“Missing You” and “Friendly Fire” Suffer Low Ratings
Linda Chung’s (鍾嘉欣) latest drama, Missing You <幸福摩天輪> is off to a rocky start, receiving lukewarm responses and a rating of 26 points on its debut week, as reported by CSM Media Research. This equates to less than 1.7 live million viewers per episode in Hong Kong.
Missing You dropped another point in its second week, attracting approximately 1.6 million live viewers per episode.
Netizens pointed out that the reason for Missing You’s slumping ratings is because of the drama’s weak cast. Besides Linda Chung, none of the main cast is well-known. Lead actor and actress, Jason Chan (陳智燊) and Lin Xiawei (林夏薇), are still relatively new actors in the industry. Although supporting actor, Calvin Chan (陳偉洪) has appeared in numerous television dramas since his debut in 2010, his role as “Gayson” in Missing You is his first and only meaty role.
It was also reported that because of the weak cast, Missing You’s producer decided to get more popular actors, such as Raymond Wong (黃浩然) and Elliot Yue (岳華), to guest star in a few episodes, hoping to push up the drama’s ratings performance.
Bad Time Slot?
However, Missing You is not the only TVB drama to suffer poor ratings in recent weeks. Legal drama, Friendly Fire <法網狙擊>, is also going through a stoop in ratings performance.
Friendly Fire premiered the same week as Missing You, drawing in an average of over 1.85 million live viewers, with 29 rating points. However, as it entered its second week of broadcast, Friendly Fire dropped 2 points, raking in 1.72 million viewers. Friendly Fire received one complaint about the drama’s overuse of Japanese music and ridiculous story line.
Both Missing You and Friendly Fire had the misfortune to be broadcast during Christmas week, which may be a cause of their poor performances. Many of TVB’s other programs also suffered a ratings decrease. Hong Kong’s other free station, ATV, received a rating of zero point in most of their broadcast shows, as usual.
TVB announced that in the next five years, the company would measure their audience viewership through the Nielsen Media Research rather than CSM. According to TVB, the American-based Nielsen ratings are able to provide a more accurate measurement of viewership count.
Source: Scmedia.com.hk, ihktv.com
This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.
i actually like both of the dramas (friendly fire a little more) i
Yeah ! I think both dramas are surprisingly watchable ! I like the Japanese song, what’s wrong with that? It sure beats hearing the same background tune they play in every single drama…..
I enjoy the light-hearted nature of these dramas as well – although Missing You really does show the incredibly high EQ these social workers must have to deal with all the stresses of their job….
I don’t think I could ever be a social worker, my EQ would be too low – i’d probably spend every other minute bursting into tears lol
I liKe these two dramas too..
Too much japanese music? How abt another recent
Drama which kept playing adele songs, and only those few songs?
Does anyone know the song the lawyers singed to the girl that was accused of being raped?
I find Calvin Chan’s acting in “Missing You” to be quite weak. His look reminds me of Gregory Lee, who I wish was cast in his role instead.
A lot of weak actors in Missing You, starting with Jason Chan who is absolutely horrible with his body language. I wonder where he will put his hands if his pants don’t have pockets. And I have never seen anyone carry a knapsack as unconvincing as him. His manner of speech is also so airy, like no conviction, reminds me of bubblegums and pink floss, like Selena actually.
Surprisingly it was.. what’s his name? That DJ issit? He can act in that Friendly Fire series but Missing you, horrible performances.
Sammy Leung, better known as 森美 “Sum Mei”
agree with you..and linda chung’s acting is really bad too…she has not improved at all. i love the story line but the cast esp these 2 are no help.
“overuse of Japanese music” – LOL…
LOL I laughed at that bit..wtf?? So far ive only heard that one Japanese song used in the series, and it’s quite a nice song that fits into the scenes very well…’overuse of Japanese music’..?! what kind of a complaint is that o_O
It’s the same Japanese song that is played over again, but I find it awkward that they’re playing a Japanese song.
Lol me too, they have nothing else to complain. The song was actually very nice and it fit well with the situation. At the beginning I thought it was weird but after hearing it I thought it was good. I didn’t think the song was overuse or Japanese songs was overuse.
Anyone knows what is the title of the jap song?
Friend
Friend by tamaki koji
the police team in “friendly fire” looks & acts like a bunch of thugs especially tht sammy leung..too overact..
I thought he did well. I was surprised to see him looking rather good. Suddenly Michael Tse so tiny.
LOL! I agree! When Sammy stands next to MT, makes him look so short lol. I actually quite like watching Sammy’s acting. I think he’s doing very well so far, very convincing as a cop. He has talent in acting imo. Looking forward to more of him!
agree M.T. is really tiny “pai qwak tjai” only bones no meat.^-^ he really have to train himself to look more masculine especially if he plays cops often.
I think Sammy’s performance is decent considering he is not an actor. But sometimes, I find it hard to watch him act serious because in my eyes, he’s a funny guy LOL
Sammy makes it fun to watch !
Missing You is weak plot and weak casting
Friendly Fire can be blame by big nose.
omg you are so impolite by calling people by name.
did some digging, oo, Lin Xiawei is Raymond cousin, small circle
I like both tv series. At least it’s 100x better than SSSS. Maybe there’s not much viewers cuz they are busy and recorded later to watch.
Agreed!!! These 2 shows are redeeming SSSS’s major fail.
TVB last Dec year also show When heaven Burns and got 2nd lowest rating series but won Best Series in TVB anniversary awards!!! wonder will these 2 new series will also win best series end of the year?
If these two stand a chance, I’d hate to see the rest of the dramas this year.
Japanese music? Hmm korean no?
That’s what I was thinking…is the song Jap or Korean?! Many people refer it as a Jap song, but I swear I hear Korean lyrics in the song..
Japanese song.
Yeah it’s Japanese. Some of the words do sound korean though.
It sounds korean to me… I have heard it before in a korean drama…
It sounds Japanese. I actually thought it sounded French at times, as if he was going “mon frere”… Heh.
It’s actually called “friends” by tamaki koji 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t67DU6Pz-kw
I don’t think you know the difference between the two languages. Clearly it is Japanese and since someone posted who sung it already, I’ll leave it at that
I love Friendly Fire and all the chemistry between the casts!! I cannot wait to watch FF everyday!!
Both series are light hearted and I like them!
Friendly Fire plot is unrealistic, but that’s nothing new with TVB. I’m not liking it as much as the other, but it’s not bad.
Missing You, which at first I thought is boring without watching it (cuz I dislike Jason Chan), but it turns out to be quite good. Mainly cuz it has touching scenes. Yes, they have many guest stars to make it more appealing too. So I managed to ignore Jason’s performance and just focus on Linda and the storyline. So, go watch it for the sob stories 🙂
Refreshing to have these two after the stupid SSSS.
In Missing You, the guest stars are way more outstanding than the mains. Elliot Yue, Helena Law, Raymond Wong, Elaine Yiu & many more did a great job.
I don’t hate Jason Chan, but I can’t help being annoyed with his performance. He’s very unnatural, whether it’s his expressions or the way he delivers his lines. Linda Chung is the usual Linda Chung, no breakthrough. Too bad, her character is boring.
Yeah, love the guest stars in Missing You!
Except for Jason Chan and Kei San, etc. the series is actually quite interesting (ignore the fact that the cases get solved easily).
FF is becoming more engaging with the extra casts as well. But plot-wise, weak.
why do everybody here dislike jason? whats wrong with him? his acting skills is only worse and doesnt have charisma, a little softy but he is a good guy.
I am glad for his future wife and mother he is a good guy. But I and hopefully most of us are only interested in him as an actor.
Because Jason acting is bad regardless he is good guy watsover
I never said I dislike him or hate him though. As Jason Chan, he seems to be a very nice and educated guy. But as an actor, I have to be honest and say that he has lots of room for improvement.
We don’t dislike Jason. He may be a good guy in real life but he still needs improvement to become the lead actor. We’re talking about his acting skills, not a guy who I would like to marry in the future whatsoever.
tvb needs to spend 10 million usd budget and make some good dramas
>People stack all their vacation/paid leave days around Xmas week to holiday and stuff
TVB: What’s going on!?!?! WHY IS NO-ONE WATCHING OUR SHOWS?!
Ugh. TVB you are so lucky that ATV has no idea what they’re doing either or you’d be less watched then that Christian channel that airs at 4am showing that minister shout random God-stuff in an empty church.
Love Friendly Fire nevertheless! The storyline isn’t exactly ridiculous, I thought it was refreshing, something new from TVB. Only the cases are meh.
What’s the jap song title ?
It is called Friend by Koji Tamaki. Very popular in the 1990s.
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=t67DU6Pz-kw&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dt67DU6Pz-kw
Linda chung is pretty but she kept on using the word ‘ge’ after finishing a sentence. Annoys me a lot.
Ahh… I loved Friendly Fire so much… Can’t bilif its weak rating, hah… Christmas & New Year break, can’t blame the series for the bad slots…
“TVB announced that in the next five years, the company would measure their audience viewership through the Nielsen Media Research rather than CSM. According to TVB, the American-based Nielsen ratings are able to provide a more accurate measurement of viewership count.”
This minor tidbit was interesting to me. Wonder if there will be any noticeable change when they make the switch from CSM to Nielsen and whether the different sample + methodology will result in an across-the-board increase/decrease in TVB’s reported ratings.
Linda is fine and bearable. But Jason bores me. Couldn’t stand his poor acting skill, lousy body language and him trying too hard to be a nice guy.
I enjoy Friendly Fire but not looking forward to the misunderstanding between the lovers. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the interaction between Sharon and Sammy.
Didn’t watch Missing You because the cast doesn’t interest me.
Try Missing You. The attraction is in the guest stars, something which I didn’t realize earlier cuz I was put off by the main casts listing. Feel like I’m a promoter for the series, lol.
And yeah, Sammy is surprisingly likable in FF. Quite a refreshing actor to have unlike the other typical ones.
The guest stars in Missing You is what pulls me in. Linda is pretty good as usual. Jason’s boring.
Jason is not boring, he sucks 🙂
Missing You is really boring. Just stop watching it after ep 3.
Sammy really outshine Michael in FF, he makes it fun to watch. Also Sharon outshine Tavia in the drama too.
i know, i feel the same way. the cop 2nd leads are so interesting to watch. HKers watch n enjoy weird series, both are not THAT bad. It’s actually quite watchable.
i like sharon too but no she does not outshine tavia. Different characters thats all.
yah that’s right. i think Sharon played it well as a fun & dedicated cop, but Tavia was awesome in her role as a smart leading lawyer with r’ship problem.
ditto sammy vs michael, different characters, both well-portrayed.
Jason’s character in Missing You really reminds me of Ray Lam’s character from Survivor’s Law I (2003) – does anyone remember this one back in the day? it was RF’s first big role – with the thick black rimmed glasses; the bag; the idealism and the readiness to serve society…..
i think the reason no one likes newcomer lead Jason Chan is b/c hes too much of a ‘GOOD BOY’ image. ppl just like bad boy images more isnt it? hes new and i think hes ok for a newcomer lead.
The ‘gayson’ character is not that bad either, what’s wrong w/giving more chances to shine for the younger generation? Why should ppl only enjoy wayne lai, n all those veterans actors? dont they get bored as well? give some newcomers a chance…
yes, cant blame all on Jason. I agree that the casts are weak. Moreover, the story is really boring.
Actually the stories are quite touching. Problem is the performances and I personally do not like Jason the actor. To have him as a leading actor is pulling down the series. He seems so insincere, so airy in the way he talks, moves his head too much and is absolutely unconvincing. It has nothing to do with his good guy image off screen. He needs to learn to act with conviction. Now I see his character as a himbo because he reminds me of those supermodels who tried to act.
Jason sucks – period. There are others from new generation should be cast instead.
Anyway, he can be in 2nd line actor to improve first.
Like Michael & Tavia cuz they act really well in the drama. Specially the chemistry between them. I cant believe that they hv a good chemistry.
Their relationship is the main thing to make me watch this series. Also, I really like Sammy’s acting too.
that’s right. the chemistry between JJ & Lam Lam is so addictive! I never thought I’d ever like them as couple after Rippling Blossom and Cupid Stupid, but they are doing excellently well in Friendly Fire! rooting for this couple now on!!!
I actually like FF. Chasing the new episodes every day 😛 I watched the first episode of Missing You and got bored…”touching” scenes weren’t touching to me.
me too
I’ve heard Missing You has nice storyline and very touching ones, but I have yet to make myself sitting down to watch it… Chasing Friendly Fire everynight!!!
Both dramas are actually really good!! Missing you is really meaningful and FF is full of funny, romantic, and action scenes
Cilia Lok for best supporting actress !
Both of these dramas so far are very interesting, providing some good cases that makes you foreshadow and want more, but at the same time contains repeating themes that makes it boring, which is understandable to many HK viewers. Missing You has some very deep stories that really makes you think and appreciate the value of family, while Friendly Fire has the stories that makes you think twice about how innocent people can be jailed as well as making you appreciate and not take freedom for granted.
Both are great series but at terrible time slot! Anyway, comparing to the past series at this graveyard slot, these 2 series are making the best rating records so far!
Missing you will not suffer from low rating if the drama was start by Kevin Cheng ,Kenneth Ma ,Raymond Lam etc or even Edwin Siu ,Jason shall not give the main role in this drama since he unpopular and even the kelefe in the drama are act better than him ,friendy fire are much better than missing you .
Agree. The drama has a good message and I don’t find the storyline boring at all. But Jason just couldn’t act. Please kick him back to the backrow. Don’t give him any leading role until he is ready.
Agreed .
I only watched a few episodes of “Missing You”, and found the show to be rather boring for my taste. To be fair, I wouldn’t put the blame on Jason, but the story writer. As for comments on Jason’s weak body language, he’s not like that normally, so either the character was supposed to be like that, or the director is not doing a good job at correcting actors portrayal of their characters.
Although Missing You casts are quite weak (strictly IMO) but I do like the idea of the drama. Something new from the TVB’s usual storyline. We can’t blame Jason Chan here because obviously it was TVB’s management decision to cast him. I find him okay to watch..just give him some time. Everyone starts from somewhere. It would just be the same if they choose Oscar Leung to be the lead now as I pretty doubt he would give a stellar performance in his first lead drama.
As for Friendly Fire, I find it very much entertaining and all the casts are doing great. I especially like to watch Michael and Tavia’s scenes (I secretly hope that they will get back together soon with them acting as couple in front of her dad). I find them convincing as a couple and as for Sharon & Sammy, a refreshing couple. Sharon looks super pretty in the drama too!
Missing You’ s biggest mistake is casting the wrong leads. Jason Chan can’t really act, Linda is nothing special. Lin Xia Wei is worse. However, the guest stars are still bearable to watch, at least the cases are okay. Just don’t let Jason Chan be the lead that early (Even though he’s quite old), he’s still not capable of leading the whole series. Edwin Siu is better imo.
Friendly Fire (Still don’t get how does that title come from, prefer Justice Attack) on the other hand is quite interesting! Love Mandy Wong’s guest appearance. Sammy isn’t bad too! Oscar’s scenes are too little tho, maybe he will appear more later.
Dramas that air straight after the anni. award always suffer low ratings. Nothing special.
After Missing You everyone call Jason Chan ‘See Heng ‘
Earlier his acting known as Wood but now became Si Lai Killer