The Return of TVB Uncles: Male Leads Pushing 50
While entertainers from all around the world are getting younger and younger, Hong Kong entertainers are witnessing a backwards trend. Gone are the times when TVB dramas used to have young, animated, blossoming, and abled leading actors to liven up our television screens. It is now time for a new age – the age of TVB uncles.
TVB is not completely out of young actors. Although these budding newer actors are not nearly as tender as the leading stars of the 80s, 90s, or even of the early millennium, they are nonetheless young, growing, and have bright futures ahead of them. Ruco Chan (陳展鵬), Edwin Siu (蕭正楠), Jason Chan (陳智燊), Him Law (羅仲謙), and Oscar Leung (梁烈唯) are some of our most recent rising stars.
Despite this, none of these newer stars are able to carry an entire drama on their own, aside from Ruco. Him and Oscar are still billed as supporting actors. Jason is still not ready to carry his own drama, as proven from the poor reviews of Jason’s first leading project, Missing You<幸福摩天輪>. Edwin has yet to prove himself as a competent leading actor. Even Ruco, TVB’s fastest rising star in recent years, has not had the chance to perform in a highly-rated television drama with him credited as the lead after The Other Truth <真相>.
“The Uncle Trend” Dominates
Lacking powerful young actors, TVB has no choice but to bring back famous older actors to lead in big productions. As TVB is decorated with younger actresses, many of these older actors have no choice but to be paired up with younger actresses.
This recent “uncle trend” in TVB began last year, and was made popular through Damian Lau (劉松仁) and Tavia Yeung (楊怡)’s pairing in Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles <名媛望族>. Damian is 30 years older than Tavia.
The 51-year-old Francis Ng (吳鎮宇) is the next uncle in line. The 51-year-old actor will have relationships with both Myolie Wu (胡杏兒) and Fala Chen (陳法拉), 33 and 31 years old respectively, in the upcoming Triumph in the Skies 2 <衝上雲宵II>.
Wayne Lai (黎耀祥) and Natalie Tong (唐詩詠) will also share another thundering May-December romance. The Bullet Brain <神探高倫布> couple is 17 years apart. In the upcoming blockbuster Rosy Business 3 <巾幗梟雄之諜血長天>, Wayne will be pairing up with Myolie, who is 15 years his junior.
The 33-year-old Niki Chow (周麗淇) will be having a relationship with the 54-year-old Michael Miu (苗僑偉) in A Change of Heart <好心作怪>. The onscreen couple also shared a passionate kiss, which was shown in the drama’s sales presentation teaser trailer.
In addition, Lawrence Ng (吳啟華) has the task to help promote upcoming young actress Tracy Chu (朱千雪) in medical drama, The Hippocratic Crush 2 <On Call 36小時II>. At 48 years old, Lawrence is 23 years older than 25-year-old Tracy.
Dayo Wong (黃子華), currently working on the production of his upcoming TVB comeback, announced last month that the 33-year-old Kate Tsui (徐子珊) will be the female lead of his upcoming comedy-drama. Kate is 19 years younger than Dayo.
The 28-year-old Linda Chung (鍾嘉欣) was recently announced to be replacing Jessica Hsuan’s (宣萱) position as female lead in Tiger Cubs 2 <飛虎II>. She will be a new love interest of Joe Ma’s (馬德鐘) character, Chin Hon To. Joe is 44 years old.
This new May-December romance trend in TVB dramas are not without its criticisms. A netizen predicted that the new trend is for the sake of boosting gossip and publicity, “One year was character death, the next year was rape, and this year is May-December romances. Next year will probably be homosexual romances. [TVB’s] flavor is getting heavier. They must have nothing else to write about anymore.”
Another netizen commented, “These male actors are charismatic and manly, but where did all the siu sangs go?”
Source: Sohu.com
This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.
still dislike tvb adding lawrence to on call2. kenneth admitted that his screentime is reduced to accommodate lawrence! it’s unfair for the real leads who were part of the original series.
http://asianuniverse.net/forums/Kenneth_Ma_Admits_The_Cuts_In_His_The_Hippocratic_Crush_2_t357615.html
You purposely left out the part where TVB is using Lawrence’s popularity in Mainland to boost Kenneth’s. It’s a win-win situation here.
To Sel_fi_wu, Lawrence is a criminal from the day he dared to join that On Call 2 and take screentime of Mr. Ma so it’s pointless to tell her “Lawrence’s popularity in Mainland to boost Kenneth’s”. Don’t need to guess, if the series is a flop, she has already had all the blames on Lawrence and Lawrence only.
I am at a lost for words with this person.
Really?
Addy and Jayne, you made a typo with Linda’s chinese name, you put Kate’s chinese name instead.
The typo has been fixed. It was due to Kate’s name still in the copy clipboard at the time.
………..Wait, Nikki and Michael Miu? Umm….
heavy taste! i’ll skip this series for sure with this appalling pairing!
ruco and kenneth will fight it out for tv king this year! they get my full support. these uncles are good but their time was in the past. hope tvb gives chance for ruco and kenneth to win and shine!
ruco’s just a nono.
He’s not as experienced as Kenneth. MB next year?
Ruco has more experiences in industry than Mr. Ma :P. Not because he has just came back to Txb, he is inexperienced.
Can’t wait to see fan fights this year :D.
It’s not about experience. It’s about presence and acting skills. Plus like fox said, he got the experience already.
I liked Kenneth until all this publicity. And his recent series with myolie was too much for me. A bit overacting. I like his comedic roles a little more
I like Kenneth, but to say Ruco is ‘not as experienced’ as Kenneth is so wrong! That’s akin to the situation a few years back (or was it last year) when Ron’s fans got pissed that Ruco was a ‘newbie’ getting more promotion than Ron!
Ok people – not trying to be facetious here, but please do your homework! Ruco is a NOT a newbie – he is a ‘veteran’ who started at TVB way before Kenneth and Ron did…he was a graduate of TVB’s Acting Class back in 1994 and actually participated in quite a few TVB series at the time before he left in 1997 to pursue a movie career (and later went to ATV). He only started getting more recognition in recent years when he returned to TVB and started getting heavier roles. So experience-wise, Ruco is a ‘veteran’ and to be very honest, shouldn’t even be compared to Kenneth and the others listed in the article because he is on a different level entirely. In my opinion, with Ruco’s acting chops, he should have gotten promoted a long time ago!
Ruco started his first t.v series in 1994 while Kenneth started his in 1999. Not that it matters too much. Regardless, in my own opinion , Ruco has way better acting skills because he is so versatile and natural.He can pretty much take on any kinda roles. (etc villan ,hero …etc) =) yes i am a fan
Ruco acts better than Kenneth. Kenneth is stiff like a rod!! Frankly Kenneth got lucky for his role in on call 36 and not because of his acting skills. I don’t think Kenneth can really act
I support Ruco Chan too!!
I like Kenneth , he’s a nice guy.
But it’s obvious between them Ruco is a much better actor.
As much as I like Kenneth his acting is not as good as ruco.
i think they’re at the same level of skills. either one of them must win the tv king this year! ruco from one of his 3 series and kenneth from on call2. i’m just afraid that kenneth’s cut screentime will affect his role in on call2. This is why i’m against tvb adding lawrence to the cast!
the best results is if
Tv king: kenneth
most favourite character: ruco
good enough
Wayne :P.
yeah 😀
anyone but wayne. ruco and kenneth deserves it this year with ther 2013 portfolio.
Wayne still can wreck the dream of “young” (not really) guys again.
I’m a fan of Kenneth Ma, but I do agree that Ruco is better and Kenneth’s acting can be stiff at times. Like the crying scene in HC1 was awful.
second that. i am also a kenneth fan but find ruco is a more natural actor. kenneth is too exaggerated with his facial expressions, particularly his eyebrows. ruco can act with just his eyes.
disagree. the scene when he cried after his brother’s death was heartbreaking. but each for their own.
i don’t mind if any of ruco or kenneth get tv king this year, they deserved it. just please not WAYNE LAI again. have a feeling tvb will promote nichael tse too. he has 3 series air this year assuming sniper 2013 will air. good surprise will be if tvb put francis and chilam in the tv king race to challenge the two potentials: ruco and kenneth.
I can’t wait to see how Sel_fi_wu will bash this year’s result when her two “idols” dun win =)).
These uncles sure don’t look their age though. Hey, can we bring Uncle Gallen back please?
I’m perfectly fine with my screen plastered with Uncles than newbies that haven’t fully refined their acting yet.
Regardless – I’m going to need other Uncles to watch cuz um … Wayne is getting quite boring.
Bring on Tony Leung Ka Fei! I don’t mind Anthony Wong, Sean Lau, Nick Cheung and Louis Koo coming back either 😀
why would anthony, sean, nick & Louis be in cheap dramas if they could star in highly-rated movies?
One can dream eh?
I think I read somewhere Louis Koo still owes TVB some episodes series from his expired contract. So Louis coming back is possible. As for the other people I highly doubt they would even want to come back.
Ya those uncles look even better now than before. The same age or early 40s’ capable siu sangs all go to china to make big money so left those who are green like Him Law and Oscar. Oscar is better than Him though if base on acting skills
@pandamao: Hahaha…keep dreaming! Back when ‘Uncle’ Gallen made his return to TVB (after those 2 forgettable comeback series When a Dog Loves a Cat and Born Rich), he was pretty much told by TVB audiences that his acting sucked compared to before and to get off their TV screens. Same with artists like Michael Tao (he was heavily criticized after returning to TVB), Ray Lui, Jamie Chik, Anita Yuen, etc. (in all honesty, how many of the ‘comebacks’ by the veteran artists in the past decade were actually successful?). And look what happened to Felix Wong when he returned after a long absence? These artists are doing well without TVB, so why should they put themselves back into the slave chamber and risk losing the great reputations that they worked so hard over the past few decades to build?
As for the others you listed (most of whom are ‘big name’ movie stars now) – definitely wishful thinking, as they are not going to give TVB the time of day (though of course the HK Media would like us to believe otherwise)….those who have been quoted as saying they would ‘consider’ filming for TVB are pretty much just trying to be PC and polite given TVB’s status in HK…
so true yet so sad
i will say this though … the comeback veterans didn’t fail b/c they lost their touch but likely b/c of the new environment and changed politics. these political stuff can really impair a person’s ability to think straight.
no blame to any of them. i know they were legends for a reason!
good thoughtful analysis though, nice to read something intelligent for once!
I miss Uncle Gallen too!
Actually, I miss all the “uncles”; they are so much better than the current siusungs.
Why can’t they bring back the actresses from that time with the actors? I mean, what’s the one with Ray a few years back. That was really good because you had him and Jamie, even though I’m not a fan of hers.
I too agree that TVB is headed down a path untravelled if they keep this up. You need big stars, not Oscar and Him as the leads. Even giving them supporting roles is being generous, when you have people like the dude that works at the massage parlor part time.
I am tired of seeing the same actors over and over again, give some variety please.
oscar is good but he still doesn’t have that lead charisma. nancy showed her charisma in autumn story but oscar although has good crying skills still look like a supporting actor. he needs time. him has to stop using his body and looks as his main attraction and i notice his acting is one note. he also looks too big in spring. someone please replace jason! he can’t act! only ruco has biggest potential and best acting out of this new four siu sangs.
Lead charisma? Hehe but anyone can be lead now in Txb as they are seriously lacking actors (actresses, too).
yeah-I totally agree
I was watching “Missing You” the other day, & afta the 1st 3 episodes I just couldn’t stand it.
His acting is revolting, and along with the plain plot + LInda’s poor portrayal of her character I stopped watching it
I hate it so badly. At first I though LInda was a great actress (esp. in l’escargot), but after watching “missing You” she proved me wrong
D:
agree. jason is too unnatural and linda is boring and worse than her usual being beside jason. they can be nominated as one of the worse acted leading screen pairing in tvb.
Well, seeing how poorly Born Rich (that’s the series with Ray, Jamie, Gallen, Kenix, Anita, etc.) was received and how badly all those ‘veterans’ were bashed by audiences, I highly doubt they would be willing to return. Honestly, that was one series that proved why veteran artists SHOULDN’T come back and work for TVB because it can ruin their reputations and cause unnecessary tarnish to their careers. I mean, come on – it was obvious that the reason why that series sucked was because of the poorly written script…yet the veteran actors/actresses are the ones who get blamed for it (some netizens even went so far as to curse those artists and told them never to appear on their TV screens again…well, be careful what you wish for people…).
I know I might be in the minority here, but I actually prefer to watch older artists with acting talent rather than younger artists with nothing but looks. However, if TVB is going to bring these artists back but put them in series with crappy scripts, I would much rather they not return – especially since nowadays, a lot of audiences can’t tell the difference between bad acting and bad scripts and most of the time, the blame automatically falls on the artists. I would rather sacrifice the opportunity to see all those artists that I grew up watching in the 80s/90s return to the screen again than to see their reputations dragged through the mud (which will most likely happen if they return to work for TVB).
agree agree agree
Really? I thought Born rich did really well. Maybe netzens are too harsh. Compared to the garbage being churned out, I think Born rich was good then and still good now.
I was reading on here at that point and i missed have missed the bad reviews. you can’t please everyone.
I actually enjoy watching Born Rich.
The story could’ve been loads better, but it’s so sad that most audience let the bad storyline define the actor’s “acting” or value. I thought Gallen did superb in his role; they all did.
Hope they know that there are still a few of us out there that appreciate their presence on the TV screen!
support your thinking all the way, TVB NEEDS better scripts.
This observation by netizens is true (I’m sure this observation did not come from the reporter himself/herself, but, from him/her scanning the entertainment forums for ‘news’).
In the 80s, TVB have the 5 tigers leading while still in their 20s. In the 90s, they have the young Frankie Lam, Leon Lai, Louis Koo, Julian Cheung in their 20s, while, Bobby Au-Yeung, Francis Ng, Michael Tao were in the early 30s. In 00s, they have Raymond, Ron, Benny Chan, Kevin Cheng, Moses Chan.
The male leads are indeed getting older.
But Kidd, Frankie Lam, etc of those years were leading men but new leading men. They’re still here, leading. When we say leading man now, we expect experience and acting credentials instead of just dumping a new guy in front of camera like in the past. So the make leads are not getting older but perhaps younger leading men are getting scarce perhaps?
TVB’s unwillingness to train the young generation. NGs are a cost, but if it results in the perfection of all scenes, shouldn’t it be deemed as necessary at least for those newbie lead actors? Instead of letting the audience criticise the end product like TVB’s Missing You.
Even the korean young lead actors have many ngs.
So if the older generation is filling up the lead roles, there may come a time whereby the younger generation have to take up the older uncle and auntie roles in order to train them up. Is that it? *facepalm*
I agree with you. TVB shouldn’t skim on these NG cost. It might seem costly now, but, they have good actors later on.
TVB should also vary their drama type. Yes, call back the old actors for some roles. But, also make dramas that have young leads. For example, that Cold Mountain wuxia series. Instead of cast all the late 30s, early 40s actors as lead, why not cast the younger actors. Wuxia lead characters are usually of a young age.
It is not uncle dominating the leading roles but rather there is no capable charismatic leading actor amongst the younger generation which in itself is a sad sad case. However see these old uncles as passing the batons to the younger guys who I am sure will occupy their screentime as well. Call it a learning curve.
if that is the case then i will say find another andy lau or tony leung,is that so difficult in hongkong with a population of 7 million ppl? tvb needs to organise a contest with the names “the next andy lau and tony leung”.
well tvb now is training ruco, edwin, him, oscar and to my despair jason chan as the new generations so we can say that tvb is realizing that they don’t have younger generations anymore after kenneth’s generations whom most seem to prefer digging gold in mainland.
Ruco is a joke to say he needs training. He is not to me a siu sang. He is a veteran.
Edwin is still terribly overacting
Him yes, I can see the future potential
Oscar…. no. He is not leading man material.
Jason Chan… hopefully he finds better chemistry with a better prop in future. He needs vocal training.
Kenneth just got leading man status BUT I admit, acting wise… no.
they are all a joke funn,no one from this generation can compare with the ’80 and the ’90 siu san,.if him or oscar were ’80 actors they surely are “kelefe’s” in tvb.because there are too many talents in those era’s.
Not that they dun prefer, but they are able to “prefer” or not.
If mainland can give Kenneth Ma’s peers new set of costars, new filming experience and better renumeration, why not. It’s good to expand your career.
Among the new set of siu sangs:
Ruco: Isn’t he too experienced to be called a new siu sang..
Edwin: No leading presence.
Oscar: No leading presence.
Him: Fits the looks but acting has much to improve. He became a laughing stock in the flopped YNDReloaded.
Jason Chan: Jason who?
Are Linda and Joe really playing a couple in Tiger Cubs ll? So far I’ve only seen news on her being the new lead, nothing about her character at all. But Joe does look a little younger than his age.
@elle: Yes, they will be a couple…Joe already said that his character (he is reprising his role as Chin Sir) will have a relationship line with Linda, who will be his new love interest.
Hmmm..Of all those mentioned uncles pairing, Joe-Linda is fine with me. I dont consider Joe an uncle to Linda. I’m sure this pair will bring us a fresh appeal compare to boring Wayne,Moses,Tavia,Myolie,Kate…Well, let’s just wait & see them in coming soon TC sequel.
mhm interesting but tvb needs to focus on the quality of the script more than the selection of cast members.. Even if they bring back old actors but with a crappy/boring script, it may not be the result TVB wants it to be. :/
hahahh what about alex fong? he’s going to be in a great way to care 2 with yoyo and tavia….
The age gap in Alex Fong’s case isn’t big at all, especially when he looks quite young.
Many do not know is but Ruco has been in the industry since the early kid 90’s I remember him as a guest in Mystery Files which Maggie Cheung was also in and they had scenes together prior to filming Forensic Heroes. Ruco is the better actor in my opinion, ppl should see his work post The Other Truth it’s really good.
Early mid 90’s*
Crazy idea by TVB to cast old actors paired with much younger actress, sounds desperation. No wonder, more and more drama fans addicted to K-dramas which contain load of young and good look actors :p
I know right.. Like noooooo. I love Dayo Wong so freaking much and was so happy to hear he’s coming back with a drama series but nooooo, with Kate Tsui… 🙁
“The 33-year-old Niki Chow (周麗淇) will be having a relationship with the 54-year-old Michael Miu (苗僑偉) in A Change of Heart . The onscreen couple also shared a passionate kiss, which was shown in the drama’s sales presentation teaser trailer.” – i wouldnt mind this “uncle” as after all, i find him to be HOT! 🙂
There’s likely a twist in Niki’s love towards the much older Michael Miu, it’s jot like she suddenly fell in love with an old man(hint: involve another male lead), if you read the synopsis and watched the trailer 😀
Find it funny with this tagline “The Return of TVB Uncles”
How about this:-
“The Return of TVB Auntie or Si-Lai”:-
Vivian Chow
Sheren Tang
Kathy Chow
Margie Tsang
Anymore Auntie I miss out ?
Harsh… Sheren is no see lai. I love her acting!
Ada Choi
And Txb tried to invite Flora Chan
Maggie Shiu, my favorite!
bring back amy kwok please.
she’s a pretty good actress. i’m glad we have joey meng. she was a smart move.
Even Jessica Shun is in the same age bracket really.
I think Linda Chung’s Chinese name in bracket is wrong, reads like Kate Tsui’s Chinese name?
you are right
nothing wrong with “uncle” actors. some are actually really hot, hotter than the young ones, like michael miu, vincent lam, ruco chan, lawrence ng.
yep michael miu is very hot 🙂
Please dont label Ruco an uncle (yet)! He is hot though.
How about Bosco Wong and Michael Tse? Are they not siusungs? I have no idea, just wondering. I thought they were quite popular. And Ron Ng and Raymond Lam, can they not lead a drama?
I have to say, I do find it sad that Jessica Hsuen, Kenix Kwok, Flora Chan and the likes have been replaced. They were the most comforting to watch, along with Bobby Au Yeung, Michael Tao, Bowie Lam, etc. I think I’m still living in the days of Files of Justice I-V.
ron and raymond can totally lead a series they just need a good script and series
Didn’t before this some netizens complain Bosco and Raymond are hogging TVB? Now they’re mostly in mainland and are starting in movies and less for TVB, and isn’t this good for complainers since now new faces of Kenneth Ma and Ruco Chan are the face of TVB? I think Ruco can act very well.
Ron I believe is going to mainland too. After TITS 2 aired Ron won’t have any series left.
bahaha but good looking uncle!
Lol Ruco is not an “uncle” he’s just 2 yrs older than Ron and Raymond. Besides Kenneth is older than him by a few years. He’s the same age as Edwin
hahah I love the title of this. Seriously, those are such old uncles ahhaa..The luckiest pair up i would say is Linda Chung. Joe Ma, no matter how old i think he is still one hot looking man. ahha
This must be pleasing to the ears of the “age is just a number” crowd. LOL!!
How about pairing up Bobby Au Yeung with an upstart like Eliza?
I feel TVB is so greedy now that they will promote anyone. It’s not like the 80s and 90s when they worried more about the scripts too instead of the actors.
Now, it’s all about promoting the stars to get commercial deals so they can cut in on the profits. And all the annoying news about TVB stars dating each other.
They’re running out of ideas. So many freaking sequels!
Exactly, HK market is just OLD veterans to be honest. Unlike Korea, Japan, China or Taiwan. Well, Taiwan is all about idols no oldies and that is not good either but they must be making money to be promoting all those youngsters. TVB, all you see are just old veterans none that are super young, even mid young is fine like Ruco, Bosco but even those you are bound to get bored b/c we see their faces all the time. I think they just don’t have the patience or take the time to even promoted some unknowns or b/c those don’t benefit in any way b/c all the time we see so many kalefe characters in the series and we don’t even know their name but they have been there forever. Some of them are lookable and have some potential too i am sure but do they give them a chance? NO, none at all just supporting or cameos all the damn time.
The best they can do is dig out these old uncles and grandfathers. hahah… pathetic if u ask me…
Hong Kong’s entertainment industry doesn’t have any successors. It’s gonna die in our generation!
A new category should be formed in the next TVB Annual Awards: Best Uncle.
-Terminator,
hahah LOL…that’a good one.
Actually, TVB should give some notable actors more screen time – Benjamin Yuen is cute and have star presence -That guy who worked part time in the massage parlour s also quite good.
It’s not that TVB lacks powerful young stars…it’s that TVB gives them horrible roles and not enough opportunities to wonderful actors but instead opting to promote so called “popular” stars. I personally love actors like Dayo, but if TVB is bringing back so many veteran actors…how are their younger ones supposed to shine?
EXACTLY the point…. 🙂
I really don’t mind seeing these experienced uncles return as long as the scripts are well written.
It’s kind of hopeless to Txb now.
I personally dont think that TVB are doing it on purpose. They have no other choice.
They have either older experienced GOOD actors, or young talent-less actors. Of course they will go with the older ones who can carry a show.
Besides, most of the older actors dont look over 50 and most of the female leads cant help it if they look/act 10 years younger than they really are.
They need to quickly change this because the guys arent getting any younger. Otherwise, they will be stuck with nothing but creepy love stories in the future.
They need to hire better acting teachers or open up a new acting school and start actively looking for new talent. Their obsession with young talent-less actors is going to backfire. (it kind of already is)
I will take the uncles any day of the week since they have real acting skills and can carry the show by themselves. I do get creeped out by the love stories sometimes. I just dont watch that show then.
If they dont change and adapt, HKTV’s ratings are going to pummel them and they wont be able to recover, just like TVB did to ATV.
Actually, I think most the men do look their age. Or at least nothing like the 20/30 somethings they are trying to portray. Men don’t take time to help with those wrinkles like female actresses would.
Well the uncles are better actors then the new ones lor ………I’m sorta disappointed in TVB nowadays promoting newbies so fast and letting seniors artist slipping away from there hands
I’m thinking about switching TVB broadcast system into CTI does anyone know where could i watch series from that station
Problem is that they’re putting all these veterans with actresses that aren’t all that good at acting (in my opinion anyway). I think it’s a waste of all these “uncles”! Fala isn’t very good in my opinion and they’re splitting Sam and Zoe up which makes everything worse! And Kate isn’t great either and I don’t see her and Dayo matching. Tracy Chu is completely new. Also TVB should’ve put Lawrence in a new drama by himself. THC2 could drag his reputation down if the HK audience thinks he’s stealing Kenneth’s screen time!
tvb has to bring these people back because people are consistently complaining about the acting of the “rising” siu sangs…therefore, they must bring in the “experienced” to help pull up the rating!
That is basically what created Moonlight R. and Heart of Greed…if it were not for Louise Lee, Suzanna Kwan, Lee Heung Kam, Ha Yu and Michelle Yim, the rating wouldn’t have been over-the-roof
Cho,
I say fix it where the problems are. Send these leads back to acting school. TVB can continue to hold refresher acting courses for the leads that have weaknesses. Make the length of acting training classes longer. Stop promoting stars simply for looks unless there is some acting credibility. If they wish to cash in on looks only, TVB should open a modeling agency.
If TVB cannot invest in its young artists properly before promoting them to lead, then they will continue to rely on the veterans. Now the problem has become blown more out of proportion because the artists they invested in for the last ten years (Bosco, Raymond, Kevin, Ron) are all looking at mainland China. It’s very embarrassing for the company.
TVB and it’s lack of resources won’t be able to give what Raymond, Bosco and Kevin needs at their stage now. If they stay in TVB they won’t improve. Kevin can get more freedom, Ray can get more say in his career and edgier characters, Bosco can get fresh costars and different scripts.
At least they are still tied to TVB and still work for TVB. Louis Koo back then left TVB right away for his full time movie career and until now still owe TVB a few episodes, hehe.
RayLeilaFan,
Bosco, Raymond, and Kevin will at best be filming 1 series for TVB each year. It’s almost like charity work for them now, as their commercial value is a lot higher in China.
Kenneth Ma is so ready to join the mainland pack, if TVB lets him.
I have faith in Ruco Chan, but even he’s not young at 35. He has another 10 prime years ahead. But aside from Ruco, it’s a gaping blank ahead for siu sangs. Maybe we will see a lot more romantic idol dramas ahead.
Kenneth Ma is not ready yet based on current mainland reception although he is a current sensation in HK after HK media and HKGolden dubbed him “god”. That’s the reported reason why TVB is hiring Lawrence Ng to partner with Kenneth Ma in THC 2; to improve his marketability in mainland. Yet some ignorant minds here still wants to blame Lawrence? It’s a fair trade and both Lawrence and Kenneth Ma are getting benefits from their collaborations.
Pretty soon, I blv the names like KC, LF, Bosco and maybe even Ron, won’t film anything for Txb but China or movie full-time. But for MM, I really doubt that he’ll go for China. Maybe just 1 or 2 series and then he’ll come back to Txb.
Not only is the “uncle” trend prominent in TVB, it is also characteristic of the Hong Kong film industry.
We still have the 50+ or late 40 pack leading the biggest movies: Chow Yun Fat, Donnie Yen, Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Aaron Kwok, Leung Ka Fai, Simon Yam, Nick Cheung, and Sean Lau.
Louis Koo and Daniel Wu are slightly younger, but their names still not as big as the above 50 club and so have been partnering with them to draw more crowds.
Nicholas Tse is the youngest HKFA Best Actor in recent memory, but he is still partnering with the veterans and film producers don’t seem to have the confidence in Nic’s ability to lead a film entirely by himself. Shawn Yue has a few hits under his belt, but still not long-term demonstrated commercial value.
The biggest films are now pushing younger mainland male actors such as Huang Xiaoming and William Feng to greater prominence. Taiwanese actors such as Ethan Ruan, Wu Chun, and Vic Chou are entering the scene, but mainland companies seem to wish to promote their own mainland stars more. There are no big HK actors in the late 20s and 30s that are given such lucrative slots. The only exceptions may be Wallace Chung and Raymond Lam, but they need to prove that they can move box office crowds.
It’s an oversight of TVB and HK film companies to keep cashing in on the bankability of the veteran stars and not develop and train the younger generation properly. Now there is a lack of talented young HK film stars who can act and draw crowds, which may eventually make HK actors irrelevant compared to the rising stars in mainland China.
HK had a golden reputation for quality acting in the 80s and 90s but TV, film, and music industries have slowly tarnished their reputation. Short vision for quick cash has done a lot of damage. Now it’s looking to the 50 club to help mend things, but it’s really pushing it to rely on them for another decade.
It’s because the movie directors are playing it safe for money return by casting the same people in multiple movies.
I agree, even A-listers namely Louis Koo and Daniel Wu still need veteran i.e. Sean Lau or Jackie Chan or etc to partner with them in movies. These two are not young anymore but their box office capabilities are still questionable. Same goes to Nic Tse who often paired with someone i.e, Nick Cheung or the very least Jay Chou.
You know, mainland companies also often use popular HK directors and scriptwriters initially to give their own directors and scriptwriters exposure in making good movies, and when they get these experience, these huge mainland companies make some sort of sequel using their own actors and directors.
RayLeilaFan,
The money in mainland box office is vast. It won’t be long before we hear of 2 billion RMB grosses and more. The appetite for big budget movies is growing at a break-neck speed and film companies are eager to groom their own mainland stars for that position.
Mainland companies still need to partner with HK talent (from the 1990s and early 2000s) for their fame and talent. But once the skills are learned and the knowledge acquired, would mainland still need HK anymore? The actors, writers, directors from the HK film and TV industry are endangering themselves if they can’t look past the next decade.
I’ve read somewhere that Painted Skin and Lost In Journey both hired HK directors Gordon Chan and Raymond Yip.
Later on these mainland companies utilize mainland resources for Painted Skin 2 and Lost in Thailand directed by mainland’s Wu ErShan and Xu Zheng and both movies break records while they’re shown in mainland theaters. It’s already happening.
RayLeilaFan,
Thanks for the info. Yes it’s happening very rapidly right before our eyes. Mainland companies are replacing the HK directors and production staff because mainland staff are cheaper with less fame, but not necessarily less talent. They choose to invest in the stars instead, which are drawing in the crowds.
HK is desperate for a hit, which was why “Cold War” did a lot for the HK film industry, making its stars and production crew stay relevant. But for how much longer? Time is running out and it may not take a decade to do so. The current stars/directors are just eager to protect their own turf and can’t look beyond?
I agree with everything you said Jayne. But to put it short: we messed up. We messed up bad.
We have no-one to carry on the industry. And TVB doing this petty monopoly crap is a just a desperate short-term money-milking project.
We’re done. It’s over.
dd,
If the viewers can realize it, the film and tv management surely can see it. They just need to put aside those egos and short-term profit statements if they wish to stay relevant.
The tanking of HK music industry should have been a lesson learned. Is Cantopop still selling well outside of HK?
HK’s most prominent and prolific young director is Patrick Kong, who is leading the younger generation HK movie directors but despite the fact that he produces hit love movies, I’m not sure if this can help HK movie industry much…
Patrick Kong has a very obvious ceiling and he’s reached it many times. The brightest hope we have right now is Pang Ho-Cheung (Vulgaria, Love in a Puff, Love in the Buff, Trivial Matters, AV, You Shoot I Shoot) but as for young directors, I’m most impressed with Derek Tsang (Eric’s son) and his directing partner Jimmy Wan. Lover’s Discourse and Lacuna were both enjoyable to watch.
@dd
Don’t cry uncle for the HK industry too prematurely!
@Jayne
>The tanking of HK music industry should have been a lesson learned. Is Cantopop still selling well outside of HK?
The music and film industry are supposed to be independent of each other but for some reason (I don’t know if we can entirely blame TVB for this one, but they still have a hand in it) every rookie actor thinks they can sing. The truly great actors like Chow Yun Fat, Big and small Tony Leung, Francis Ng, Maggie Cheung, Carina Lau, etc. are flawless in their craft because they don’t let their childish aspirations draw away from their main goal.
So stop it. You can’t sing. Singers listen to many hundreds of hours of various musical genres and get voice training. Focus on your acting, please for the love of god, or no-one will have a job in the end.
dd,
The popularity of karaoke in the 90s made everyone think they can sing. Now Youtube is the culprit, where fans put amateur covers online and want to be discovered just like Justin Bieber.
The crossover of TV/film/music happened because HK is a small market. If the companies were to spend money promoting their stars, they might as well make the biggest bang for the buck and put them in concerts, movies, underwear ads etc. They figure the fans will follow their idols everywhere and gobble everything up. HK celebrities are also part-time models as they spend so much time promoting brands and filming ads.
Then again, some of my favourite actors started off as singers like Takeshi Kaneshiro, Leslie Cheung, Andy Lau, Jackie Cheung to name a few.
@Terminator
>Don’t cry uncle for the HK industry too prematurely!
I don’t want to,
but right now can you name the best male and female actor under 30 with instantly recognizable starpower?
I sincerely hope no one will answer dd with Liu Shi Shi or Yang Mi for the <30 star drawing power, because as big as they are in mainland, they don't relate to HK.
Please don't answer Eliza Sum or Linda Chung either. Their market stays in HK and could be a little bit of Southeastasia.
Right, as RAYLEILAFAN said, HK only. Also preferably having starred in at least one movie. If you’re limited to TV drama only then there’s no real credibility if you haven’t made the jump to the big screen.
@dd: You hit the nail on the head! Amen to that!! Unfortunately though, the trend in the industry is for artists to be a ‘jack of all trades’ (true, this has been going on for a long time, but reached its worst stage the past decade) – the days of an artist focusing purely on their craft are gone. Part of it has to do with the mentality of artists nowadays, but a huge part also has to do with the TV stations, record companies, management companies, etc that are constantly pushing artists to go into other fields and be ‘multi-faceted’ (it’s imbedded into the culture). Some of the artists you named also tried their hand at singing too (small Tony Leung for example) but ultimately, they were smart enough to give up on the piece that they weren’t as good at and concentrate primarily on mastering the craft that would give them the best returns. And over the past few decades, there have been many examples of how concentrating on one craft pays bigger rewards….take Jacky Cheung for example – his best acting performances occurred during the years when he was at the lowest point of his music career (1987 to about 1989) – those were the years where he really dove into acting and worked to refine that craft, which paid off via all sorts of accolades for his acting plus 2 BSA awards at major HK Film award ceremonies. Jacky said it best a few years ago when he was nominated for BA at HKFA (his 5th nomination over the years for that award) and once again lost: he said that it’s not surprising he lost – in fact, he’s grateful to even be nominated – because over the years, his focus has been on his music career and acting is pretty much a ‘side job’ for him, something that he hasn’t put as much effort and focus in, so he didn’t deserve to win at all (his words, not mine…haha). Unfortunately, not very many artists are willing or able to recognize this about themselves and it doesn’t help that the entertainment culture in HK isn’t conducive to this kind of thinking either….
Bottom line – sorry to burst some artists’ bubbles, but um, not everyone can be like Leslie Cheung – a natural born star who pretty much had the entire package – acting talent, singing talent, and good looks.
@dd
It is interesting you mentioned Takeshi Kaneshiro because I happen to think he is a rare acting talent who has the dignity of allowing the audience to watch how his work mature as he himself ages. Just look at the roles he took on in his past few movies. The good looking young buck who charmed the daylights out of the likes of Kelly Chan and Charlie Yeung is gone; instead, now we have a Asian version of Sir Anthony Hopkins, thoughtful, introspective and still talented.
Takeshi Kaneshiro is a diamond in the rough. A lot of it (being a great actor) is skill but it also depends on luck. He got to play a leading role in the best HK film of all time (Chungking Express) and it was only his second movie. I see people falling in love with Oscar-frikkin-Leung on this site, and you younger girls probably don’t even know who Takeshi Kaneshiro is.
Onto business though, my picks for best HK actors under 30 are:
Female: Angelababy. Yes, I can’t believe it either. She’s the one that shows the most promise right now and we don’t truly own her: she was born in Shanghai and China keeps using her for movies.
Male: Aarif Lee. His portfolio isn’t deep but he’s good at what he does. He’s young as well.
So there we go. Neither of them scream “starpower!” but they’re the best of what we have right now.
If you compare Kwai Lun-Mei’s (Taiwan’s hottest commodity) body of work with Angelababy’s, you’ll realize just how far behind we are compared to Taiwan.
30-40s:
Male: Nicholas Tse
Female: Denise Ho
@dd
Do you mean Tony Leung?
Can you possibly mention Oscar Leung (the dorky TVB guy) and Takeshi Kaneshiro in the same breath?
And speaking of overrated Tony Leung, in their three collaborations (Chungking Express, Confession of Pain, and Red Cliff), Takeshi upstaged him in everyone of them.
@dd
” The truly great actors like Chow Yun Fat, Big and small Tony Leung, Francis Ng, Maggie Cheung, Carina Lau, etc. are flawless in their craft because they don’t let their childish aspirations draw away from their main goal.”
Actually, of the 6 actors you list, 3 have dabbled in singing before. But, they later chose to focus on acting only.
@llwy12
It’s also have to do with the market now. In the past, a singer can make enough just by selling albums. But, nowadays, with all these advance technology at easy reach of fans and potential buyers, a singer can’t make enough just by singing alone. So, they have to do shows, act in commercial and even movies.
@Kidd
I never said they weren’t singers. I said they didn’t let their aspirations of being a singer eclipse their responsibilities in becoming fully-fledged actors.
For whomever this may concern, Wallace Chung himself is pushing 40.
I know there is reason why HK productions these days often turn into an antique shows. LOL!!
Well, if Korea could have their “Hallyu”, or the “Korean Wave”, maybe HK can start an “Uncle Wave”. I should go convince my 54-yr-old uncle to return to HK and apply for TVB’s next training class. He should become a top tier “siu sang” in no time.
In the 80s, “siu sang” was early 20s, “chung sang” was 30s, and by the 40s, I believe they were already playing dads. Ha Yu and Lan Dan were already playing dads in their 40s.
Now we see 50s actors still fumbling in their love lives, caught in hopeless love triangles, and lusting after younger women who can be their nieces, instead of being responsible fathers. 🙂
‘Now we see 50s actors still fumbling in their love lives, caught in hopeless triangles and lusting after younger women…instead of being responsible fathers’
Good observation Jayne!
Furthermore, this “uncle wave” amplifies that stereotypical perception of the Asian males as perpetual “man-child”s who never grow up.
Terminator,
To add to that thought. If I were an older HK housewife in my 50s, I’d be repulsed by the constant pairing of men in their 50s with women in their 30s. Write a proper romance for the 50s crowd, talk about marital issues, raising kids, and the reality of life rather than this hopeless fluff. Are women in their 50s inadequate that they must be constantly reminded that a 50s actor cannot fall in love with women their age but 2 decades younger?
Terminator,
“Furthermore, this “uncle wave” amplifies that stereotypical perception of the Asian males as perpetual “man-child”s who never grow up.”
Is this a perception towards only Asian males or males in general?
This perception about Asian males is more acute than that toward males in general.
@Jayne: Well-said! It’s sad, but true – the entire HK entertainment industry (be it TV, movies, and even music) has been in deep trouble for at least the past decade (if not more) and by the looks of it right now, it will continue to be this way in the future unless something drastic happens. Yes, a lot of it has to do with companies putting profit over quality, but the other thing too is that all across the industry, the sentiment and overall atmosphere is different now. As someone who has been following the HK entertainment industry since the 80s, I can tell you that the atmosphere was very different back then – the industry as a whole was more united and people were willing to help each other out, in some cases even sacrificing personal profit/gain in favor of the greater good (the flourishing of the entertainment industry as a whole)…nowadays, it’s pretty much every man (and woman) for himself and screw the greater good as long as I get my perks and benefits.
And yes, absolutely agree that the petty crap some companies are pulling (i.e. TVB insisting on keeping their lame monopoly) play a huge role in further pushing the HK entertainment industry to the point of demise and irrelevance. Is there any hope to turn things around? Well, if the recent TVB/ATV vs HKTV thing is any indication (look at how divided the opinions have been on that – to me, it’s a no-brainer that the TV industry needs competition in order to thrive, but apparently a lot of Hong Kongers don’t think so), then honestly, I really don’t think there is much hope – at least not in my lifetime (which is very very sad considering I’m not that old)..
llwy12,
Ricky Wong’s HKTV dramas are produced using former TVB talent and also feature older actors. Increased competition may help raise the quality of the dramas slightly in the short-term, but it depends on whether they wish to fix things from the core: developing young talent and keeping them. Mainland China has been there to tempt with more money since the Hong Kong handover.
There is competition in the HK music industry, still a handful of players. Competition will not help if the management executives leading them don’t have the right vision.
@Jayne: Exactly! That’s why on the TV front, I’m waiting to see how Ricky Wong manages HKTV long term and whether a lot of the things he’s doing now will remain in place once he actually gets his license and the station finally gets off the ground. But see, that’s exactly what I’m talking about too – the HK television industry has a chance to turn the negative trend around by letting in more competition, which could potentially be a stepping stone to bigger things if done correctly, but yet even that ‘baby step’ is being hindered with all that red tape in the form of opposition by TVB/ATV and dragging of the feet by an incompetent government (and it looks like it will continue to be an uphill battle, since both sides have threatened legal action if they don’t get their way, so this whole licensing thing could continue to get tangled in the courts for years to come). Meanwhile, the entertainment industries in other countries are flourishing (and HK wonders why they are so far behind…well, duh!!) and may even end up taking over the HK entertainment industry in the very near future. With this kind of environment, it’s hard for people like us not to have a dismal outlook for the HK entertainment industry’s future.
llwy12,
I’ve been a long-time follower of HK entertainment since the 80s as well. The HK handover and China’s improved economy have changed the landscape in HK.
My prediction is that the only rapid increase in quality would be in mainland TV and film productions, because the monetary rewards are there.
The pie size of the mainland Chinese entertainment industry is so vast that it supports many players, while rewarding those extremely talented/eligible ones with the most lucrative rewards. Even Korean popstars are now singing in Mandarin. The large mainland market supports the thriving of multiple genres. You can have patriotic espionage thrillers, police dramas, idol dramas, hopeless romantic fluff etc. The audience is large enough for companies to invest and see profitable returns on projects that are very narrowly focused.
There’s no one size fit all and TVB family dramas have been trying to do that for years. Cast the same faces in various multiple roles and re-use same formula. Although marketed as a specific genre, series are often regulated to family dramas in the end.
Same as USA, the cable channels have very narrow topic focus but enough viewership to support. The other day I was scanning for programs to watch on cable TV and saw a program called “Cats from Hell” on air for 3 hour slot…really? Enough cat lovers to support and although I’m one myself, it looked like a ridiculous version of Nanny 911 for cat owners.
It would be too much to expect HKTV to be able to reinvent the industry.
@ Jayne
The situation in HK showbiz now is different from the past. In the past, HK is Asian Hollywood. So, afford to make many movies. It’s like the situation in China now. Many small production house has produce movies and series. This is because they have the market. Billions of China viewers.
In the past, HK movies are popular in many Asian countries. They can sell to many places in Asia. So, even low-cost movies with not very big cast can make money.But, with Korean, China etc rising, there are more competition and HK’s marketing become smaller. So, the production company have to be more careful in producing movies. Thus they cast boxoffice guaranteed actors.
Kidd,
“Thus they cast box office guaranteed actors.”
Yes I realize the strategy is for guaranteed returns. The strategy is similar to what TVB is doing, using senior actors with guaranteed support. Just pointing out that relying on the same set of old Ace cards is not going to sustain future success.
I love the uncles when they were younger. But pairing them with actress that ten years or 20 or even 30 years younger seem not that good.
Yes, maybe in real life we see so many couple who had big gap age. But this is drama. As viewers , I want to had at least similar or at least max ten years gap of age. Unless they had brilliant script.
TVB need to find more young actors and train them. And also they need better script.
I used to love HK drama. But these couple years, the script seem the same. Most of us can already predict the story line after watching 1-3 episodes.
Its become boring and predictable.
If the drama has 40 episodes, i bet the main character had at least 2 or 3 wives with lot of kids and conflicts.
Its not a trend anymore with a husband and 2-4 wives. Give us something else.
Based on comments so far, the risk of the TVB uncle trend is alienating younger viewers who wish to see younger leads.
It may be hard for younger viewers to buy the 20 year age gap in romances. I found this to be a problem in “House of Harmony and Vengeance” where Bobby Au Yeung and Evergreen Mak look like uncles to Linda Chung and Myolie Wu. Even the ancient setting can’t masquerade this fact, especially since Linda and Myolie have baby faces.
If they continue the uncle trend for long enough (5 years or so), TVB may just be driving away young viewers who turn to entertainment from other countries. So the uncle trend is just a short-term band aid to fix its lead issue and perhaps even create a bigger problem down the road. They should invest in its current staff and do better succession planning.
C’mon, Jayne, these kids just don’t appreciate the fact that age is just a number. We need to educate them by exposing them to more May/December romances with all the gushing and trimming from us on the sideline.
I’m not age bias, but I never looked at men 20+ years from myself with a romantic eye. I just respect them as my elders. I’m sure it happens, just not mainstream and that’s why current TVB casting is not popular among female crowd.
I want to see how TVB will develop the above mentioned new and young(not so) faces(Ruco, Edwin, Oscar, Jason, Him Law) to overcome the uncle trend and the migration of established siu sangs.
@Jayne –
TVB has made me find men like George clooney and Richard Gere hawttttt …
-pandamao
Richard Gere is HOT hahahah but not George Clooney – heck no hahaha…
I’m not sure how Richard Gere usually presents himself, but I watched him on The Graham Norton Show a few weeks back and he seemed like a total prick… That was an uncomfortable episode… Hot, he most certainly is not.
its good that the seniors are getting more work, esp if they haven’t been saving for old age
But what about the “aunties”? unfortunately they got tossed under the bus once they have past their 34th birthday.
haha so true. I like Kenix Kwok, Ada Choi.
gotta thank francis ng for agreeing to make a comeback .. he’s a fine actor
There’s pros and cons for Francis’ comeback and Chilam’s entry to TITS2.
Pros:
More starpower and reliving of TITS days 10 years ago.
Cons:
Ron Ng and Kenneth Ma could’ve been the leads to avoid the Uncle trend, but they can’t do so with the inclusion of Francis and Chilam.
think about it ..ron ng and kenneth ma dont even have the ability to carry such a big budget tv drama.
they still have plenty of rooms for improvement and to be able to cooperate with francis and chilam would allow them to develop their skill set for acting.
i doubt that I would watch TITS 2 if only ron ng and kenneth ma were to be the main leads
i dont care whether or not there’s an uncle trend going on, most importantly this uncle trend gives me a pleasure to watch the drama. come on im craving for some real good acting. im sick of the same old faces whose acting is always *predictable*.
This is nothing new though. Older male leads and younger females have been happening for a long time, not just in tvb series but in the movie industry and in the U.S. as well.
Also, the comparisons of the younger siu sangs/fadans vs the ones in previous decades is getting a little old. The current generation just seems bad in comparison because the internet is more prevalent now and it’s a lot easier to complain on a public forum. Basically, if you don’t like something, you are most likely to tell 10 people, but if you like something, you will maybe tell 1.
They’re so hot, they shouldn’t even be called Uncles!! I’d take them any day, lol…
It’s a simple equation. These people can act. The younger actors we have now, CAN’T.
Most of the young actors we have are crap. I’m still watching for the sake of having being with tvb for this long and I actually watched it for good performances by the VETerans, not the lousy leads that can’t act.
Anyway, like someone said, I’d rather not have them come back to film for tvb. Why get their reputation ruined by joining such low-class production tv station? I’d rather admire them from far 🙂
LOL I second that
obviously these people aint Uncles, they are big movie stars .. they shouldnt come back. but if they aint coming back, im gonna be so sad cause chances are i gonna bid farewell to tvb cause their series these days *SUCKS*. yes bold and in caps
Waaaa, many uncles pairing with young actresses o_O
I am not saying any actors in their 40s should be abandoned but it gets annoying to see them portraying roles *much* younger than they really are (same for actresses in their 40s portaying 20 somethings as well). I thought stomaching Tavia and Damien was bad enough. To hear that there is now more of that palava lined up is hugely disappointing, and sickening.
Also as Jayne mentioned, the younger crowd have nowhere to look for their idol fixes. The younger crowd has already abandoned TVB for their younger better looking idols in Taiwan and Korea. At least in my days I still had Louis Koo.
not trying to be harsh here but … Kenneth ma’s acting is not convincing ..
don’t forget Francis ng has once won the Golden Horse best actor award which is equivalent to the (chinese version) Oscar…. his return to film for TVB is something that we should appreciate
who cares uncle trend !
Agreed.. Age is not a problems.. if they dont have talent no one will remember them or invited them to lead again..
im happy so thrilled that the male veterans are willing to return.. they should have brought back some female veterans to pair up with them ..
yea WHO CARES UNCLE TREND!
i would rather have them back
i have to say whenever francis’ on the screen, he owns it. thats how good he is
Agree. Francis and Chilam are the reason for the high anticipation of TITS 2. I won’t have watched TITS1 if it is not for Francis.
No matter what old are they… the true is their still a GREAT and TALENT actors, especially Lawrence Ng and Dayo Wong .. Is good to have them to joined so that others will have more chance to learn from senior and comes out with better dramas..
Sometimes is boring to see most of the drama is lead by Tavia.. Is good to invite Louisa So and Lawrence is well known for his excellent. I’m looking forward to see On Call 36 (2)
yea i remembered lawrence acting in tvb’s Taste of Love was pretty awesome
Maybe it’s all about the viewers.
Maybe majority of the Younger people dont watch tvb series that much anymore, we have other things that occupy us.
Plus, speaking for myself, I prefer the Amercian series.
So the people who are still supporting these tvb series in larger nos. are the older viewers who really welcome the comebacks of all the uncles.
the problem with tvb is that the younger actors they’re pushing have little to no charisma. a bunch of good looking faces with no personality behind them. ruco chan, edwin siu and oscar leung seems natural in front of the camera, but they’re nearly their mid-thirties already.
they need to push actors who are REALLY young. maybe the guys who played the younger band in When Heaven Burns?
I rather see actors who can act then just flower boys who can barely hold a scene. So what if these are uncles, they act the crap out of a scene than most of the younger and newer actors do in an entire series. So PLEASE, more uncles in dramas! I want to see Uncle Gallen and Uncle Bowie! (though it’s highly unlikely, but hey, I can dream right?!) 🙂
they need to bring back some old female leads ._. even though gigi lai retired, i wish she would come back..