and their timeline. It was followed by two rounds of investigation and discussion. Detective Soap also got a chance to question two players alone. Afterwards, the players made closing statements and then voted on the culprit. The truth was revealed through a narrated reenactment. 


All Suspicious had six cases over 15 episodes. Each case had between 6-8 players. A brief description of each player’s role was shown to the audience using title cards. The players then jumped straight into investigation. The players were free to talk with each other and form alliances. They may also have individual side missions to perform. There were generally two rounds of investigation and discussion before the players voted on the culprit. The truth was revealed in an epilogue. 

Verdict: Case Unclosed. The format of the game is actually pretty similar on both shows, but Case Unclosed wins by making the case and characters easier to follow. The chief complaint from netizens of All Suspicious was how it had too many characters and confusing relationships between them, which made the cases hard to follow.

Content: 


Both of Case Unclosed’s cases were murder mysteries. The stories seem acceptable for this type of game, as each character had a plausible motive and opportunity to commit the crime. However, the evidence and characters were thinly developed. There was sparse evidence for each case and it only weakly supported the supposed truth. The characters lacked background besides the basics and their timelines. 


All Suspicious had more variety of cases aside from murder, such an art heist and bomb threat. Some of the cases also incorporated side missions and secondary plots. The character backgrounds were sketched out and they each had secrets or hidden relationships with other characters. There was an abundance of evidence to sort through and most had an explainable purpose to the plot. 

Verdict: All Suspicious. The cases, evidence and characters were richer and added interesting layers to the show. The show improved after the first case, as the audience became more familiar with the players and game. The players also broke the fourth wall more to explain to the audience what was going on.

Aesthetics: 


Case Unclosed looked like an amateur production. The rooms were set up in a studio next to each other and labelled with paper signs. Walls and ceilings were missing. Players have to walk along a marked path on the ground to avoid walking through "walls." The set felt crowded as the players and crew moved around the space. Cameras and areas outside of the set frequently appeared in shots. 


All Suspicious looked much more professional. The show was filmed in real locations, but did not suffer from the lightning issues that seem to plague non-TVB shows. The room set-ups were more realistic and spacious. 

Verdict: All Suspicious. The production values looked better than expected and overall, looked more professional than Case Unclosed.

Overall: All Suspicious

ViuTV clearly took the more serious approach to producing their show and put together an all-around professional production. Meanwhile, TVB seems to have hastily clobbered together a show. You know you've lost the battle when you have to add a disclaimer that the show was made on a low budget to preempt criticism. 


Sunday, June 27, 2021

Overview - Murder Diary


Years ago, Kara Hui almost poisoned her son (Vincent Wong) and daughter (Joey Thye) because of her schizophrenia. Experiencing great change, Vincent develops an alter-ego who is physically weak but highly intelligent. His alter-ego works hard and becomes a handwriting expert, helping the agile Vincent carry out his undercover mission. A double bomb case and a case featuring bloody words on a nude corpse prompts Chief Inspector Chris Lai to create a task force to find the perpetrator. The task force includes Vincent, psychiatrist Benjamin Yuen, bomb disposal officer Mandy Wong, and forensic entomologist Venus Wong. The four of them get involved in a love pentagon! The “Father of Criminal Investigation” Philip Keung has recovered from bipolar disorder and is appointed to lead the task force as they investigate various mysterious cases. But he discovers Kara may be involved in the mystery behind his wife's (Alice Chan) disappearance. As the puzzle is revealed piece-by-piece, how will they each face the truth?

An non-photoshopped look at the poster:


Saturday, June 26, 2021

Mean Talk Gossip

I love juicy gossip about the entertainment circle and Mean Talk has plenty of it! 

Mean Talk is a talk show hosted by Elena Kong and Bob Lam where they make guests share their juiciest, “meanest” stories from the industry. Let’s see if we can guess who the guests are talking about!

Actress who leaked to paparazzi:

In episode 2, Dickson Yu revealed that an actress he worked with secretly invited the paparazzi to their filming location and purposely acted intimately with him. Here were the clues he gave:

  • This was a few years ago. Both of them were relatively new.
  • A short article was published about them and included photos of the girl’s arm in his arm.
  • The girl is still in the industry. Her fame is similar to Dickson. He said people would recognize her, but she is not super famous. 
Could he be talking about Kamen Kong? This article was published in 2018 when Dickson and Kamen were filming The Ghetto-Fabulous Lady. At that time, both of them were relative newcomers (the article even mentioned Kamen had just joined the industry for three years). The article says that they received “reliable intel” (from the source directly?) that Dickson and Kamen had been secretly dating for three months. It also describes how Dickson would drive Kamen home every night. (Dickson said that the girl asked him for a ride, but he refused because he knew what was up.)  The only clue that doesn’t match is the photos with the girl’s arm in his arm, but the article does include photos of Kamen hitting him playfully and massaging his leg. 




Actor who asked Lee Ka Ding for "more acting":

In episode 3, Stephanie Ho revealed that an actor once asked veteran actor Lee Ka Ding to give him "more acting." She said they were filming a wedding scene where actor had to shake hands with Lee Ka Ding. The actor was also slapped in the face in the same scene. 

Netizens quickly identified the actor was Hinson Chou. Here he is in Raising the Bar with Lee Ka Ding and Stephanie:



Tiger Cubs actor who tried to pursue M Club actress

In episode 3, Winki Lai revealed that while they were filming Never Dance Alone, an actor from the neighboring Tiger Cubs set would often come to their dressing room to talk to one of the actresses.  Winki said:
  • The actress had an ugly wig that looked like William So. 
  • The actor's last name is Ho. 
  • He has left TVB already.
Quick-working netizens discovered the Tiger Cubs actor was Quinn Ho, who left TVB in 2018 and now runs a business in Mongolia. The M Club actress is believed to be Cheronna Ng, who was the only one of the young actresses who had to wear a short wig. 



Mr. W who favored females over Vincent Wong

In the Have a Big Laugh edition of Mean Talk, Vincent Wong revealed that while filming Murder Diary, a male colleague was always more friendly while talking to female colleagues than males. Vincent said the male colleague's English name started with "W".  

Looking at the cast list, Willie Wai is a possibility. However, Vincent did not say if the male colleague was an actor or other crew member. Do you have any guesses?


Monday, June 21, 2021

Overview - Fraudstars


Because Best New Director Pierre Ngo stubbornly insisted on doing things his way, he and other crew members are blacklisted by the industry. Ten years later, Pierre, producer Lawrence Cheng, scriptwriter Angel Chiang, stunt coordinator Vincent Lam, production designer Kirby Lam, actress Sammi Cheung and assistant director Enson Lau reunite to film their most ideal movie. Their dreams are crushed when their investor dies in an accident. They are even left to pay a massive restaurant bill! To get away, the seven of them stage a seemingly real scam. Pierre and the others subsequently form the "Fraudstars." Until one day, a real criminal organization appears and forces them carry out a scam that they cannot turn back from...


Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Overview - Plan “B”


Full-time mom Eliza Sam and husband Kenneth Ma have a two-year old daughter. The family feels pressure as they are living with Eliza’s father (Joseph Lee) and mother (Mimi Kung). Kenneth secretly plans to escape from Mimi’s control, but his parents, Hugo Ng and Kiki Sheung, keep creating trouble causing Kenneth to be in the wrong every time. Eliza and Kenneth have constant conflicts over dividing parental duties. Eliza is also insistent on working outside the home. Meanwhile, old and new rivalriesg between the “four elders” keep arising. Kenneth’s brother (James Ng) and his wife (Mandy Wong), and Eliza's cousin (Yoyo Chen) and her husband (Jonathan Cheung) also face various parenting issues and difficulties. It shows that raising children is an opportunity for parents to also learn and grow themselves.


Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Overview - Final Destiny

According to legend, the Buddha's discipline, the Great Peng, travelled to the secular world and caused trouble. The Buddha sent an envoy to pursue him, who began a bitter battle against the Great Peng... Five hundred years later, an injured man (Edwin Siu) lays in the wilderness and is saved by an embroidery worker from a small village (Jessica Kan). Edwin becomes a worker at the embroidery and dye house. In his dreams, he meets an eminent monk and unravels the mystery of his own background. Edwin recalls his name and reunites with his good friend (Sammy Sum). Edwin becomes rivals with female constable Roxanne Tong. As the pair bicker, they secretly develop feelings for each other, but Jessica also expresses her feelings to Edwin. Later, the village falls into a black demon crisis. To save the common people, Edwin decides to let go of love and desire. It turns out there is karma and fate is preordained... 


Monday, May 03, 2021

Overview - Sinister Beings


Ruco Chan is a stellar detective in the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB). He is brave, competent, highly regarded by his superiors and admired by his colleagues.  But his ultimate dream is to join the Special Duties Unit. Another elite OCTB detective, Ben Wong, has a shrewd mind and lots of experience. Although Ruco and Ben handle things differently, they appreciate each other’s talent and complement one another’s weaknesses. The police get ambushed by criminals and suffer heavy losses. To find the mastermind behind the plot, Ruco gives up his dream and stays at OCTB. Aside from that, Ruco and Ben face a series of complicated and unpredictable unnatural cases. The two of them use reverse thinking, psychological game theory and careful analysis to deconstruct a criminal’s thinking and motives. Nothing can escape from the nets of heaven! 


Sunday, May 02, 2021

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! 


Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Overview - Shadow of Justice




One transfer and a few complex cases leads Traffic Accident Investigation Unit Chief Inspector Bobby Au-Yeung to work closely with CID Superintendent Joey Meng. Both understand and appreciate each other. Logistics company heiress Jeannie Chan believes Bobby broke up her family and hates him. Bobby once promised Jeannie’s late mother that he will be accommodating towards her, but he discovers that Jeannie is becoming increasingly close with lawyer Joe Ma and triad leader Pierre Ngo. Bobby also learns that his colleague and good friend Matt Yeung is Jeannie’s ex-lover. To guide her back to the right path, Bobby and Matt target the brothers Joe and Pierre. Bobby and Joe’s values are different and each has their own interpretation of justice. When the two men meet, a battle of wits is quietly triggered.


Monday, March 15, 2021

FILMART 2021 - TVB Series Briefs

AI Romantic 

To help four family members in an unexpected mission, AI robot Ali Lee activates the self-learning mode and experiences all the emotions and desires of the human world. She even falls in love with an AI company executive. Her romantic rival (Crystal Fung) goes after her relentlessly at work and in private, vowing to completely destroy her! At the same time, Ali discovers a computer virus in her body and that her life is counting down… 

Kids' Lives Matter 

A surgery twenty years ago caused a fall-out between two pediatric interns, Kenneth Ma and Kevin Cheng. As time went by, Kenneth became a consultant in pediatric surgery at the top-rated Princess Anne Hospital, while Kevin, who only cares about saving lives, is at a second-rated hospital. The two of them go about their separate ways, until they meet again due to a liver transplant surgery. Their destinies become interconnected from that point. 

Kenneth manipulates Kevin into joining Princess Anne Hospital, and also recruits his old friends, cardiothoracic surgeon Linda Chung and surgical director Catherine Chau, to build a perfect team. His objective to lay the groundwork to create Hong Kong’s first pediatric center. As they experience the life and death stories of sick children, Kevin and Kenneth eventually resolve their differences. 

At this time, specialist Him Law and medical intern Bowie Cheung discover that the surgery from twenty years ago involved major medical malpractice and the responsible surgeon is Mimi Kung, the dean of medical school that Princess Anne Hospital is a part of. They decide to reveal the truth… 

The Line Watchers 

The Line Watchers is a story about Hong Kong’s customs officers. Intellectual Property Investigation Bureau Senior Superintendent Benjamin Yuen, Trade Controls Officer Mandy Wong, and Customs Drug Investigation Bureau Superintendent Venus Wong leads a group of elite customs officers and rookies. From eggs to atomic bombs, powdered milk to drugs, they are on standby on land, air and ocean as the face of the new “Smart Customs” program. This group, amidst personal adversities, is able to overcome difficulties and uphold the motto of “Commitment and Excellence,” contributing to the stability and prosperity of society and becoming gatekeepers that Hong Kongers can be proud of. 

Sinister Beings 


Ruco Chan is a stellar detective in the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB). He is brave, competent, highly regarded by his superiors and admired by his colleagues, but his ultimate dream is to join the Special Duties Unit. Another elite OCTB detective, Ben Wong, has a shrewd mind and lots of experience. Although Ruco and Ben handle things differently, they appreciate each other’s talent and complement one another’s weaknesses. The police get ambushed by criminals and suffer heavy losses. To find the mastermind behind the plot, Ruco gives up his dream and stays at OCTB. Aside from that, Ruco and Ben face a series of complicated and unpredictable unnatural cases! The two of them use reverse thinking, psychological game theory and careful analysis to deconstruct a criminal’s thinking and motives! Nothing can escape from the nets of heaven! 

Big White Duel II 

Under the leadership of hospital director Roger Kwok and deputy director Kenneth Ma, Marshall Paxton Hospital has stories of doctors saving patients’ lives every day. Roger not only saves lives in the hospital, he also pushes for full disclosure of the drug formulary, so that no one will die because they cannot afford to buy medicine. Roger’s lofty ideals is questioned by oncologist Nancy Wu. She is parachuted in to be hospital director, rivalling Roger. Nancy is subdued by Kenneth’s charm and medical skills, but the one Kenneth cares about is emergency room doctor Natalie Tong. At the same time, Moses Chan, who has duel qualifications as an emergency room doctor and surgeon, retires from Doctors without Borders and joins the Marshall Paxton emergency room. He is highly regarded by Roger, but also the ex-boyfriend of Roger’s girlfriend, Kelly Cheung. This group of doctors meet each other in their romantic lives, but are diametrically opposed on medical reform. They still uphold the benevolence of a doctor and sing praises to the value and meaning of life. 

Battle of the Seven Sisters 

A low-key wealthy man (Lau Dan) leaves seven last wishes for his seven daughters, born from different mothers. Eldest daughter Priscilla Wong has a successful career, but her romantic life is a mess. She maintains an improper relationship with a married man (Gilbert Lam) and is alienated from her sister Samantha Ko. Samantha’s life was bumpy until she met manga expert Luk Wing and her life turns around. Priscilla and her half-sister Rosina Lam are on bad terms. Rosina cannot let go of her dead husband and mingles with her friend Timothy Cheng and an artist who resembles her dead husband (Tsui Wing). Fourth sister Kamen Kong’s two-faced character almost causes big trouble. Fifth sister Jeannie Chan seeks revenge against all the sisters because of her mother’s misfortune. Sixth sister Judy Kwong falls to her lowest point because she cannot break through a character flaw. The sisters discover their father also had a seventh daughter. The seven sisters, who are more like strangers, embark on a journey to search for family as their father’s last wish, while also finding their own self-worth… 

Barrack O'Karma 1968 

Yuppie Selena Li and her barrister boyfriend Joel Chan are not regarded as having good prospects together. Joel mysteriously disappears in the Golden Building. He is ultimately found, having escaped death, but he lost all of his memories. He used to have a wanton and unruly character, but he has now become a considerate and warm man. Although his appearance and body are the same, his personality and habits are vastly different, as if he is a completely different person. To solve this mystery, the only place for Selena to start is the Golden Building. 

All sorts of weird people and things exist at the Golden Building, including a video-gaming team who charges into a virtual world to save their teammate, a mother and daughter who peddles in grief, a seemingly true, seemingly fake kidnapping story, and a Korean craze caused by comet particles. Joel and Selena’s love is more intense than before. They are a couple arranged by the heavens. But the person that Selena loves is not the real Joel, only the Joel that emerged from the Golden Building. 

The Ringmaster 

Life’s peaks and valleys is like fighting in the ring. Balancing between fame, wealth and love, and deciding between offense and defense happens within a moment. Faced with adversity, we fight hard to overcome obstacles and persevere. In the end, strength is not about being unbreakable, but about having the willpower to stand up after falling and to continue advancing. Life is always one person’s ring. 

The Kwoks and What 

I, Joe Ma, am not young in age, but young at heart. Returning to Hong Kong from Malaysia, I planned to reach new heights in my career. But my mother is superstitious, my wife wants a divorce, my business encounters difficulties, my younger siblings despise me, and there is even a drug seller who spent twenty years in jail and claiming that he owns half of my mother’s house. There is no peace at home, but really, whose family has no difficulties? Luckily, I have enough life experience and everything is under control… 

Murder Diary 

Kara Hui suffers from schizophrenia and almost poisoned her son Vincent Wong. Vincent is extremely frightened and a physically weak but kind alter-ego emerges. His alter-ego becomes a handwriting expert and psychological profiler, helping the athletic Vincent work as a cheerful undercover agent. Vincent uproots a criminal organization, but a series of weird cases turns him into a murder suspect. It also causes his sister to be frightened and lose her mind. To make up for abandoning her children years ago, Kara works as an assistant at the hospital to protect her daughter, but the knot between her and Vincent is difficult to untie. 

The “Father of Criminal Investigation” Philip Keung, who recently recovered from bipolar disorder, recruits the duel-personality Vincent to join a special investigation team. Along with psychiatrist Benjamin Yuen, attractive bomb disposal officer Mandy Wong, Chief Inspector Chris Lai, forensic anthropologist Venus Wong, forensic entomologist Shiga Lin and novel editor Hana Kuk, who is always a suspect in the case, they battle against psychologically deviant and highly intelligent criminals and solve many horrifying cold cases. 

Chinatown 

In the 1940s, Ruco Chan’s family arrived in the crime-filled Bangkok Chinatown. His father, along with Joel Chan’s father and another friend, tried to resist but sacrificed their lives. In addition, Ruco’s younger brother and sister accidentally go missing. His mother (Yuen Qiu) is hard hit by the news and becomes semi-insane. 

Twenty years later, in order to find his missing siblings, Ruco steps foot into Chinatown again. He encounters the con artist Natalie Tong and they become frenemies. Joel has grown up to be a corrupt policeman, colluding with the two biggest triads, led by KK Cheung and Jimmy Au. KK’s only son returns to Bangkok with his fiancée (Grace Wong) and is assassinated, sparking a conflict between the two triads. 

Ruco establishes an association for overseas Chinese and along with Natalie and others, they help the good while fighting against the evil. But the association faces many difficulties and almost collapses. There is still a long road towards their goal of achieving peace. 

Shadow of Justice 

Bobby Au-Yeung, a new transfer to the Traffic Accident Investigation Unit, has an extremely high IQ and is able to solve complex and bizarre cases. Joe Ma is an outstanding lawyer, renowned for his unique values and outstanding defense skills. Matt Yeung of the Traffic Enforcement and Control Unit, is a mentee and friend of Bobby. 

Bobby is deployed to the same police station as CID officer Joey Meng, whom he has good feelings for. Through a few cases, they have close contact… During the course of investigation, they discover that the righteous Jeannie Chan has close ties with triad member Pierre Ngo, while also seemingly involved in a relationship with Joe. Evidence of Pierre’s crimes gradually surface. Just as the police are about to reel him in, they discover that Joe, who has so far been uninvolved, is using Bobby’s longing for his dead girlfriend to set a trap for him to neglect his duties and commit manslaughter.