REPOST: Top Ten HIGHEST and LOWEST Rated TVB Series from the past 15-20 years (Part 1)

This article was actually written back in September 2013 and I had actually already posted up Part 1 not too long after the original article was published, however, before I got a chance to post up Part 2, I got sidetracked with the whole free TV license thing.  Now that things have settled a bit, I finally found some time to translate Part 2 – therefore, I figured it would be best to ‘re-post’ Part 1 so that people can read both parts together….besides, there are some important ‘disclaimers’ that I wrote when I posted Part 1 initially that also apply to Part 2 – this way, I don’t have to repeat myself for Part 2…LOL.

Anyway….those who didn’t get a chance to read Part 1 can do so now.  Part 2 will follow right after this…

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Here’s an article that I came across earlier in the week.  It’s kind of a ‘two-parter’ special feature of sorts where Singpao (newspaper in HK) counts down the Top 10 highest rated and lowest rated TVB series from the past 15-20 years (the article doesn’t specify the dates, but based on the content, looks like the oldest series is from 1992).

I actually didn’t get the chance to ‘vet’ this article yet to see how ‘credible’ the information is – therefore, please take this article for what it is and don’t get too worked up if certain series are not on the list and you feel they should be (and vice versa).   I personally won’t vouch for the information in this article, but I will say this – I definitely have heard about a few of the series on the list having high or low ratings in the past, so there weren’t too many ‘shockers’ for me when I first read the article (for example:  The Intangible Truth being on the ‘lowest rated’ series list and Square Pegs being on the ‘highest rated’ series list are both accurate for sure, as the star of both series -- Roger Kwok -- had talked about this several years ago on his Be My Guest interview with Stephen Chan).

The one part I question about this article is the timeframe – I wish that it were more clearly defined.  It would make sense to say that the series were all from the past 15 years or so (late 90s to post-2000s), but then they threw in the series Key Man in there, which is from 1992  (which is why I threw the ‘20’ in the title of this post) – true, that was the only early 90s series on the list, but still, makes me wonder about the gap in timeframe.

Anyway, one thing to note – both the ‘highest’ and ‘lowest’ lists only count the ‘top ten’ series….so just because a series didn’t make the list doesn’t mean that it had good or bad ratings – it just didn’t get a ‘placement’ on the list based on mathematical calculation.  I emphasize this point because some people may misread the title and think that this is one of those ‘highest/lowest of all time’ type countdown, which is definitely NOT the case – there are actually NO 1980s or early 1990s series on this list at all.  [As a sidenote:  If you would like an idea of what the top rated TVB series were from the 1970s to early 1990s (1991 or so), check out this particular blog post that I wrote several years back – it’s a recap of the ‘top rated series countdown’ that TVB did themselves during one of their Anniversary Galas (complete with a video excerpt from the gala itself!): TVB 28th Anniversary Gala]

Back to the article…..part 1 will cover the ‘highest rated’ series while Part 2 will cover the ‘lowest rated’ series. (Again, both lists were put together by Singpao – I’m not too familiar with that particular newspaper, so not sure how ‘trustworthy’ it is…therefore, please don’t shoot me if the information is wrong….)

What are your thoughts on this list?  Agree?  Disagree?  Shocked?  Don’t care?

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Top Ten HIGHEST Rated TVB Series 

Source:  Singpao

Translation: llwy12

In recent years, there has been an obvious downward trend in the ratings for TVB series.  Some of the criticisms towards TVB series that have arisen over the years include poor production quality, accusations of ‘copying’ ideas from other series, plot and story arcs being too ‘heavy taste’, etc. – the result is that TVB series have lost a lot of their previous luster and appeal.  In addition, the rapid advancement of technology such as the Internet -- which gives audiences the choice of viewing series online rather than on television -- plus TVB’s recent switch to a different ratings measurement company, all contributed to majority of TVB’s series not being able to reach the 30 point mark in the past year.  In fact, it has gotten to the point where even TVB’s own ‘TV King’ and ‘TV Queen’ winners aren’t able to pull the station out of its ratings rut, as evidenced by the disastrous ratings that both Bullet Brain (神探高倫布) [starring 3-time TV King winner Wayne Lai (黎耀祥)] and Beauty at War (金枝慾孽貳) [starring 2-time TV Queen winner Sheren Tang (鄧萃雯)] garnered.  With all these factors combined together, it’s no wonder that so many people have called into question the relevancy of TVB’s series in recent years.  It wasn’t until this past summer when the airline-themed Triumph in the Skies II (衝上雲霄II) finally aired that TVB was able to regain their lost ground in the ratings department – unfortunately though, since the series was a sequel to their hit series from 10 years ago and brought many of the characters back from the original series, it can be said that the ratings increase was partially due to the popularity of the original.

Given the recent ratings situation, we (Singpao) decided to put together a list of TVB’s highest rated series from the past 15 years or so to ‘reminisce’ together with our readers.  However, one interesting thing to note is that even the number one highest rated HK series on the list could not reach the ‘ratings peak’ that Korean drama Jewel in the Palace (大長今) created when it aired on TVB back in 2005.

Rankings and summary below:

1^st PLACE:  Square Pegs (戇夫成龍) [2003] – averaged 37 points, peaked at 46 points

Set in the late Qing / early Republic era, this series aired at the end of 2002 going into early 2003 and starred Roger Kwok (郭晉安), Jessica Hsuan (宣萱), Raymond Cho (曹永廉), Winnie Yeung (楊婉儀), Yuen Wah (元華), etc.  Not only did the series garner the highest overall ratings (based on calculation), it also proved to pay off greatly for the series’ lead actor Roger Kwok, as he won both the TV King and Favorite TV Male Character awards at that year’s (2003) Anniversary Gala for his performance, which catapulted him once again to the height of his career.  In 2005, the sequel Life Made Simple (阿旺新傳) was made, which was set in the modern era and re-assembled many of the same cast members from the original series – unfortunately though, the series was not able to achieve the type of record-setting success that its predecessor did.

2^nd PLACE:  Return of the Cuckoo (十月初五的月光) [2000] – averaged 36 points, peaked at 46 points

At the mention of this series, the first thing most people will probably remember is Julian ‘Chilam’ Cheung’s (張智霖) character Brother Chor (初哥哥).  Set against the backdrop of one of Macau’s most famous streets (Rua de Cinco de Outubro十月初五街), the main plot of the series revolved around both family love and romance.

In addition to setting ratings records at the time, the series also received quite a few awards, including the Best Serial Drama award from Taiwan’s APTV as well as various awards at TVB’s Anniversary Awards Gala, such as the ‘Favorite Television Character’ award for Chilam Cheung, Charmaine Sheh (佘詩曼), and Nancy Sit (薛家燕) [TN: the Favorite Character award back then was given out to as many as 10-15 artists in a given year] and also the ‘Favorite On-screen Partners – Drama Series’ award for Chilam and Charmaine.

The series also successfully cemented lead actress Charmaine Sheh’s ‘first line fadan’ status at TVB; at the same time, Chilam Cheung’s theme song for the series, Wishing Kwan Well (祝君好) became an instant hit and even today, enjoys a status as one of TVB’s most popular, ‘classic’ love ballads.

3^rd PLACE:  Armed Reaction 2 (陀槍師姐II) [2000] – averaged 36 points, peaked at 47 points

Fans who enjoy watching the ‘magical’ chemistry between ‘golden’ pairing Bobby Au Yeung (歐陽震華) and Esther Kwan (關詠荷) can check out their latest collaboration Always and Ever (情逆三世緣) [which just finished airing on TVB].  But when it comes to recounting one of the most representative, ‘classic’ collaborations between these two, the Armed Reaction (陀槍師姐) franchise is definitely at the top of most audience’s lists.   Set in the modern era, the first installment to this police comedy/drama franchise originally aired in 1998 to almost instant popularity, resulting in a sequel to be made in 2000 that not only reunited the entire original cast, it also continued the story exactly where the original left off.  In an interesting twist, the ratings for the second installment far surpassed the original -- not only did the series break ratings records for franchised series, it also shattered the widely held notion that sequels are never as good as the originals.  The franchise also expanded its reach into Taiwan at one point and was well-received there as well.

The characters in the series also left a deep impression with audiences – Esther Kwan’s Ngor Jeh and Joyce Tang’s (滕麗明) Sam Yue’ were especially memorable and can be considered both actresses’ most ‘representative’ performances.

4^th PLACE:  Time Before Time (大鬧廣昌隆) [1997] – averaged 36 points, peaked at 46 points

Starring Gordon Lam (林家棟), Kathy Chow (周海媚), Florence Kwok (郭少芸), etc., this pre-modern ‘supernatural’ themed series premiered in 1997 with a plot that revolved around the romance between ‘Ah Gwong’ (Gordon) and a ‘ghost’ named ‘Siu Fu Yong’ (Kathy) who resides in an umbrella.  Even though the series was technically a ‘ghost story’, the underlying message was actually about interpersonal relationships (whether between family, friends, lovers, etc.) – resulting in a story that resonated on an emotional level with audiences.

5^th PLACE:  Journey to the West (西遊記) [1996] – averaged 36 points, peaked at 43 points

Starring Dicky Cheung (張衛健) in the lead role as the Monkey King, Journey to the West first premiered in 1996.  In 1998, the series was rebroadcast on TVB’s Jade Pearl channel [TN: TVB’s English language channel] in both English and Cantonese – that same year, a sequel to the iconic series, Journey to the West II, debuted on TVB’s Jade channel, however this time around, Dicky’s starring role was replaced by fellow actor Benny Chan (陳浩民).

Journey to the West was an important series in many aspects, but one of its biggest ‘contributions’ was that it shot each of the main actors in the series to almost instant stardom, including ‘Monkey King Sun WuKong’ Dicky Cheung, ‘Tang Sanzang’ Kong Wah (江華), ‘Zhu Bajie’ Wayne Lai (黎耀祥), and ‘Sha Wujing’ Evergreen Mak (麥長青).  The series proved to be immensely popular with audiences, especially the younger crowd – back when the series aired, audiences throughout HK could be heard repeating Dicky Cheung’s ‘golden phrase’ from the series:  “Yo!  Nothing to be afraid of!” [Yo！使乜驚呀！]

6^th PLACE:  Detective Investigation Files III (刑事偵緝檔案III) [1997] – averaged 36 points, peaked at 44 points

When it comes to cop series, the entire Detective Investigation Files franchise can be counted as a ‘classic’ that was immensely popular with audiences back then and continues to be even now.  Back in 1995, the first installment in the franchise debuted to stellar ratings, prompting a sequel to be filmed immediately and aired in December that same year, thereby making DIF the first franchise in TVB history to have both its original and sequel air within the same year.  The 3^rd installment of the franchise – the last one with the original cast from the first 2 installments -- aired in 1997 and broke ratings records.  In addition, the DIF franchise also succeeded in cementing star Michael Tao’s (陶大宇) status as a lead actor – he also became especially popular amongst TVB’s female audiences, earning him the title of ‘housewife killer’ (a title he shared with fellow actor and close friend Bobby AuYeung 歐陽震華).

7^th PLACE:  The Key Man (巨人) [1992] – averaged 36 points, peaked at 43 points 

Out of the 10 series on this list, 1992’s The Key Man can be considered the one that dates back the longest.  Many of the artists who participated in this series became ‘stars’ in their own right – amongst them including Alex Man (萬梓良), Louise Lee (李司棋), Idy Chan (陳玉蓮), Monica Chan (陳法蓉), Dicky Cheung (張衛健), Cutie Mui (梅小惠), etc.  With its storyline surrounding the complicated love/hate relationships between several generations of 2 families, The Key Man can be considered a ‘model’ for classic, family conflict themed modern series.  In addition, this series started the ‘trend’ of series that revolved around business world conflicts and battles amongst families – a theme that was pushed to its ultimate peak with TVB’s famous classic The Greed of Man (大時代), which aired later that year.  This series can also be considered one of veteran actor Alex Man’s most representative works.

8^th PLACE:  War of the Genders (男親女愛) [2000] – averaged 35 points, peaked at 50 points

Every time comedian Dayo Wong (黃子華) films a series for TVB, it almost always garners attention and becomes a hot discussion topic -- in this way, he is absolutely a ‘ratings guarantee’.   In 2000, Dayo teamed up with Dodo Cheng (鄭裕玲), Marsha Yuen (原子鏸), Patrick Tang (鄧健泓), etc. in a situational comedy (sitcom) called War of the Genders that not only became an immensely popular ‘classic’, it also ‘smashed’ ratings records when it peaked at 50 points near the latter part of the series.  War of the Genders was the first TVB series to reach the 50 point mark in ratings and shares the record as being one of only 4 series that have been able to achieve this so far. [TN:  The other series were:  Korean drama Jewel in the Palace (大長今), which aired on TVB in 2005, 2008’s Moonlight Resonance (溏心風暴之家好月圓), and 2009’s Beyond the Realm of Conscience (宮心計)].  In addition, this was one of the few TVB series that was also turned into a stage musical not long after its successful television run, thereby allowing audiences to enjoy the hilarious antics of the cast and the humorous story all over again.

9^th PLACE:   Moonlight Resonance (溏心風暴之家好月圓) [2008] – averaged 35 points, peaked at 50 points

Billed as the ‘sequel’ to 2007’s grand production Heart of Greed (溏心風暴), Moonlight Resonance went down in the history books as one of HK’s highest rated series ever.  With its huge ensemble cast comprised of TV veterans such as Ha Yu (夏雨), Louise Lee (李司棋), Susanna Kwan (關菊英), Michelle Yim (米雪), Lee Heung Kam (李香琴) as well as popular idols such as Raymond Lam (林峯), Moses Chan (陳豪), Linda Chung (鍾嘉欣), Tavia Yeung (楊怡), etc., the series not only lived up to the ‘success’ of its predecessor Heart of Greed, it also far surpassed it in terms of ratings and popularity.  Further to re-assembling most of the original cast from the first installment, the sequel also boasted the addition of popular artists such as future 3-time TV King Wayne La, Kate Tsui (徐子珊), etc.

10^th PLACE:  Beyond the Realm of Conscience (宮心計) [2009] – averaged 35 points, peaked at 50 points

Due to its ancient series genre and palace conflict theme, Beyond the Realm of Conscience has often been compared to TVB’s 2004 hit palace series War and Beauty (金枝慾孽) since it debuted 4 years ago.  At TVB’s Anniversary Awards ceremony in 2009, the battle for TV Queen ended up coming down to a heated race between BTROC’s Tavia Yeung (楊怡) and veteran actress Sheren Tang (鄧萃雯), who was nominated for her phenomenal performance in Rosy Business (巾幗梟雄) [coincidentally, Sheren had also starred in War and Beauty back in 2004 and was widely viewed as having been ‘robbed’ of the TV Queen award that year for her stellar portrayal of Concubine Yu in the series].  In the end, Sheren triumphed by winning the coveted TV Queen award for her portrayal of Fourth Mistress in Rosy Business while Tavia took home the Favorite Female TV Character award for her performance in BTROC.

YCWB Interview with Ram Tseung: “The entertainment industry suits me, but I’m not suited to the entertainment industry”

This article actually came out almost 2 weeks ago, but I didn't get the chance to translate it back then because I got busy. Now that I'm slowly getting caught up on stuff, I wanted to make sure that this article got pushed to the top of my "to translate" list, primarily because it's an interview with an actor whom I adore: Ram Tseung. [Note: I've also seen Ram's last name spelled 'Chiang' in English, which is probably the more correct translation of his surname, but since he has been known to me as 'Ram Tseung' for the past 2 decades, that's the name I'm sticking with...LOL!]

Ram is absolutely one of my most favorite veteran supporting actors (definitely in my Top 5) -- in fact, I'm not ashamed to admit that I adore the guy to pieces! Not only is he one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, he's also an extremely talented (but very underrated) actor as well as singer. I'm the type who really values 'versatility' when it comes to acting and Ram definitely meets the requirement (actually, he exceeds the requirement...LOL) -- no matter what type of character he plays (be it a 'professional' character such as lawyer, forensics expert, doctor, etc., an ordinary 'everyman' type character, a comedic sidekick,a benevolent father, a ruthless villain, etc.), Ram never fails to deliver the goods.

I've always felt that Ram has inborn acting talent because right from the start, I found his acting to be incredibly convincing. The first series that I saw him in was Files of Justice 2 (which I believe was also his very first TVB series?) where he played the deaf lawyer Chow Siu Chung (Eric) who was eventually paired up with Eugenia Lau's lawyer character Kong Sing Jou (Helen). [Sidenote: I loved Ram's character in the series, so obviously I hated TVB for the way they developed his character so poorly in subsequent installments and eventually killed him off so horribly in FOJ 5....still can't forgive TVB even now!!!]. I was impressed by Ram's acting from the beginning and since then, in all the series that I've watched of his, he has never once disappointed me with his awesome acting. As I said in my earlier review of the series Witness Insecurity, I always enjoy watching Ram in series because he always manages to bring his role to life with his performance, no matter how big or small his role is -- in fact, whenever I happen to be watching a series with him in it, I usually find myself watching most of his scenes in the series, even if I end up skipping the rest of the series because I can't stand the storyline or the rest of the cast (yes, there have definitely been numerous times where I've sat through series I disliked / hated just because of Ram!).

Needless to say, I absolutely enjoyed reading the below interview that a Mainland paper did with Ram and only wish that there was a video version of the interview too (I’m not familiar with this particular paper so if anyone knows if they actually do publish video versions of their interviews somewhere, I would be curious to know.)

Hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did! :-)

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YCWB Interview with Ram Tseung:   “The entertainment industry suits me, but I’m not suited to the entertainment industry”

Source: Yang Cheng Evening Paper

Article originally published on August 3, 2012

Translation: llwy12

He almost always plays ‘small potato’ characters, but yet he says he is very happy; his path [to fame] always seems to be slower than others, but yet he says he doesn’t regret it….

You might not know his name, but you will definitely recognize his face. Ram Tseung (蔣志光) has appeared in countless TVB series throughout his 20 year acting career – from the effeminate James in the hit sitcom War of the Genders《男親女愛》(2000) to drama fanatic Law Ka Fai in the comedy Life Begins at Forty《花樣中年》(2003) to the likably cute Eunuch Po in 2009’s anniversary series Beyond the Realm of Conscience《宮心計》, to the playful and humorous ‘Little Mr. Kiu’ in the recently aired Witness Insecurity《護花危情》(2012) -- in his 2 decades as a ‘green leaf’ (supporting) actor, he has ‘changed’ many faces. Yet how many people remember that many years ago, Ram had actually started in the entertainment industry as a singer / songwriter who was responsible for bringing us the golden classic (and karaoke favorite), Met As Strangers, Once Acquainted 《相逢何必曾相識》— his famous duet with singer Rita Carpio (韋以珊). [TN: the English translation of the song title is purely my interpretation and NOT the ‘official’ translation by any means.] Even though his career ‘changed’ from music to television, one thing that hasn’t changed for this ‘second-line drama king’ is his philosophy on life – it also has not extinguished the desire in his heart to pursue his ultimate dream.

YC = Yang Cheng Evening Paper
RT = Ram Tseung


Recounting the days of old

In 3 of the series that just finished airing on TVB -- Master of Play 《心戰》, Witness Insecurity 《護花危情》, and Three Kingdoms RPG《 回到三國》—Ram Tseung played his usual ‘green leaf’ roles. For die-hard TVB fans, Ram might be a familiar face, however not everyone might be familiar with his singer / songwriter past or his ‘golden’ classics Met As Strangers, Once Acquainted 《相逢何必曾相識》 and Queen’s Road East《皇后大道東》[his duet with Taiwanese singer/songer Lo Da Yu (羅大佑)].

YC: A lot of people don’t know that you actually started in the industry as a singer. Can you tell us a little bit about your experience in this area?

RT: I believe the year was 1979 – at that time, I was doing behind-the-scenes work for movies. I had actually gone through many different positions, with the highest being assistant director. Later, the HK movie industry slumped and it was almost impossible to survive doing independent film – for 6 months, I didn’t have any work, so I decided to switch to doing behind-the-scenes work in music. At that time, I would mostly sing ‘saliva songs’ [TN: songs so common that everyone knew how to sing them] and do imitations of other singers such as Leslie Cheung (張國榮), George Lam (林子祥), etc. – I still remember there was a line in the movie C’est La Vie, Mon Cheri《新不了情》(1993) that went something like this: ‘Ram Tseung merely started in the industry singing saliva songs too!’ [laughs] It wasn’t until 1985, during George Lam’s concert, when I pretended to be a monkey imitating him singing, that people started knowing of me. Not long after that, I signed with record company Polygram [now Universal] and participated in the “Asian Region Pop Song Competition” and later released my first EP album. At that time, Polygram had 3 singers they wanted to promote – Ram Tseung, Hacken Lee (李克勤), and Chris Wong (黄凯芹). The company had the 3 of us release albums at the same time and told us that whoever’s album sells well, they will get the chance to continue releasing albums. The result was that both Chris and Hacken’s albums sold well, but mine didn’t. Later on, I signed with another record company and formed the band ‘Second Generation Wind and Cloud’ with 2 other artists, however the company wanted me to release a solo album, so that’s when I wrote the song Met As Strangers, Once Acquainted.

YC: After that song, your singing career started to take flight, however not long after that, you announced that you would be leaving the music industry. Why?

RT: The main reason was because I discovered that my foundation in music was not strong enough. To be a successful singer, I had to guarantee that each of my albums will sell better than the previous one – the pressure was too great. Plus the music industry at that time was already very different from what it was in the past and so I could already anticipate that a future in singing was not very optimistic. In addition, I was a pretty picky person and didn’t get along too well with others, so I decided to leave the music industry.

YC: Did you struggle with the decision?

RT: No. My thinking at the time was -- rather than continuing to remain in the industry until you dry up, why not just withdraw when there’s still a chance?

YC: After you left the music industry, there was a long period of time where you wouldn’t sing at all on any shows or programs. Was this because in your mind, there was a sort of ‘mental resistance’ to singing?

RT: No, it wasn’t resistance. The HK entertainment industry is very weird – they like to ‘label’ all their artists as either ‘actors’ or ‘singers’. As an artist, if you are able to act and sing well, it’s supposed to mean that you’re a multi-talented person, however in HK, it’s different – if your status isn’t clearly classified into one of those categories, it’s like you’re out of place. My philosophy has always been: either I do the best job or I don’t do it at all – since I wanted to be a good actor, I had to give up on singing. Even now, at this point in my career, I hope for people to remember me as an actor more than as a singer. In the future, if people bring up the name ‘Ram Tseung’ and feel that I was both a good actor and a good singer, of course it would give me even more of a sense of accomplishment.

YC: It wasn’t until Lo Da Yu’s (羅大佑) concert in 2004 that you finally got up on the stage and sang again. Did you feel at that time that you could finally throw out your apprehensions about singing?

RT: No. Actually, I originally didn’t even plan on participating in the concert, but then Patrick Tang (鄧健泓) asked me: ‘Perhaps look at it as an opportunity to go see your old friend again and reminisce with him about the old days?’ I thought: ‘true, that makes sense’, so I decided to go. Nowadays, I still occasionally perform on stage here and there to earn some extra money, but to me, that’s purely a method of earning money. If you ask me, I would still tell you that I am an actor.


Towards Acting…

After leaving the music industry, Ram Tseung took with him the dream of one day becoming a director and eventually joined TVB, becoming an actor instead. At first, he saw becoming an actor as a ‘stepping stone’ for a different career path and so he took a ‘passing through’ attitude toward acting. What he didn’t expect was that he would go from waiting impatiently for each work day to end to, 20 years later, truly developing a love for acting. Having resigned himself to the fact that he ‘doesn’t have the fate to be male lead’, Ram has found a certain type of joy in playing a variety of different ‘small potato’-type characters.

YC: After withdrawing from the music industry, why did you choose to join TVB?

RT: Because I wanted to continue cultivating my creativity. I felt that this industry was closer to my dream – I always tell people that my ultimate goal is in movies, so I decided to give up my singing career to pursue acting. Thinking back on this path now, I feel that I made the right decision.

YC: For someone like you who didn’t graduate from the Acting Classes, did your acting get criticized a lot in the beginning?

RT: I consider myself lucky in that all the roles I’ve gotten have been ones that I’m able to handle. However I will admit that in the beginning, I didn’t apply 100% dedication to acting because what I really liked most was behind-the-scenes work. But, there’s a saying in our industry that gets circulated quite often: ‘Never think about just acting for a few years and then leaving, because as soon as you say this, you won’t be able to leave for a number of years.’ It described my situation perfectly – I thought I would just be ‘passing through’, but in the blink of an eye, I’ve already been acting for 20 years.

YC: How did you ‘endure’ these past 20 years?

RT: In the beginning, I was truly just waiting for each work day to end. Then when I started filming A Kindred Spirit 《真情》, I got to know Louise Lee (李司棋) . She treated the filming studio like her own home, often bringing pillows , newspapers, magazines, etc. almost every day. I asked her why she did that -- she told me that filming series is a long-term job and if we constantly thought if it as temporary and just waited to get off work everyday, it would definitely be a painful experience for us. It was like a light suddenly went on: I came to realize that there’s no point in constantly looking at the clock and wondering when the day will be over – instead, just enjoy the moment and the work at hand. A few years later, I was filming a series with Patrick Tam (譚耀文) and all of a sudden, I told him that I’ve come to love acting. After so many years of thinking that my work is dull and dry, to all of a sudden have feelings for it, definitely very interesting – from that moment on, my attitude toward work changed completely.

YC: Having played so many characters throughout the years, which one is your favorite?

RT: Looking back at it now, I feel that every character I played is very interesting and ‘cute’. For example, the character of James in War of the Genders, Sheung Jing Man in Safeguards《鐵血保鏢》, Leung Cham in A Fistful of Stances《鐵馬尋橋》. Even in Files of Justice《壹號皇庭》and A Kindred Spirit, my characters may not have stood out much, but the experiences were happy ones.

YC: Do you have a special fondness for these types of ‘small potato’ characters?

RT: Primarily because the producers believe in me and feel that I’m able to portray these types of characters well. I already don’t have the looks, so if I can’t even play these types of ‘small potato’ characters well, then it would definitely be impossible to survive [in the industry]. That’s why I feel that I need to firmly grasp the path of being a ‘character actor’! (Laughs)

YC: To be able to portray these types of characters well is not easy. Do you have a particular method to it?

RT: Normally, I would find myself a ‘reference’ that I could base the character off of. For example, in Witness Insecurity, I modeled the character of ‘Little Mr Kiu’ after Eric Tsang (曾志偉) and would think about him when playing the character. However, costume dramas are actually harder to find a ‘reference’ – for example, the character of Eunuch Po in Beyond the Realm of Conscience. I feel that Eunuch Po’s ‘partner’ in the series [the character played by Michelle Yim (米雪)] is a woman with a naturally more masculine personality, so Eunuch Po has to be more ‘feminine’ in order to reach a good balance that complements each other. Therefore, I discussed this at length with producer Siu Ching Jie [Miu Siu Ching (梅小青)] and as a result, we have this unique character.

YC: The roles you’ve had in the past few years have been quite well-received by audiences. Ever thought about getting an award?

RT: Never thought about it and feel that there is no need. Of course, I wouldn’t oppose it if it were to happen, but I feel that it’s better to be more practical in life – I would rather the company give me a pay raise! (Laughs)

YC: After so many years as a supporting actor, have you thought about doing lead roles?

RT: I feel that anyone can have the chance to be male lead. If a particular script were to have the ‘small potato’ character be the focal point of a series, I would perhaps have a chance. But in a commercialized society such as ours, there are many things that need to be taken into consideration. In HK, the ‘definition’ of a male lead is usually someone who is tall and handsome, young and suave. Mainland series on the other hand generally give middle-aged and even older actors more chance for development, but HK series generally don’t.

YC: Do you follow any Mainland series?

RT: I usually watch the historical series, such as Three Kingdoms 《三国》or Water Margin 《水浒传》. Whether it’s the scope or content, these types of series are usually quite spectacular – as an actor, it’s rare to get the opportunity to participate in these types of productions. If there’s ever the chance to collaborate with such ‘masters’ of acting in a series, it would definitely be a huge honor!


Towards His Dreams….

Despite having experienced many ups and downs in his long television career, Ram Tseung’s ‘movie dream’ has never faded. Whenever he has some leisure time, Ram would work on creating scripts, however up to this point, he has not found anyone to ‘share’ his creative ideas with. When it comes to creativity, Ram is very much a perfectionist, sometimes to the point of being ‘stubbornly persistent’ – it’s no wonder then, that he would ‘downplay’ his own ability by saying: “the entertainment industry suits me, but I’m not suited to the entertainment industry.”

YC: In the fickle world of the entertainment industry, being persistent in your ‘movie dream’ is not easy, right?

RT: TVB doesn’t have fixed monthly salaries and to be honest, my pay is not very high, but luckily my workload has been quite consistent so the money I make is enough to live off of. I’m not a materialistic person, so to have what I do now, I’m already very grateful. My family has also been very supportive of my decisions – they pretty much never watch TV, but whenever I’m in a series, they would always tune in to watch my performance. For me, this is already enough.

YC: Earlier, Ricky Wong (王维基) [CTI chairman] poached quite a few people. Ever thought about leaving to another station?

RT: I’m not that kind of person. At TVB, there’s a more stable environment and steady income, so I don’t feel it’s necessary to worry too much about the other stuff. I’ve been with the company many years, so of course I’ve already established a certain bond with them. [Rather than going to a different company], I actually hope to have the opportunity to film series in the Mainland.

YC: How about your ‘movie dream’? Still something you’d like to pursue?

RT: All these years, my ultimate goal is still to become a movie director one day. I’ve actually been working on a script all this time too, however my creative thought is pretty much the same as most of the ordinary HK scriptwriters – usually the beginning part of the script is awesome, but then 45 minutes into it, I feel helpless and hesitant…haha! If there’s money, then we can shoot a few more big action scenes, then wait for the story to end…if there’s no money, very hard to continue the story….(Laughs).

YC: If the script comes to fruition, would you seek out investors for it?

RT: Looking for investors is a huge lesson in itself. Many times, after you find an investor, you will discover that most of the script doesn’t belong to you anymore. (Laughs) I once read a report that talked about how production costs for Mainland films as well as actors’ fees continue to increase more and more, however the quality of the films get worse and worse. There’s a joke about it…someone once asked me: ‘Ram, if you could film a movie right now, how much money would you need?’ I replied: ‘2 to 3 million is enough’ to which the other person replied: ‘If you wanted 20 to 30 million, then it might be a possibility.’ The reason behind this type of thinking is that most ordinary people feel if you only invest 2 to 3 million into a movie, it must be bad quality -- but in reality, all that money really isn’t necessary. When you have a good script, you have to find someone who understands how to appreciate the art of a film to invest in it – if the investor is just an ordinary businessman who is more concerned about box office sales and return on investment than about the film itself, that’s not the result I want. Even if I’m not able to find an investor for a long time, I won’t feel it’s a pity because throughout the creative process, I’m happy and satisfied.

YC: But when a dream is ‘too perfect’, oftentimes it’s very hard to achieve.

RT: In this industry, perhaps not everyone is able to realize their dreams, but those who have the talent and ability will definitely be able to survive. Not everyone will move with the tide – some people are like cornerstones, strong foundational support who may not necessarily attain great status and wealth.

YC: But those who ‘move with the tide’ seem to have quicker results. You’ve never regretted it [taking the slower path]?

RT: I truly have not regretted it. I always say that the entertainment industry is suited to me, but people like me are not suited to the industry. The entertainment industry is suited to me because the creative space in the industry is really brilliant – being able to combine music and video images as one is truly a beautiful thing and makes this world [entertainment industry] so rewarding. But at the same time, this same ‘beautiful’ world is filled with fighting and vying for one’s own interests – that’s why I say that someone like me is not suited to exist in this type of world.

My Thoughts on “Beyond the Realm of Conscience 宮心計”

I finally got around to watching this series, but only because it happened to come on TV -- for the longest time, I refused to watch this series because I hated how TVB overpromoted it (it totally turns me off when they do stupid stuff like that), plus I had also said that I would not watch this series until after I watched "Rosy Business" and "Born Rich" (and I've finally watched both series, so I guess the timing was perfect).

Anyway, I must say that I totally do not understand the hype over BTROC at all -- it's way overrated and is pretty much all stuff that I've seen before (goes to show that this is yet another example of TVB running out of ideas and overhyping this series solely because all of their favorite sons and daughters are in it).

Since this series has probably been analyzed to death already (by netizens and audiences alike, no doubt), I don't see the point of wasting my team with an in-depth review -- so I am just going to state my opinion on certain parts (mostly the dislikes) and then move on....

Ok, so back when this series aired in 2009, the biggest 'hype' with the series was the supposed 'stellar' ensemble cast and also Tavia's 'breakthrough' performance as a villain. I'll talk about Tavia's performance later....but first, the cast -- the biggest selling point of the series was supposedly the story surrounding the main leads Charmaine, Moses, Kevin, and Tavia (and of course TVB had no qualms about sticking this point in our -- the audience -- faces...or should I say, ramming it down our throats?). Anyway, I personally was not impressed by any of the main leads' performances because to me, it was the same old stuff: Moses in his Emperor role again trying to outsmart the evil generals who are constantly trying to usurp his power; Charmaine in her 'goody-two-shoes' role again who is unrealistically nice to everyone and everything and let's people walk all over her without a word of complaint; Kevin in another typical 'nice guy' role that honestly, put me to sleep; and Tavia in her first evil villain role that really was not convincing at all (to put it less midly, she came across very fake to me).

So first, let's look at Moses and Charmaine's characters in the series. To be honest, I found it really weird watching this series and seeing Charmaine as Moses' love interest (though it's mostly one-sided, since Charmaine is paired with Kevin) because I had just finished re-watching "Perish in the Name of Love" not too long ago and the 2 of them were father and daughter in that series (true, that series was made like 7 years ago, but still....). Luckily, Moses and Charmaine weren't really a couple in this series because that would have just totally grossed me out (sorry, but I'm a bit slow when it comes to switching relationships like that). But actually, there's another reason why I bring up the series PITNOL -- because I really felt that both Moses and Charmaine's characters in BTROC (Charmaine's especially) reminded me of their characters in PITNOL, a series that I absolutely HATED with a passion because almost all the characters (except Steven's) were so utterly stupid (I mean, come on now, how many times does someone have to "hurt" you before you 'wake up' and stop continuing to 'believe in' that person??). I think this is why I absolutely hated Charmaine's character in this series because just like in PITNOL, she kept forgiving her friend/sister for doing bad things and kept believing her when she said she would change, but actually don't (though I have to say that Charmaine's character in PITNOL was 10x worse). I mean, come on, no normal person is like THAT DENSE in real life (even in the imperial days)! Personally, I think that the writers didn't develop Charmaine's character on purpose because remember that TVB's whole point for this series was to push Tavia for TV Queen, so of course the focus should be on her rather than Charmaine (plus Charmaine had another popular series in contention that year anyway, so it didn't really matter -- she would make it in either way). For Charmaine, playing the role of Lau Sam Ho was probably a piece of cake, since she's constantly playing those types of roles anyway....As for Moses, well I don't have much else to say about his character except that it's another 'typical' role, one that he's done before, so it totally lacked creativity....

On to Kevin's character....in my opinion, Kevin was really boring in this series -- I honestly was wondering what the point of his character was except as a love interest for Charmaine. Yes, his job was supposed to be protecting the emperor, but hey, there weren't very many action/fighting scenes in the series anyway (why would there be when the focus is supposed to be on the evil schemes of the women in the inner palace?). His character (and to some extent, his performance) was so boring that it pretty much put me to sleep. And I'm sorry, but I did not sense any chemistry at all between Kevin and Charmaine in this series (in constrast, as much as I hated PITNOL, I was really able to feel the chemistry between Steven and Charmaine there) -- I'm actually starting to think whether it's Kevin's problem because I noticed that in most of the series that I've watched with Kevin in it, I always feel like there is zero chemistry between him and his female co-stars (at least on screen).

And finally, Tavia -- who is supposed to be the central figure in this series. My personal opinon is that Tavia does not do 'evil' or 'villainess' very well at all -- she came across as very fake and forced to me...pretty much, I think she tried too hard (especially with her supposed 'evil' stare and laugh). I've heard arguments from people (Tavia fans no doubt) that we should cut her some slack because it's her first time as a villain so there are bound to be flaws -- well, my response to that argument is that 1) I never said she had to be perfect in her role, but she has to be at least CONVINCING and 2) there are many artists in the past who did convincingly awesome jobs in their first villain roles, to the point where they were able to completely turn their 'good boy/girl' image around (Michelle Yim and Susanna Kwan come to mind on the female side and Gallen Lo as well as Deric Wan for the males -- though there are undoubtedly many more). I think this just goes to show that Tavia doesn't have enough depth as an actress yet to be able to pull off these types of difficult villain characters with success -- she definitely needs more work in this area....

Ok, now that I've vented my frustrations with the main leads, was there anything that I actually liked about this series? Yes, of course -- I really liked the supporting cast in this series and totally feel like they stole the show. Lee Kwok Lun was downright evil as General Ma (I've watched his series since the 80s and he is an absolutely awesome actor -- and terribly underrated), Michelle Yim and Susanna Kwan were great in their roles as heads of their respective departments, and I absolutely loved Ram Tseung in his eunuch role (another one of my favorite supporting actors who is so totally underrated). Oh, and of course, I have to mention Susan Tse and Mary Hon in the Empress Dowager roles, which were very fitting for them and the acting was superb. Even KK Cheung was great, even though he only had a small role in the series. For some odd reason, I actually felt that the storyline surrounding these supporting characters had way more depth and was alot more interesting than the main one involving the 4 leads. The supporting cast and the storyline surrounding them was definitely the primary motivating factor that made me continue to watch -- otherwise, I probably would have given up on the series a long time ago.