Mui Siu-ching, Lau Ka-ho Return to TVB as Production Directors
The former “golden producers” of TVB, Mui Siu-ching (梅小青) and Lau Ka-ho (劉家豪), will be returning to the mother station next month as directors of the drama department, thus putting them on equal footing with TVB executive, Catherine Tsang (曾麗珍).
The television producing couple are known for creating some of Hong Kong’s most popular television dramas in the last decade. Lau Ka-ho was the force behind the 2007 classic Heart of Greed <溏心風暴> and its record-breaking spiritual sequel, 2008’s Moonlight Resonance <溏心風暴之家好月圓>. Mui Siu-ching created the highly successful Forensic Heroes series <法證先鋒>, 2009’s Beyond the Realm of Conscience <宮心計>, and 2010’s Can’t Buy Me Love <公主嫁到>, the latter which pushed lead star Charmaine Sheh (佘詩曼) to win Best Actress at the 16th Asian Television Awards.
According to a report released on Monday, both Lau Ka-ho and Mui Siu-ching will be returning to TVB next month as directors of the drama department. Lau and Mui had left TVB in 2012 for Now TV, where they acted as the general managers for Now TV’s drama department. There, the couple produced 2014’s The Virtuous Queen of Han <衛子夫>, a co-production with Mainland China’s Zhejiang Huace Film & TV.
Mark Lee (李寶安), CEO of TVB Group, confirmed the news of Lau and Mui’s return on March 14. In his interview, he expressed that TVB’s rise in viewership ratings this year has prompted the broadcaster to begin recruiting more talent back so it can produce higher quality content for viewers.
Lee said, “[TVB] will be producing about 600 hours of television dramas per year. We also plan to collaborate with various Mainland Chinese production giants. I am very happy to announce that we have invited producers Lau Ka-ho and Mui Siu-ching back to our family. They will be in charge of about 100 hours of drama content.”
As directors of TVB’s drama department, Lau and Mui will operate within their own “special region.” To not clash with Catherine Tsang’s operations, Lau and Mui will be solely in charge of managing TVB’s co-productions with Mainland China. These aforementioned productions will have a budget of at least $30 million HKD, fifty percent more than standard HK-produced television dramas. Lau and Mui will be able to hire their own crew and actors. TVB said they also plan to hire overseas actors to star in these productions.
With the return of Lau and Mui, it is alleged that TVB intends to continue Mui’s Forensic Heroes franchise, as well as create productions similar to the scope of Heart of Greed, Beyond the Realm of Conscience, and Can’t Buy Me Love.
Heart of Greed stars, such as Louise Lee (李司棋), Susanna Kwan (關菊英), Michelle Yim (米雪), and Ha Yu (夏雨), have all expressed their glee at hearing Lau and Mui’s return to TVB. They said they are open to another collaboration again.
Charmaine Sheh, who starred in Mui’s Forensic Heroes II, Beyond the Realm of Conscience, and Can’t Buy Me Love, said the producers’ return to TVB is a good thing. Out of all the productions she has worked with Mui, Charmaine said her favorite was Can’t Buy Me Love.
“Because it’s a comedy,” said Charmaine. “We all had a great time filming it. The audience also loves it. After so many years, I still hear people praising it. I feel fortunate to have had worked with them.”
Charmaine said she is definitely open to a collaboration with Lau and Mui again, but is not sure if she would be able to shoot another period drama due to her neck injury. “My doctor advised me to not wear anything heavy on my head because it would aggravate the old injury.” She said she needs to “really look into it” if she is to film another period drama again.
Source: On.cc
This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.
Ehhh while I think both of them did make some great contributions to TV in the early days of their career, their latest works were lukewarm and formulaic at best. Their stuff got high ratings cus they know how to drive an episode to major cliffhangers so it drew ppl to watch. Plot-wise, however, they were mostly major fails. When they return, I hope they bring a fresh perspective with them. Also, why directing vs producing? I would think producers have more power over directors?
@coralie I actually agree…..not too excited about Lau and Mui’s return for several reasons. Their series the past decade and a half haven’t been that great (prefer their 80s/early 90s series more), plus their focus upon their return will be on Mainland productions (just like when they were at NowTV), so I don’t see what there is to ‘get excited’ about. Also, they will be Catherine Tsang-level execs, but doesn’t necessarily mean they will personally be involved as producers, so it also will depend on which producers and scriptwriters they end up working with.
One thing that’s a bit concerning – so the piece about continuing the Forensic Heroes franchise, I honestly hope that’s just a rumor! Loved the first Forensic Heroes, but unfortunately, both subsequent sequels sucked big time (leave it up to TVB to screw up the original series with lame sequels….I can only remember a few instances in their 49 year existence where they actually ‘got it right’ with the sequels). If Mui Siu Ching does end up doing another FH installment, then that means it will be Mainland version – sorry, but FH2 and FH3 already brought down the franchise, no need to put the nail further in the coffin!
P.S.: I’m actually not surprised with Lau and Mui’s return, as it always seemed to me that their vision and way of doing things jived more with ‘the TVB way’ than with NowTV’s, especially with NowTV’s change in vision with their official launch of ViuTV and the type of content they are offering. Kind of curious though whether this was already in the works a few years back when Ho Lai Chuen decided to ‘retire’ and leave NowTV, since Lau and Mui originally joined NowTV because of him and all 3 of them are very ‘old-school’ TVB in terms of style.
@coralie
i don’t know what old dramas they made but the ones mentioned in the article isn’t really that great. i watched all of them but mostly b/c there was nothing else to watch.
@m0m0 Well I can give some examples of “great” TV, but everyone’s preferences are different so what may be great to me isn’t so great to others. But I quite liked Lau Kar Ho’s production “The Gentle Crackdown” which I found adorable, even if cliche sometimes. I’m sure he’s done other stuff too but I can’t find much on Wiki (that I like). I loved MSC’s 天上凡間 when I was a kid. It’s still definitely one of TVB’s better older productions IMO. “Where the Legend Begins” was also beautifully produced. It’s not a big list as you can tell, hence my lackluster response. But when they do it well, they do it well.
@coralie @llwy12 TVB has relied on same formula to produce dramas for years. I’m not particularly excited by Mui and Lau’s return, but hope that TVB’s acknowledgement that their current dramas are poor quality will lead to organizational changes that will pave the way for future improvement. I hope they offer better pay to their employees and staff to attract better talent. Focus on developing acting talents that deserve lead roles.
Pulling back the big names like Fallen Lo and Charmaine Sheh may only work for one or two series. Unless there is true change in higher quality dramas throughout the production process, then casting former big stars are just one-time marketing gimmicks.
Meant to say Gallen Lo…typo due to auto correct ;p
@jayne Completely agree. So far, I have not seen any actual changes at TVB that shows me they are serious about making things better. The way I see it, their ‘strategy’ of recruiting former artists and behind-the-scenes people (scriptwriters, directors, producers, etc.) to return is nothing more than a gimmick and also taking a ‘band-aid’ approach to their problems. It might help TVB temporarily in terms of ratings (though with them switching to a new rating system later this year, who knows what will happen in terms of accuracy and such), but won’t do them any good in the long run unless they do a complete overhaul of their system and change their policies as well as the way they operate. TVB pretty much needs to invest in the areas that count (i.e. better salary and work environment, employee benefits and ‘perks’, better scriptwriters / scripts, less exec involvement in productions, commitment to creative freedom for scriptwriters/producers, new filming equipment, acting classes, audience interaction and feedback sessions, etc. etc. – the list goes on and on). Until I see these types of ‘improvements’ being done, I pretty much am not buying into any of TVB’s surface-level ‘changes’ that they feel will turn things around for them.
@llwy12 TVB is still producing shows under similar practices from the 1980s, with 16 to 18 hour filming schedules and poor pay. It may have worked back then, since artistes, production crew, and scriptwriters only focused on the HK market and didn’t have much choice among employers–it was either ATV or TVB. Viewers didn’t have much choice either, so drama production was kept the same way for decades.
With the rise of the Mainland market, industry professionals have gravitated there as well. Despite the higher pay, working in China is not for everyone. HKTV proved that HK drama production can still shine, if the bar is set incredibly high and people are compensated and treated properly for their efforts.
If only TVB would focus on higher quality programming rather than the “band aid” fix each time ratings drop… But higher quality programming and salary increases would increase expenses, which management doesn’t want to do. Thus the minimal investment on long term improvement.
@jayne Yup! And it’s not just production practices that are still in the Stone Ages, the salary is too (this shows how ‘insincere’ TVB is with making things better). It still baffles me beyond imagination that TVB continues to pay their artists (and their other employees) below market wages in this day and age, especially with the amount of profit they make as a company, plus the continued increase to the cost of living in HK year after year (and the additional choices that everyone has now like you mentioned). It’s hard not to feel angry when you hear one veteran artist after another complain about how they’ve worked for TVB for 15, 20, even 30 years and are still being paid similar salary as when they first started (and when they ask for a raise, they have to jump through hoops to get it… and usually it’s only a few measly dollars increase). And then when those artists leave for better opportunities (and usually more money), they are labeled as ‘ungrateful’, ‘money-crazy’, ‘traitors’, or whatever other derogatory term die-hard TVB enthusiasts come up with, and are bashed for ‘forgetting who made their careers’ – when, for some of them, all they are trying to do is improve their lot in life or continue to support their families by finding a better-paying job. And add to that the lack of respect with which TVB treats its artists (another big complaint that various artists have talked about throughout the years) – it’s pretty much adding insult to injury.
You would think that the ATV debacle should be a ‘wake-up call’ for TVB to make drastic changes so they don’t end up going down that same path in the near future – but obviously not, since, from TVB’s perspective, the elimination of yet another ‘opponent’ just serves to solidify their monopoly even more.
@llwy12 what is the chance that TVB will go through the same path as ATV you think? And if they do, how soon will it happen?
@kaykay408 That’s a hard question to answer. Technically, they already are going down the ‘same path’ as ATV in terms of bad management and poor decision-making…and of course, it’s a given that from a structural standpoint, TVB and ATV are very similar in terms of how they operate. The difference is in the lack of stability, which has plagued ATV for decades. If we think about it, ATV has had financial problems and management issues going as far back as the 80s (technically even further back than that actually) and they’ve essentially been ‘struggling’ for at least the past 2 decades – but they still managed to hang on and at least fulfill the minimum requirement of keeping audiences entertained with their programming. The straw that broke the camel’s back for them was Mainland investor Wong Ching taking over in 2010 and the management allowing him to call all the shots (which, by the way, was technically ‘illegal’, since ATV is a public broadcaster and the laws governing free-to-air licenses stipulates that non-HK entities/persons cannot have direct or indirect involvement in the station’s operations). Wong Ching was the one who made the “bonehead” decision not to film series anymore, as he wanted to turn ATV into “Asia’s CNN” – obviously, things went downhill from there and ATV was never able to recover.
So to kind of answer your question….it really depends on whether TVB makes a drastic move or not. Personally, I highly doubt that TVB would ever make the decision to not film series anymore, as they know full well that would be immediate death for them….so in that regard, they will continue to chug along just like ATV did. The biggest risk for them is that new Mainland investor/partner person that they have now, whom they brought on to help them expand into Mainland market – if they make the same stupid mistake that ATV did of letting that Mainland investor call any of the shots or make decisions for them operationally, then that’s what will bring them down faster than anything (or if they do anything that violates the terms of their license). Otherwise, if they keep doing the minimum like they’re doing now and make absolutely no changes (by changes, I’m referring to the stuff I mentioned in my posts above), they’ll probably still be around for a long time to come unfortunately.
@llwy12 thank you as always for the thorough answer 🙂
Believe it is “director” of a company or a department (organisational wise), not director of production (directing a production)
“TVB intends to continue Mui’s Forensic Heroes franchise”
… why don’t they just continue detective investigative files or D.I.E. (Death Investigation Extension) instead…
But then again they may ruin it if they continue it.
@kk12345 OMG I’d love it if they did another D.I.E. series, that drama gave me so many LOLs! But whenever a drama gets another series/remake it’s either done really good or really disappointingly, there is no in between.
@kk12345 No please….as it is, TVB already ‘sequeled’ DIF to death with 3 subsequent installments after the original (with the last installment having nothing to do with the original). DIF was actually one of the better-produced franchises (I had some issues with the sequels, especially DIF IV, but still ok overall)– given TVB’s current resources, no doubt that they will butcher it if they tried to ‘extend’ it, so definitely no thanks! Besides, I remember reading that DIF’s scriptwriter Ka Wai Nam said that he isn’t interested in writing detective / police investigation modern series anymore (most of his series in recent years were costume dramas) – though he might make an exception if DIF’s producer Poon Kar Tak truly does retire this year or next year as rumored…I still hope not though, since I don’t want to see DIF franchise butchered.
As for D.I.E. – wasn’t keen on that series (both original and sequel) in the first place so doesn’t matter to me whether they ‘extend’ it or not – though most of the main cast from that series already left TVB so likelihood of them changing the cast/story completely and butchering it are quite high.
@llwy12 The good thing about DIF that it has some heartwarming moments as well as some comedy and drama, but it did not steal the spotlight from the crime mysteries that was the centre of the franchise. I find that that the cop series TVB produces now is just a facade for some cliched romance story where crime and reason take a back seat to some dragging love pentagon.
As for Mui Siu Ching and Lau Kar Ho, I really hated “The Virtuous Queen of Han” and thought it was very disappointing in terms of production and plot. If they do return to TVB, I hope they deliver something better.
@elizabeth I agree with you about DIF. To be honest, TVB hasn’t really made a decent police drama since DIF and UE – seems like they are incapable of doing so nowadays.
As for Lau and Mui being able to deliver better content — I don’t have much confidence, unfortunately. Lau Kar Ho and Mui Siu Ching did produce some excellent series in the past, but most of their recent ones (like from the past 10 to 15 years) have been mediocre at best and have mostly relied on the ‘all-star ensemble cast’ and ‘family infighting/drama’ gimmick to pull in ratings rather than actual focus on quality and script/plot. I guess we’ll have to see though….
Looking forward to their series!
what happen and where is her sister “Cutie Mui Siu-wai” ?!? Should return to TVB as well she was so funny 🙂
@vodka I’m with you on that one! What’s Cutie!!!! Miss her…
@happybi
She’s a radio DJ in 881 now but mainly working behind the scenes. Hosting a radio show called Good night kiss kiss kiss. She’s really funny and smart with an interesting perspective to the world. I wish she came back to the TV or movie industry. Such a wasted talent. Maybe she will follow her sister and come back as well?
@chestnut Oh that’s too bad. I thought she was a good actress. Will be nice if she does come back with her sis and be in 1 of her dramas!
@vodka I think she is working behind the scenes. She lost a lot of weight after the breakup and occasionally, you can see her in travel documentaries or hear her voice in a voiceover. I don’t think she works for TVB anymore.
Great or not great, it’s good tvb bring back some talented people, to boost newbie to be competitive too. Frankly, tvb had been getting bad to worse. So no harm bringing some oldies back. Hope with China money, can retain some good actor/actresses in tvb too.
Mehh… Not excited at all because I never really liked their production. I guess I’ll have to watch IF they manage to cast Charmaine, otherwise sorry.
@sehseh woah you kidding? some are master piece go watch Forensic Heroes right now! the Bobby and Frankie version lol