TVB Anniversary Awards 2020: Predictions and Picks

This year has without a doubt been a complete mess, and it's time for a sense of normalcy (if only for my own sanity) with TVB Interaction's yearly anniversary awards post.

Every year we joke TVB is nominating everyone, but TVB has truly outdone itself by nominating nearly every last person, including many in the wrong category.  Complete newcomers are nominated in the Most Improved category, guest stars who barely registered a blip in their series are nominated in the supporting categories, and supporting actors are competing in the leading actor categories.  

See the full list of nominations here.

Best Actor

Top 5: Moses Chan, Wayne Lai, Raymond Lam, Kenneth Ma, Vincent Wong

Predicted Winner: Raymond Lam

Personal Choice: N/A

Snub: Frankie Lam for "Life After Death" 

Ouch to a petty TVB not even bothering to nominate Frankie, who recently wrapped up a stint as Vice President of ATV, despite a whooping 22 nominees in this category.  Mark Ma, who I was cheering to win Best Supporting Actor, was instead nominated here.  Admittedly, it can be difficult to categorize second lead roles, particularly for series with smaller casts, but Mark would have made for very strong competition in the supporting category.  Moses and Wayne are the perpetual top 5 nominees, but I wouldn't be surprised if Shaun or Joel kicked out one of the TV Kings for their performances in "Brutally Young."  It's hard to see anyone besides Raymond Lam winning to make up for all the years he narrowly lost, though I have heard rumbles of Lau Dan being a black horse.  While it was enjoyable to see remnants of the Raymond of yesteryear who got be more lighthearted and charming, he was severely sidelined and underdeveloped, much like everybody in "Line Walker"'s painfully over bloated cast ensemble.  He did what he could with the material given to him, but it will very much be a delayed win rather than one deserved for the particular series he is nominated for.  And with a lack of competition, I don't particularly care either way.

Best Actress

Top 5: Selena Li, Katy Kung, Mandy Wong, Ali Lee, Sisley Choi

Predicted Winner: Mandy Wong

Personal Choice: Ali 

Alrighty guys, if Katy wins for a clearly supporting role (and more importantly, not even a good one - for the last time, bulging your eyes is not acting!) in "Death by Zero," I will be livid.  I feel like I say this every year, but this is definitely the weakest competition for Best Actress yet.  Even with a lesser 18 nominees here, while no one in the Best Actor category is less than a second male lead, this category is littered with supporting actresses including Crystal Fung and Samantha Ko for "Al Cappuccino."  The "Lo and Behold" actresses arguably should be in the supporting categories still, but I am more forgiving for a sitcom where the focus shifts much more between characters.  

I've heard Mandy is the hot favorite to win after going home empty-handed despite an acclaimed performance in "Threesome" in 2018.  I don't have particular issues with Mandy winning, but she was also clearly a supporting role in "Line Walker" and hardly had room to really display her acting chops.  Mandy is someone who is clearly capable of giving a memorable, strong performance, but in recent years has been relegated to boring, uncomplicated roles (she played a straight-edged cop in both her series this year) and this in turn has also made her performances boring.  Hopefully, a TV Queen win will finally give her meaty roles again. 

Like with Best Actor, there is no one I am supporting to actually win, but if I had to choose, Ali probably gave the best performance of the bunch.  While many current actresses seem to only excel in one type of role, after watching her as "Cash" in "Death by Zero," I am persuaded Ali is the most versatile and chameleon-like, having played villain, dramatic, and comedic roles well.  She is uninhibited in her acting, which allowed Cash's silly and funny side to shine without making her cartoonish or exaggerated.  Though not Best Actress level (then again, who is these days?), I was also impressed with Sisley, who noticeably improved from the first "Legal Mavericks 2" and did much better in her emotional scenes.

Favorite Male Character

Top 5: Joel Chan, Moses Chan, Vincent Wong, Raymond Lam, Michael Miu

Predicted Winner: Joel

Personal Choice: Joel

I am surprised how much I have come to genuinely enjoy Joel's acting in recent years and how much screen presence he now has, especially in "Brutally Young" as the charismatic gangster with a good heart.  Vincent could possibly win again, but given Joel went unrecognized last year for "Barrack O'Karma," hopefully he will be able to go home with something this year.  Moses' "Zero" is also Moses at his best, playing a suave, confident, and clever yet humorous assassin but just restrained enough he was not over the top and annoying (the same cannot be said for his performance in "Beauty and the Boss").  

Favorite Female Character

Top 5: Selena, Sisley, Mandy, Ali, Katy 

Predicted Winner: Katy

Personal Choice: Ali

I'm throwing stones a little here, as Selena, Sisley, and Ali have all won this award already.  Mandy could win if someone else pulls an upset for Best Actress, but after that, Katy is probably next in line.  She garnered buzz for "Death by Zero" (admittedly, not the good kind), and she is nominated for "Hong Kong Love Stories," which has been receiving praise despite its bad time slot.

Best Supporting Actor

Top 5: Brian Tse, Tsui Wing, Benz Hui, Bowie Wu, Kent Tong 

Predicted Winner: Brian

Personal Choice: N/A

Snub: Anthony Ho for "Brutally Young"

While he certainly effectively creeped me out in "Death by Zero," I'm still not convinced Brian Tse is a strong actor.  With the moderate buzz he received for the series, and the excessive amount he was hounded by the press this year because of the Ashley Chu and Jackson Lai scandal, TVB may be looking to give him some encouragement.  

Although not a nominee in this category, I would have supported Mark.  I always get nervous when TVB dramas portray characters with any kind of disorder, but Mark clearly took great care in portraying a doctor with autism spectrum disorder, nailing subtle mannerisms while making the character lovable and realistic.  It was particularly impressive after watching him as the guy next door in "Lo and Behold," and I look forward to seeing him in more roles.  I was not a fan of Tsui Wing's character in "Al Cappuccino" at all, but he is always a solid supporting actor so I'd love to see him win one year.  

Anthony got to play a very substantial and meaty role in "Brutally Young" compared to his usual characters and was sympathetic and likable, so it's surprising he did not even get a nomination.  

Best Supporting Actress

Top 5: Moon Lau, Yoyo Chen, Angel Chiang, Winki Lai, Suet Nei 

Predicted Winner: Winki

Personal Choice: Winki

Snub: Vivien Yeo for "Brutally Young"

There's actually some competition in this category!  It's a difficult toss-up for my personal choice between Moon and Winki, but Winki edges out for me.  Moon's sweet and affable "Bei Bei" character admittedly has a special place in my heart and her passing over storyline in "The Exorcist's Second Meter" was touching thanks in large part to Moon's performance.  Similar to Yoyo, Winki showed in "Al Cappuccino" she is capable of playing far more than the "leng mui" characters she started off in.  She played the tough-as-nails big sister character well while conveying the character's more tender side who just wanted to a regular OL.  And of course, she had wonderful chemistry with Owen.  Winki is probably my favorite of the more up and coming actresses and I'd be more than happy for her to win.  

Yoyo is a black horse, having received good buzz for "Life After Death," and based on merit of performance alone I wouldn't go with Yoyo as she had a rather small supporting role where she mostly got to play the loyal, flirty, and fun friend.  However, she has gone from mostly only believably playing cute, young girl characters to naturally playing a charming and sexy mature young woman here.  With her focus on being a mother, TVB has put her on the sidelines for years, and if she does win, I hope it will propel her to be promoted and receive major roles, much like this award has done for previous winners. 

Although she received a Favorite Female Character nomination despite departing TVB this year, Vivien was snubbed for her performance in "Brutally Young" in this category.  This is the most emotive Vivien has been, having needed to communicate without speaking, and it is sad her best performance came just as she decided to move on from TVB.  

Most Improved Actor

Predicted Winner: Mark Ma

Personal Choice: Mark Ma

In a more ideal situation (for me at least), Mark could win Best Supporting Actor and Brian Tse could win Most Improved, as this is more reflective of their acting progress and experience.  Hopefully, Mark has this in the bag.  Of all the categories, this is probably the only one I'd genuinely be a bit upset about if my personal choice didn't win, especially if it went to one of the much more green actors I can barely remember the name of. 

Most Improved Actress

Predicted Winner: Moon Lau

Personal Choice: Gloria Tang 

If we're talking about actual improvement, Gloria has easily improved the most, having been unwatchable during her debut but becoming much more natural and likable in recent series such as "The Exorcist's 2nd Meter."  Moon is a relatively heavily promoted actress that has yet to win this award, but Angel Chiang may very well pull a win for "Al Cappuccino," though I still don't find her very believable as the sexy, flirty triad boss. 

Best Partnership

Predicted Winner: Vincent Wong, Owen Cheung, and Brian Chu in "Al Cappuccino" 

Personal Choice: Vincent Wong, Owen Cheung, and Brian Chu in "Al Cappuccino" 

While Vincent's romantic storylines with all four females in "Al Cappuccino" were haphazard and undeveloped (and overall just plain confusing), Vincent and Owen once again pulled off a great bromance and Brian was a welcome added dynamic.  Vincent and Owen are probably my favorite male partnership overall, as they are unafraid to get physical with each other while also being great banter partners.  I'm also a big fan of Kenneth and Hubert's partnership, but much more so in the original than in this year's sequel given their characters were often more at odds with each other. 

Best Theme Song

Predicted Winner: Raymond Lam and HANA's subtheme for "Line Walker"

Personal Choice: Man, I don't care. 

Best Drama

Predicted Winner: Line Walker 3: Bull Fight

Personal Choice: Death By Zero

"Line Walker 3" is the big anniversary production with the big cast and overall just part of a major franchise (that I wish would end).  While it started off promising, the series already had obvious difficulties integrating characters from the original and the prequel, particularly Benjamin and Priscilla's characters.  With the addition of numerous new characters, there was always too much going on and no individual character could be fully developed, leading to a mostly convoluted and disjointed storyline.  I was looking forward to watching Kenneth as a villain, but he mostly bulged his eyes.  

The dark comedy vibe where a heavy and rather violent subject matter is balanced with witty humor is common in American media such as superhero shows, but not at all with TVB, so I was very hesitant about "Death by Zero."  While the tone takes getting used to because of its novelty for a TVB series, it is executed well.  This tone and style is of course not everyone's cup of tea, especially much of TVB's target audience, but is very much up my alley so I was pleased with the freshness.  While I wish some characters such as Samantha's were better utilized and some minimized, Moses and Ali in particular shined, along with supporting players like Timothy Cheng.  Sure, it gets a bit absurd at times and some of our assassins seemingly just kill in plain sight, but it's a hell of a fun and fresh ride and more than deserving of "Best Drama." 

TVB Anniversary Awards 2019: Predictions and Picks

Another year, another disappointing list of nominations and lack of competition...

Best Actor

Top 5: Philip Keung, Benjamin Yuen, Kenneth Ma, Vincent Wong, Joel Chan
Predicted Winner: Kenneth
Most Deserving: Philip
Personal Choice: N/A

Will Kenneth finally win or will Philip pull an upset as the dark-horse candidate? Kenneth's character was disappointingly uncomplicated and unchallenging in an otherwise relatively solid series so watching him win for this series will not be as rewarding, but there is no doubt that he has been passed over for Best Actor time and time again. If Philip does pull an upset, Kenneth will have "The Exorcist's Meter 2.0" next year and "Ma Kwai" is a much stronger character though not particularly challenging to play either. Just please don't give the poor guy "Favorite Character" again.

Best Actress

Top 5: Kara Wai, Miriam Yeung, Selena Li, Natalie Tong, Nancy Wu
Predicted Winner: Miriam Yeung
Most Deserving: Did not watch The Defected and have not finished Barrack O'Karma, so hard to say
Personal Choice: N/A

It's Kara v. Miriam v. Selena, which is quite an interesting frontrunner list given that none of these artists are TVB managed artists (or in Selena's case, not TVB managed anymore), so the typical TVB politics/favorites game will not help you guess the winner. Kara is disadvantaged from "The Defected" having aired so much earlier in the year, so it's likely between Miriam and Selena. Miriam likely has the edge.

Favorite Male Character

Top 5: Benjamin, Kenneth, Joel, Vincent, Pakho Chau
Predicted Winner: Joel
Most Deserving: Joel?
Personal Choice: Pakho

Pakho's "Ho Tin" is my favorite character of the year. He is arguably too good to be true, but works as a better developed twist on the rich second-generation archetype that Pakho plays with charisma and likability. Benjamin may be rewarded for losing 20 pounds for his character in "The Defected," but has won this award before and like with Kara, is disadvantaged by the series' early air date. Given the critical acclaim of "Barrack O'Karma," Joel could likely inch out the others for this award.

Favorite Female Character

Top 5: Natalie, Selena, Miriam, Mandy Lam, Koni Lui
Predicted Winner: Selena
Most Deserving: Selena
Personal Choice: Mandy

If Selena does not win Best Actress, it will feel like a slap in the face for her to not win this award. Then again, I said something similar about Mandy Wong for "Threesome" last year, and look what happened there...

Mandy is not as much of a screen stealer in "Lo and Behold" this year since her character has left the company and become the lady boss at her and Jack's bar, but remains one of my favorite characters to watch.

Best Supporting Actor

Top 5: Tsui Wing, Matthew Ho, Eric Li, Stanley Cheung, Tony Hung
Predicted Winner: Eric
Most Deserving: Eric
Personal Choice: Eric

I actually have no idea who will win. This is a rehash for those who follow me on Twitter, but while I’m indifferent to all the other categories this year, I do feel passionately Eric should win. TVB has long typecast him into minor villain supporting roles but he has always performed well with the material given to him. He played a villain again in “The Man Who Kills Trouble,” but this time as the first supporting male in a meaty character who gets a redemption arc. He has great screen presence as the triad leader, and while his redemption arc is quite condensed, he gives a subtle performance in the last few episodes that prevents his redemption from feeling abrupt. What was abrupt though was Eric’s departure from TVB after receiving his largest role to date. He likely would have had a good chance at winning given he has received positive reception and attention for the series had he not left, but no longer a managed artist, TVB has nothing to gain. It’s anyone’s game now considering no other candidate who has generated much buzz, so I’ll hold onto hope Eric can emerge victorious.

I am pleasantly surprised though at the number of nominations long-running sitcom “Lo and Behold” received, particularly in this category. While the quality TVB’s dramas has left much to be desired for years, the sitcom has consistently been entertaining and fun.

Best Supporting Actress

Top 5: Moon Lau, Katy Kung, Jeannie Chan, Samantha Ko, Zoie Tam
Predicted Winner: Moon
Most Deserving: N/A
Personal Choice: Koni
Snub: Koni and Joyce Tang for “Lo and Behold”

Andrea So gets a nomination, but not Koni? Joyce has at least been previously nominated. The sitcom is now in its third year and Koni has yet to receive an acting nomination (though she is nominated for Favorite Character). She has improved significantly as an actress and is natural and entertaining.

As per usual with this category in the last few years, I'm just making random guesses now. TVB just likes awarding younger actresses it is preparing itself to heavily promote. My gut says the award will go to Moon or Jeannie. Jeannie had the more interesting character in "The Ghetto Fabulous Lady" it seems, but Moon is the better and more charismatic actress.

Most Improved Actor
Predicted Winner: Owen Cheung
Most Deserving: Owen
Personal Choice: Kalok Chow

Will TVB take pity on Owen for shelving all his series? I expected him to win last year so this is probably his year. Kalok Chow has great comedic timing in "Lo and Behold" and seems to have improved considerably since the sitcom first started.

Most Improved Actress
Predicted Winner: Kelly Cheung
Most Deserving: Gloria Tang
Personal Choice: Iris Lam

Kelly is the most heavily promoted of the bunch and has already been cast in leading roles. Gloria has improved a ton since her unwatchable early roles. I thought Iris showed potential in "Lo and Behold," but she got to shine in "Girlie Days" as Kristal Tin's daughter. I usually don't care for the young daughter and son roles, but Iris was incredibly natural, sweet, and charming and the actress herself seems passionate about acting.

Best Partnership
Predicted Winner: Joel and Selena
Most Deserving: Joel and Selena
Personal Choice: N/A

Four nominations for "Lo and Behold"! I do like Koni and Stanley in the sitcom a lot, but don't feel incredibly strongly about anyone. If Joel and Selena somehow manage to not get any major award, they should at the very least get this one since their pairing was so well-loved. Mandy Lam and Jack Hui are another possibility, but the buzz for the pairing has died down since Mandy's win last year.

Best Theme Song
Predicted Winner: "Can You Hear Me" by Kayee Tam for "Big White Duel"
Personal Choice: Theme song by Miriam Yeung for "Wonder Women"

I really like Kayee's voice and glad she has gotten to sing more theme songs, but goodness this song was overplayed and had awkward and cringeworthy English lyrics. Why are TVB's English subtheme songs so bad? How hard is it to have someone check the lyrics for grammar? Meanwhile, I recently watched HKTV's 2015 series "The Menu" for the first time, and thought the English sub theme "Can't Let Go" was absolutely lovely. Amazing how writing decent, grammatically correct English lyrics can help!

Best Drama

Predicted Winner: Big White Duel
Most Deserving: Barrack O'Karma
Personal Choice: Wonder Woman

"Big White Duel" is the safe choice as it was both a heavily-promoted series that was both critically and commercially successful (at least by TVB's standards these days). Barrack O'Karma is the black horse candidate though that could very likely win too.

"Wonder Women" Review

What TVB's last anniversary series of the year lacked in plot, it made up for with its characters in spades. "Wonder Women" has a very simple plot that follows a woman moving on from her unfaithful husband by rebuilding her career and falling in love. It has the formula of a typical lighthearted series, but succeeds because of its unlikely cast and character ensemble.

The female trio's friendship

Miriam Yeung and Pakho Chau are the core of the series, but the three girls' friendship were my second favorite part. While there are countless series that feature close male brotherhood, one of my many gripes with TVB is the poor portrayal of female friendships (or lack thereof). Male characters go through thick and thin with and for each other, but female TVB friendships tend to come off as much more superficial and surface-level. They go shopping and to the spa, but that's pretty much it. While Miriam, Alice Chan, and Rebecca Zhu's characters are definitely shown going shopping and out to eat, their friendship is actually fleshed out. You feel the trust, warmth, and bond between them. The friendship feels genuine rather than cliquy, and I truly appreciated that the writers here took the time to develop and put a focus on this sisterhood. Additionally, these female characters are written dynamically as well with their strengths as well as their flaws.

Of course, this friendship would not have been so enjoyable to watch if not for Miriam, Alice, and Rebecca's chemistry. The trio's casting seemed odd and random to me at first, especially given that Rebecca is considerably younger than the other two, but they mesh and play off each other incredibly well. Pakho’s “Ho Tin” also adds a very fun dynamic to their friendship. I was cracking up right with Lam Fei at the scene where Fung Wah and See Lui were waiting to see who Ho Tin would want to drop off first to see who he was interested in, only for Ho Tin to come out and ask them to decide amongst themselves who wanted to be first.

By far the individual performance I was most surprised by was Rebecca's. She has been a rather bland and forgettable actress for years, but last year she showed considerable improvement in "The Stunt," particularly in her emotional scenes. She displayed fantastic comedic timing here that we have not seen before, and her emotional scenes are done very well too. The scene in episode 23 where a crying Rebecca is trying to get Miriam and Alice to talk and reconcile is heartbreaking and convincing. "See Lui" could have easily been written as a one-dimensional ditzy trophy wife, but the script and Rebecca's performance thankfully develops the character to be more dynamic. She can be overdramatic and silly but is also rather clever and smart, as well as a caring, good friend. She has a comfortable and fun chemistry with onscreen husband Tony Hung who has his funny moments too, but is very much outshined by Rebecca.

Alice suits these strong, career-minded characters best, so this role was no challenge for her. However, in keeping with the theme of likable but flawed characters, "Fung Wah"'s handling of her love life is more messy. While I like Alice a lot, I did not care for her storyline with Jonathan Cheung too much. Alice seems like one of those affable, personable actresses who could spark chemistry with a tree if she had to, so while she and Jonathan look physically mismatched, their chemistry does not completely fall flat. However, it still came off as bland and a little awkward-looking, and simply lacked the "it" factor that the main couple has.

Lastly, our leading lady Miriam is of course solid. She plays her character with sympathy and wit at all the right places with no trouble.

Miriam and Pakho's relationship
One different casting choice would have been the difference between Lam Fei and Ho Tin's relationship being enjoyable and engaging or incredibly awkward and forced. Given that these characters' relationship is the driving force behind the series, TVB got lucky and struck gold with this couple.

The series succeeds in large part because Miriam and Pakho surprisingly have so much chemistry. Miriam is an award-winning actress while Pakho also has acting experience and just seems like an easygoing person, so I went in expecting there to be some chemistry, but nothing to shout about. The physical incompatibility does not hinder them but rather adds to their romantic storyline, showing that age and appearances are not everything. The two are so natural and at ease with each other, sparking many laughs early on when they are a bickering landlord and tenant and later good friends, but very sweet as they become a couple. It was rewarding to see Lam Fei finally accept Ho Tin. The relationship is also rewarding to watch because Ho Tin is not the savior to Lam Fei's damsel-in-distress. He is right alongside her supporting her as she picks herself up and moves on, as are her friends.

The series takes the character archetypes of the cheated ex-housewife, the career woman, and the trophy wife and fleshes them out a bit more with the women. Meanwhile, Ho Tin is the rich second-generation with a heart of gold. The man is a chronically unemployed almost 30-year-old relying on his father's debit card who literally started the series by paying exorbitant rent so he could stalk his ex-girlfriend to get back together with her just so he could dump her! There were many reasons to not like him, particularly when he failed to be straightforward to Ms. Lui about not having feelings for her and his general lack of direction in life, but they are overshadowed by how caring and thoughtful of a person and friend he is not only to Lam Fei, but to Kai Kai, See Lui, Fung Wah, and Jonathan. While I am a fan of Pakho and his music, I did not like his character in "Another Era" and he was noticeably rather wooden in what I saw of "Line Walker: The Prelude." There was much apprehension about whether Pakho could perform or even deserved this leading role, including even from myself, but he is charismatic, affable, and natural as Ho Tin, and makes us can't help but love him for his positive traits rather than focus on his more negative ones. His scenes with Kai Kai are particularly sweet, and while TVB's child actors are typically pretty annoying, "Kai Kai" is rather natural and adorable, especially given his lack of prior acting experience.

One detail I would have liked to see is Ho Tin realizing what career he is passionate about and pursuing that. While it would have been fine for Ho Tin to realize he is interested in medicine, there was no indication of that and he seemed to pursue it simply because he was already halfway done with medical school and thought it would make his father and Lam Fei happy.

Other noteworthy aspects

Raymond Wong has long been a solid, talented actor, and it is a shame that TVB seems to not know what do with him anymore in the last few years, mostly casting him in boring characters or low-production series. He is convincing and absolutely detestable as "Kim Hung." It was rather puzzling that his former father-in-law (played by Benz Hui) never truly yelled at Kim Hung for breaking his daughter's heart yet still treated him as a son so long after the divorce.

Other than its characters and relationships, the series is also just very funny and in a refreshing way. Rather than relying on typical over-the-top humor or craziness, there are many humorous and clever moments that aren't played so deliberately. Notable scenes include when everyone is enjoying hot pot inside while Kim Hung is sitting outside in the hot with his glasses fogging up and the dancing scene with "Wing Boss" and "Old Sim" with everyone watching. The humor keeps the series going, and the episodes that suffer from feeling slow-moving are ones that are too serious or focus on boring aspects like the business deals.

This is the second series this year that focuses on a woman moving on from a failed marriage after "Girlie Days," and it is interesting to see how the two series executes its similar themes. While that is by far the inferior series, I liked "Girlie Days" for how Kristal Tin's career storyline is done. She finds an outlet and regains control and direction of her life by working out (as a personal trainer), and it becomes where she is most confident and in her element, and we see it along the way. Lam Fei is shown moving on with the endless support of her friends, which is certainly another realistic take on it that paid off given these cast and characters, but the portrayal of her career development left much to be desired. After she transitions from the cooking booth to a higher role, there are a few scenes here and there of her running around with files and going to boardroom meetings that felt like they were simply tacked on to remind us Lam Fei is a career woman now. The magazine covers showing Lam Fei was now a successful chef and restauranteur in the finale made me realize I wish we could have gotten to see more of this along the way.

The Ending

*spoilers!*

Like with many TVB series, "Wonder Women" would have benefitted from just being 20 episodes long. The episodes after Ho Tin recovers from his amnesia still boosts some individual fun scenes, but overall feel like an unnecessary coda. After 24 episodes of easy, relaxing watching in a universe that feels mostly grounded in reality, Jonathan's sudden death after trying to save Maggie Yu's unhinged, annoying character was an absurd curveball that was uncalled for, especially given that they just brushed over his actual cause of death. To me, it also felt a little too on-the-nose that Fung Wah lost her love after Lam Fei told her she could not find love and marriage because she had disrupted another marriage. While Lam Fei obviously did not mean it, Fung Wah's ending still felt like the ultimate slut-shaming and her karma for having a one-night-stand with Kim Hung, whom she did not even know was marrying Lam Fei. It harms Fung Wah's character yet is inconsequential to the series itself, so it was nonsensical to include this plot point. If the writers really wanted drama for the end, Jonathan falling into a coma and eventually waking up would have been sufficient. It was also unnecessary to include the scene where we find out Jonathan had a twin if they were not going to resolve that, unless the plan is to film a sequel. Thankfully, Lam Fei and Ho Tin are eventually reunited to have a happy ending, though given the age of social media, it is odd that they did not speak to each other at all for six years. Not even birthday texts? It would have been understandable if they decided not to be in a long-distance relationship, but it was bizarre they appeared to have completely cut off contact with each other.

Conclusion

I watch a lot of television and rarely watch movies. TV appeals to me more because I love becoming invested in characters and watching them grow. There is more time to watch characters, relationships, and storylines develop. While this also gives writers ample time to mess up, create filler, or spin in circles, if done correctly, TV shows have more of an opportunity for payoff. "Wonder Women" does not have a concrete plot. Yet, this is the first TVB series in a long time that I genuinely feel like I will miss watching because in the span of 25 episodes, I got to know, like, and care about these characters. The scriptwriters put an effort here into developing the three female characters and Ho Tin to seem like real, flawed people with feelings and thoughts as well as develop their relationships with each other. It is an effort that pays off here to make an overall entertaining, easy, character-driven watch, proving you don’t need a big, flashy plot full of twists and turns to be engaging. It will not be everyone’s cup of tea given the more relaxed, uneventful nature of it, but for fans of character-driven series, TVB proves it can still be capable of making them.

Rating: 4 stars

"Fist Fight" Review

To keep producing the same old TVB drama, or to go completely off the deep end to create the anti-TVB drama? That is the question many TVB producers and scriptwriters seem to ponder, and "Fist Fight" is able to find a happy medium between the two approaches.

"Fist Fight" has many elements familiar with typical TVB series' DNA: from the bickering pair, to revenge, to family, and more. It also uses themes that have been previously used and mixes it with fresher ones, coming together to create a drama that features everything from telepathy, boxing, security, government corruption, conspiracy, to the internet and virtual reality. While this sounds like it could easily end in a hot mess of a drama that tries to do too much, the result is a multi-dimensional series that can keep a viewer on the edge of his or her seat, and require the viewer to stop and think a little to hang on for the crazy ride. 

This balance of fresh and familiar is ultimately what allows "Fist Fight" to stand apart from other series this year. While it takes the requisite two to three episodes to set up the characters and general plot, the pace becomes quick and easy to get into afterwards, unlike past "risky dramas" like "When Heaven Burns" that try to be more artistic and can become draggy instead. 

It seems like producer Lam Chi Wah drew inspiration from the highly serialized and genre nature of many American shows these days (with some viewers commenting the premise is eerily similar to Netflix's "Sense8"), and this influence is apparent. As the series shifts away from the bodyguard agency and more on the three male leads themselves, "Fist Fight" becomes increasingly complex with more and more elements at play and viewers are left trying to put together the puzzle pieces of what becomes the show's primary mystery. The blend of genres and themes is ambitious and screams more "American streaming drama" than "TVB drama," but there is also the familiar mixture of drama, action, comedy, and romance. 

Throughout all this, it even throws in some social commentary through its discussion of virtual reality and the "dark web." While some of this becomes confusing, and the use of virtual reality becomes almost laughably far-fetched in the last stretch of episodes, it does raise some interesting questions about the dangers advancements in technology can bring. 

"Fist Fight" boosts a younger cast, which is in line with its fresh nature, and thankfully they overall deliver.

Vincent Wong is fantastic as always these days as "Fever Cheung." With a different actor, "Fever" easily could have become irritating to watch with his arrogance and self-confidence. Instead, Vincent makes him charming, funny, and entertaining. The character regularly says "If you can guess what I'm up to, I wouldn't be Fever." It was refreshing to watch a protagonist who you could not always predict the next move of, consistent with the character's innovative and out-of-the-box mindset. 

Mat Yeung as "Leo" plays a great straight man to Vincent's "Fever." The character is aloof and "cool" as well as untrusting of others, and Mat looks and plays the part without being wooden, while also excelling in his emotional scenes in the last episodes. 

Another refreshing aspect of "Fist Fight" was how smart "Fever" and "Leo" are, albeit in slightly differing ways. While many TVB series love revving up the dramatic irony where the viewer is left screaming at the screen about how a character could be so oblivious, our leading men catch on to everything we realize about the villains and suspicious characters and more. With Fever and Leo's mutual preference for relying on themselves rather than trusting others, it was incredibly entertaining seeing the two try to outsmart the other (and failing, because the other would always eventually catch on) before they finally agreed to work together.

While still awkward and wooden in his most dramatic scenes, particularly in early ones when he is still a cop, Philip Ng showed improvement from "A Fist Within Four Walls." Philip also shows once again that his forte is in more comedic, lighthearted scenes. His voice still goes too deep when angry, but he is more natural and very likable in lighter scenes, particularly those with Rebecca Zhu. "Iron" is very impulsive and hotheaded while still a cop, and while those traits do not completely go away, he mellows in the second half and appropriately steps into the role of an older brother figure who is capable of taking a step back and looking at the situation more calmly. Consequently, Philip becomes much more enjoyable to watch too, and while he still has a long way to go, he demonstrates that he can be cast for more than just his action moves.

Unsurprisingly, there are less praises to sing for the female cast. This largely has to do with the fact the series is focused on brotherhood, making the females secondary characters who mainly exist as love interests for the men.

Shining the most though is Kaman Kong, despite the character's ridiculous name of "Sitting." I have noticed Kaman's potential and surprisingly already rather natural acting since "My Ages Apart." In her first substantial "adult" role, she is still as affable and lovable as ever, while also performing well and evoking sympathy in her emotional scenes. She and Vincent share an easygoing and sweet chemistry as the series' resident bickering pair turned lovers. The bickering pair trope can get old, but I enjoyed the pair's progression into a couple, though I groaned at one specific development in "Sitting" in the second half. Thankfully, it was not too grating to watch. After finishing this series, I wish Kaman would have won Most Improved Actress this year. 

Rebecca Zhu performs adequately enough as "Ching Ching" without being too interesting, but she shares great chemistry with Philip. The "immediately good friends turned something more" was a good contrast to Fever and Sitting as a bickering pair. The scene where Ching Ching and Iron finally get together is probably my new favorite get-together scene with how adorable and hilarious Philip is running back and forth across the street. 

Tiffany Lau had a difficult debut role in that she had to go through training and had many boxing and action scenes. Character-wise, she is more of a supporting player than female lead who is easily the most disposable. She is likable but her Cantonese is distractingly and heavily accented. She and Mat have enough chemistry to not look awkward, but it is nothing noteworthy.

Other notable performances included Toby Chan, who takes a break from her typical boring pretty girl characters to play a bad-ass bodyguard, and Jack Hui as Fever's loyal confident and friend. 

Although the series is not without its fair share of predictable twists or unrealistic turns, and the death-toll became very high, it was refreshing to watch the series and not always be able to see what was going to happen next just based off context clues and what has happened in other similar series. Any viewer could see Shek Sau would at least be a semi-villain, but I enjoyed being able to keep guessing as to who exactly did what, just how evil a character was, and who the ultimate villain would be. 

"Fist Fight" was an ambitious series, from the nearly six-month commitment it took to film the series with its location-filming and many action sequences, to its mix of genres and complex storytelling. Despite its flaws, this different direction is executed well enough that it is worth commending, even if it became more unrealistic and convoluted towards the end. Hopefully, other producers and scriptwriters will take a page from "Fist Fight" to more create entertaining and fresh series that can take risks without completing shedding the feeling of familiarity and accessibility that comes with watching a TVB series. 

Rating: 4.25 stars

TVB Anniversary Awards 2018: Results + Comments

Lifetime Achievement Award: Nancy Sit

TVB usually hits the nail on the head with these (unfortunately I can't say that for much else they do). Nancy is a TVB fixture with a career that has spanned more than 60 years, so of course this was deserved.

Professional Actor Award: Angelina Lo, Timothy Cheng, Jimmy Au

All three are spot on. Angelina Lo is TVB's best bitchy mother-in-law, while also great at playing loving mothers, or bitchy mothers who have a soft side. Timothy Cheng still gets tasked with villain roles a majority of the time, but always delivers. Joel ended up winning Best Supporting Actor last year over Jimmy for "The Unholy Alliance," which just made more sense because as solid as Jimmy was, his character was still relatively minor. This gives him acknowledgment for his years of playing everything from villain roles to loyal and strong ones to comedic ones.

Most Improved Actor: Matthew Ho
Matthew was obviously going to win since Owen was only in variety series this year, and the rest of the competition was pretty trash (sorry Hubert, still loved you as Shek Kam Dong). I didn't watch "Life on the Line," but this award seems warranted, especially since he was already the hot favorite to win for his performance as "Siu Tung" last year, though TVB decided to finally award Mat Yeung instead.

Most Improved Actress: Crystal Fung
You know TVB really pulled a fast one when even the winner herself is visibly completely befuddled as to how she won the award. Crystal has literally acted in one series so far ("Apple-colada"), therefore she has nothing to improve on. I was particularly surprised Crystal won considering TVB seemed itching to give this to Louisa Mak. I'm not even sure which winner would be worse, but from a logistical standpoint, it is definitely worse to give it to someone who has had no opportunity to even try to improve yet. I'm glad Crystal acknowledged this in her speech though, and that she said she'd work hard to improve to actually earn this award.

Most Popular TV Partnership: Edwin Siu and Raymond Cho for "Two Men in a Kitchen"
You don't need to look any further than the pair's matching red suits and going up to get their award hand-in-hand to know these two are best buddies. Their friendship is so apparent, TVB even gave him this award two years in a row even though they had no incentive to!

The highlight of the night though was Edwin dropping a bombshell and thanking his wife Priscilla in his acceptance speech! He was so awkward and nervous about it, and while some found it cringeworthy, I found it hilarious - clearly, Priscilla is the more eloquent in this relationship. ;) I'm surprised they managed to keep it a secret since April! These two don't get much press since people just don't seem to care, but they have long been one of my favorite real-life TVB couples. They are very low-profile yet seem so genuinely sweet and fun (as evidenced by Edwin's first failed proposal on a roller coaster, and Priscilla proposing the second time).

Most Popular Series Song: Hana Kuk's theme song for "Life on the Line"
I'm SHOCKED! Nah, just kidding.

My Favorite TVB Drama (Singapore and Malaysia): "Threesome"
Glad that "Threesome" got some acknowledgment! Clearly, Singapore and Malaysia appreciated this series that TVB cast aside, cut down, and then banished to weekends much more than Hong Kong.

Best Supporting Actor: Oscar Leung for "OMG, Your Honor"
This was slightly surprising given that he was not a buzzed-about nominee (but then again, who was in this category?). Given his years of solid performances and what sounded like a more major character in "OMG, Your Honor" though, it was still deserved. Despite hitting a surge in popularity in 2012 and 2013's "L'Escargot" and "Tiger Cubs," TVB has seemed to have cast him aside into minor supporting and gangster roles again in the last few years, so I'm sure this unexpected win was encouraging for Oscar. And you know Oscar genuinely did not expect this, since he wore sneakers and said he would've put more effort into his look had he known he would win.

Best Supporting Actress: Mandy Lam for "Come Home Love: Lo and Behold"
Probably the most deserved award of the night (minus the veteran honorees)? Mandy was a hot favorite to win last year, and in one of the biggest "WTF" moments in recent anniversary award memory, Rebecca Zhu won instead. I have usually liked Mandy despite playing very small roles, and am happy she has been gaining recognition. Of all the winners of the night, Mandy seemed the most balanced, looking genuinely grateful while also being very well-composed and eloquent in her acceptance speech, despite a turbulent career that included fighting (and winning!) a battle against cancer seven years ago.

My Favorite Male Character: Kenneth Ma for "Deep in the Realm of Conscience"
Kenneth's expression when his name was announced, as well as his acceptance speech, was the most unintentionally hilarious moment of the night. While his colleagues, including Ruco and Ben, looked genuinely happy for him, Kenneth looked visibly in disbelief that he was winning this award for the third time. I usually hate when actors wear a "black face" when giving acceptance speeches, but this win was so absurd that Kenneth's complete failure to hide his sassiness in his speech, which included remarks such as how he did not pay anyone for the award, cracked. me. up. I think Kenneth himself knew he didn't have much of a chance for Best Actor this year, but was even more annoyed that TVB wanted to stroke his ego with this award again and just felt mocked instead. Once in a while this award really can mean something, and that you played a memorable character audiences loved. Most of the time, it's a pork award, and Kenneth's win was the epitome of that. Poor guy probably would've dropped TVB like a hot potato years ago, but knows his worth is in Hong Kong and that he would not fare well in Mainland China like his former more idol-faced colleagues like Ron and Bosco.

My Favorite Female Character: Alice Chan for "Deep in the Realm of Conscience"
I love Bobby so much, but wanted to slap him off the screen when he was presenting the leading female categories. The bit would have been fine and worth a chuckle if Bobby simply stated Jessica Hsuan yelled at him for forgetting to thank Tommy Leung 18 years ago, and he wanted to do so now. But like with most things, Bobby had to keep dragging it out and going on and on as if this was his time to give an acceptance speech. I'm assuming this was TVB's idea of humor and not completely Bobby's doing, and he was just responsible for rambling, but it was incredibly stupid, even more so with the cramped time.

I realize "Deep in the Realm of Conscience" was a grand production, but I'm kinda surprised Alice wasn't nominated in this category for "Apple-colada" instead where she played a strong and sassy female protagonist instead of a villain. The Best Actress and Fave Female Character competition was clearly a race between Alice, Ali, and Mandy this year, and I was betting that if it was anyone that was the most likely to go home empty-handed, it would have been Alice. I've always liked Alice though, and did not see her winning Best Actress, so I'm glad she still received recognition.

Best Actor: Joe Ma for "Life on the Line"
This was another one of the head scratchers of the night, but probably the one I was most indifferent to. Joe has never been a great actor, nor is he a bad actor. He's just kind of...meh. But I guess it was his time. I can only be so offended when the rest of the competition besides Dicky was trash, and Dicky's series was shoved to the end of the year.

Best Actress: Ali Lee for "Who Wants a Baby?"
And TVB stabs Mandy in the back and throws her to the wayside. I can't believe TVB gave Mandy nothing. I have liked Ali since her debut, and she has quickly become my favorite new leading actress out of the lukewarm bunch we have. Indeed, she has rapidly improved, and if Mandy and Alice weren't contenders, people probably wouldn't care. Unlike most other newer generation actresses, Ali has won quite a bit of both not only TVB's favor, but the audience's favor. Unfortunately, by giving Ali this award so soon (just two years after winning Most Improved!) in a year with competition, TVB is unfortunately opening her up to be criticized and disliked for something that is not her fault, much like Natalie Tong when she won this award last year. And the sad thing is, her career did not need such a boost with this award. She is already popular and in-demand because her other similarly-experienced female colleagues suck. I still love you though Ali.

Best Drama: "Life on the Line"
The only category I predicted correctly this year - yikes. I'm glad "Beyond the Realm of Conscience" did not win this though, and that what seems like a deserving series did.

TVB Anniversary Awards 2018: My Predictions and Picks

Hello for the first time since February! I was considering not writing up an awards predictions post this year since I've been so busy with law school, and have only completed four series this year, my lowest number yet. However, this year marks the tenth year of these annual posts, and I didn't want to ruin that stint. Having watched so few series though, and the fact that this is the absolute weakest list of nominations yet (I know, we say this every year), this post is shorter and I won't be making guesses for top five nominations as I can't even choose one for some of these. I also left a lot of spaces blank because, as you will quickly see, I have no idea what's going on anymore.

For those wondering, the four series I've watched all the way through this year are "Daddy Cool," "Apple-colada," "The Stunt," and "Another Era," and I am currently watching "Fist Fight."

Stray observation: The protocol in years' past has seemed to be that every major actor in practically every series was nominated by default. Yet, this year's practice was to nominate every major (and several very minor) actor from a smaller number of more high-profile series.

View the full list of nominations here.

Best Actor

Predicted Winner: Dicky Cheung
Most Deserving:
Personal Choice: Carlos Chan
Snub: Steven Ma for "Deep in the Realm of Conscience"

• The Best Actress category has been a weak spot for several years now, while Best Actor usually includes at least one notably decent-performing veteran and one younger leading actor as nominees. But...this is also pretty bad now.
• I didn't watch "The Forgotten Valley," but it seems like Lau Kong had a substantial role, and this nomination makes me wonder if he may pull a win as a black horse candidate. 
• I actually don't think there's a high likelihood Dicky will win, but it's also fair to believe that he may win because 1) the competition sucks, and 2) it could be an act of gratitude from TVB.
• TVB couldn't even throw Steven a nomination for starring in one of this year's anniversary series in a category that also includes Tony...ouch.
• If Benjamin wins, I don't know what I'm going to do to myself, but it seems like a likely possibility... (Though it seems odd he's nominated for "Another Era" rather than "Stealing Seconds," which he won Favorite Actor in Singapore and Malaysia for. 
• Carlos will never win, but he really was refreshing and strong in "Daddy Cool." It takes a solid actor to hold your own against Wayne and John Chiang, but not only did Carlos did that, he was completely convincing as Wayne and John's grandfather and father, respectively. I hope he films with TVB again, but I'm sure he has even better opportunities after this performance.
• Man I really miss watching Louis. 

Best Actress

Predicted Winner: Mandy Wong
Most Deserving: Mandy Wong
Personal Choice:

I watched the first two episodes of "Threesome," and did not hate it nor was I immediately drawn in, so I ended up never continuing because of how busy I was. Mandy has long shown that she is a competent actress though, and got a chance to showcase that by playing three different characters.

My Favorite Male Character

Predicted Winner:
Most Deserving:
Personal Choice: Carlos Chan

Yeah...I got nothing. Benjamin won this already two years ago, so another win so soon for someone who is no Charmaine Sheh or Wayne Lai seems redundant.

*Sorry to John Chiang for using such an unflattering screen capture...it seems to have gotten considerably harder to find good stills now that TVB has slacked off on uploading official promotional ones.


My Favorite Female Character
Predicted Winner: Ali Lee
Most Deserving:
Personal Choice:

I was already surprised Ali did not win this last year (and to her female co-star from the same series who had a less popular character!), so perhaps this year is hers. I watched the first two episodes or so of "Who Wants a Baby?" and didn't find it too engaging, but thought Ali performed well from what I saw, bringing out the character's insecurities and nervousness about becoming a mother while also feeling genuinely excited and happy. The only other person who may win would be Mandy if someone pulls an upset for Best Actress.

Best Supporting Actor

Predicted Winner:
Most Deserving:
Personal Choice:
Snub: Kelvin Kwan for "The Stunt"


Andrew Yuen was in just a handful of episodes as Alice's boyfriend in "Apple-colada" before getting broken up with, but alrighty then TVB. I'm hard pressed to single out even one name here...did Jonathan Cheung have a major role in "Succession War"? He's always good.

Obviously Kelvin is not a TVB managed artist, therefore, according to TVB, screw him, but he was certainly one of the more entertaining and memorable supporting actors this year. He never failed to steal a scene and make me laugh, but also fared relatively well in his emotional scenes, which was such a pleasant surprise since he has been criticized for being a wooden actor previously.


Best Supporting Actress
Predicted Winner:
Most Deserving:
Personal Choice: Joyce Tang

Look, I have no idea, I just wish Joyce could get her sweet justice for losing this award to FREAKING REBECCA ZHU last year even though she has no chance this year.

Most Improved Actor
Predicted Winner: Owen Cheung
Most Deserving:
Personal Choice:

This category is giving me a serious case of deja vu with three of the same nominees from last year and it's likely Owen vs. Matthew once again, with no Mat to pull a deserving upset this time around. Owen is the one who has already been promoted to leading actor though, so this makes most sense.

Most Improved Actress
Predicted Winner: Louisa Mak
Most Deserving:
Personal Choice: Roxanne Tong

Louisa is the most profile, but still very green. I still love Roxanne and think she is a very likable actress who has improved a lot, but TVB really can't seem to make its mind up on whether to promote her or not. Last year she had a few major roles and one leading one, yet this year she has gone back to being sidelined, and does not have any performances to warrant a win.

Favorite TV Partnership

Odd drama choices other than the "Life on the Line" guys. The trio from "Daddy Cool" definitely deserved a nomination and "Fist Fight" would have made a decent nomination too.

Best Drama
Predicted Winner: "Life on the Line"
Most Deserving: "Daddy Cool"
Personal Choice: "Daddy Cool"

Anniversary series and highest-rated series of the year while also receiving rather positive praise. "Life on the Line" is a pretty good recipe for a best drama win with these combined factors. "Daddy Cool" was just so fun and refreshing though, and even when the plot got a little draggy or absurd, the cast and characters were able to carry it until the end.

Best Theme Song
I'm assuming one of Hana Kuk's theme songs because she is TVB's current Jinny Ng. I have no personal choices.

TVB Anniversary Awards 2017: Results + Comments

Global Netizen’s Favorite Drama: “The Exorcist’s Meter”

Not a surprise and well-deserved. I’m so glad TVB didn’t give this to “Line Walker 2” and always love a good underdog story. This series had a low budget and the farest thing from a star-studded cast, but heart and creativity. There probably isn’t any other series in the last few years that dealt with the subject of human loss and love so well, much less while tying together supernatural elements.

Most Improved Actor: Mat Yeung

I said “Matthew” out loud just as the winner was announced and was completely blindsided in the best way possible when Mat’s name was announced instead. I pegged Mat as having no chance, especially as the two drama series he is nominated for did not receive much attention. Yes he’s overqualified for the award, and perhaps Owen deserved it most solely in terms of actual improvements in acting, but I am so happy that he has finally received recognition. Next stop, best supporting actor with the big boys?

Most Improved Actress: Mayanne Mak

I was totally surprised by this, and don’t watch variety shows so I cannot give an opinion as to whether or not Mayanne deserves it. From all the applause and cheers she received, it seems like she did, and in that respect I’m happy for her. However, I still think TVB needs to separate out the most improved acting and hosting categories. I’m mostly just glad Jacqueline Wong didn’t win (sorry Kenneth).

Most Popular Drama Theme Song: Hubert Wu’s theme song for “The Exorcist’s Meter”

Woo so happy Hana didn’t win for her sub theme for “Line Walker 2”! This is definitely my favorite theme song of the year. No complaints. So glad Hubert, who is a far superior singer, finally nabbed this award out of the hands of Jinny, Hana, and Co. Also loved the "Hearts of Fencing" reunion. When I first heard the theme song by 2R start playing, I was wondering why it sounded so familiar before I was flooded with memories of the series.

Most Favorite Onscreen Partnership: Edwin Siu, Raymond Cho, and Matthew Ho for “A General, A Scholar, And An Eunuch”

I didn’t actually put this down as my prediction, but did expect this would be a very likely scenario. Edwin, Raymond, and Matthew were such a fun ensemble with chemistry while each having comedic talent in their own right. Edwin looked completely surprised and unprepared when giving the acceptance speech though, which was quite funny.

Best Supporting Actor: Joel Chan for “The Unholy Alliance”

Top 5: Joel Chan, Jimmy Au, Andrew Yuen, Owen Cheung, Anthony Ho

This category was obviously one “The Unholy Alliance” co-star versus another. In the end, I’m not surprised Joel won, and that is more fitting anyway because as solid of an actor as Jimmy is, his bodyguard role in the series probably could not even have been considered a supporting role. Joel was one of the more emotional people of the night, which makes sense given he was given a second opportunity at TVB and has experienced so much more success this time around after putting in a lot of hard work. I’m looking forward to seeing more of Joel. It was sweet seeing Elaine present the award to Joel and tearing up behind him as he gave his speech, before regaining composure and watching him in admiration.

Best Supporting Actress: Rebecca Zhu for “A General, A Scholar, And An Eunuch”

Top 5: Rebecca Zhu, Tracy Chu, Mandy Lam, Elaine Yiu, Sharon Chan

I don’t think I’ve ever been so genuinely offended and confused by an anniversary awards winner in my life? While I did not agree with Katy and Elaine’s wins in the last two years for this award, at least they were for meaty roles. Meanwhile, Rebecca had the least to do of all the females in “A General.” She stood around and flirted with Matthew sometimes. What’s even more offensive is that her co-star Grace Wong did not even place into a top 5 despite giving a far superior, more entertaining performance. However, I was pleasantly surprised Mandy Lam placed for “Lo and Behold.” I haven’t been watching it, but been hearing good things about her and always like it when actors from sitcoms can get short-listed. Either Tracy, Mandy, or Elaine winning would have been better than Rebecca. And this is saying a lot, considering Tracy only had a guest starring role and Elaine gave a typical performance and already previously won. I can’t believe Sharon was short-listed for her cringeworthy, adulterer role in “Heart and Greed 3” either. This has been one of the weakest categories in the last few years, but Rebecca’s win is probably one of the most uncalled for and unfair since Fala first won in 2007 very shortly after debuting.

Favorite Male Character: Kenneth Ma for “The Exorcist’s Meter”

Top 5: Kenneth Ma, Vincent Wong, Moses Chan, Edwin Siu, Benjamin Yuen

Most of us definitely called this. “Ma Kwai” is definitely one of the most easily likable characters of the year. All the top five nominees’ characters were likable though, which is a nice change from some categories sometimes not even having one solid nominee recently.

Favorite Female Character: Sisley Choi for “Legal Mavericks”

Top 5: Sisley Choi, Natalie Tong, Nancy Wu, Mandy Wong, Ali Lee

Slightly surprising, but not that much considering it’s TVB. Sisley should have been nominated for and won Most Improved Actress instead. If we are looking solely at character, I really did like her “Din Jie” character, which was a refreshing female character who was bad ass, did not care she was unattractive, and was unapologetically herself. I would still easily choose Ali’s “Paris” over Sisley, and am disappointed Ali went home empty-handed despite giving such a solid performance in “My Ages Apart.” Unfortunately, what I dreaded would happen to Ali happened to Sisley instead. She isn’t necessarily undeserving and has genuinely improved, but she won such a major award sooner than others usually do, which has already given her criticism. TVB is hurting Sisley more than helping her by pulling this move, while the audience may have actually been happy for her had she won Most Improved.

I might be in the minority here, but I liked Sisley’s speech about how the criticism she has received for her acting made her question her self-worth, while getting to play this role helped her to finally get some it back. You can tell that the attacks and negative words have really gotten to her, but instead of questioning why people are criticizing her (ahem, Grace Chan), or letting it get the best of her her, but you can also tell she has taken it to heart and tried her best to improve. But yes, it was bizarre that she didn’t actually thank people in her speech. On another note, every main cast member except Mandy deserved praise for “The Exorcist’s Meter,” but here we are. Moon Lau should have taken her place.

Best Actor: Vincent Wong for “Legal Mavericks”

Top 5: Vincent Wong, Kenneth Ma, Ruco Chan, Michael Miu, Moses Chan

Expected, but still satisfying. Vincent obviously knew he was going to win barring an upset by Kenneth, so he was calm and collected and had a well-rehearsed speech. Vincent is a perfect example of someone who may not have as much experience under his belt as other winners (12 years, and just a mere three series as a leading actor), but won based on merit instead of timing, and the luck of receiving a great role he could nail. I would love to see more actors in the future winning based on the merit of performance alone, rather than it just being “the right time” or the luck of being cast in a series with high buzz. I definitely felt Vincent had the potential to win TV King when “Legal Mavericks” and his role was first announced - called it!

Best Actress: Natalie Tong for “My Unfair Lady”

Top 5: Natalie Tong, Jessica Hsuan, Nancy Wu, Nina Paw, Ali Lee

My jaw dropped when Natalie’s name was called. I wasn’t angry like for Rebecca, but I was just shocked. I did not read the reports that Natalie’s fans had been campaigning for her or that she was rumored to sign a new contract in exchange for the award, so I was completely confused. I have liked Natalie for a long time and think she is a good actress, but not Best Actress caliber (she was also in the awkward position of being a second lead in “My Unfair Lady,” neither a leading or supporting actress).

Best Drama: “My Ages Apart”

I’m surprised that TVB didn’t give this award to “Line Walker: The Prelude” and allowed it to go home empty-handed. But if this award was going to go to any other series, I’m not surprised they decided to give it to the anniversary drama that didn’t make a splash, but at least didn’t completely tank (ahem, Heart and Greed). I am very happy this series won though, because it was a refreshing series with a great sense of humor. I am a fan of meta and satirical humor, as well as series that are not afraid to poke fun at themselves. As crazy as the main family and some plot lines could get, you could tell the writers were well-aware of its own absurdity and never took themselves too seriously. It’s something I really wish more TVB comedies could incorporate. And while it understandably dragged sometimes at a whooping length of 50 episodes, with its large ensemble, I did not feel like it dragged significantly more than series that ran just a mere 20 or 30 episodes can sometimes. I wish more people would have tuned in.