Bad Slot Times for Linda Chung's "Missing You" and Tavia Yeung's "Friendly Fire"

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Two new TVB dramas, Missing You <幸福摩天輪> and Friendly Fire <法網狙擊>, will premiere on December 18. With the year-end holiday season normally yielding low ratings, will the dramas be doomed by their graveyard slots?

Missing You stars Linda Chung (鍾嘉欣) and first-time leading man, Jason Chan (陳智燊) in a feel good drama about social workers. TV Queen, Tavia Yeung (楊怡), returns with Michael Tse (謝天華) in new legal drama, Friendly Fire.

It has been a roller coaster ride for viewers in Hong Kong. For weeks, all eyes and ears were on news related to the 45h TVB Anniversary Awards. Now that the winners are announced and the thrill and excitement are over, it’s back to the humdrum. And few shows want to start their airings during the year-end time slot. First, the good or bad memories of the Anniversary Awards would stay with viewers for days. Second, it is nearing the end of the year and most people will be busy celebrating or holidaying. Lastly, dramas aired at this time will be will be long forgotten by next year’s Anniversary. Unless the show has a plot that creates uproar, such as this year’s Best Series winner, When Heaven Burns <天與地>.

Linda Chung in “Missing You”

Missing You revolves around a group of social workers who worked in a search and rescue agency. The show looks set to move viewers to tears with partially true stories of the younger generation looking for their loved ones who got lost during a war, a natural disaster or relocation. Linda plays the paranoid and skeptical Hung Yu Fung who works well with her energetic and carefree colleague Si Yik Him (Jason Chan). Together with two other colleagues, the eloquent Sin Kit Jing (Cilla Lok 樂瞳) and computer expert Yeung Chi Kei (Calvin Chan 陳偉洪) and their leader, Lo Man Tik (Ram Chiang 蔣志光), the team set out to help the public and at the same time, experience changes in their own life outlooks.

Jason Who?

Not only is Missing You being aired right after the TVB Anniversary Awards, Linda is also paired with Jason Chan who is playing male lead for the first time. A-listers can command viewership based on their names alone, and perhaps Linda will have to take on that responsibility for Missing You.

Disgruntled fans are already expressing their displeasure on the internet. Despite having 4 shows to her name this year, including L’Escargot <缺宅男女> and Witness Insecurity <護花危情>, Linda was not nominated for My Favorite Female Character. And now she is paired with Jason for a show that will be shown at an undesirable time. It may be a case of “bad news is better than no news” at TVB. The usually low-profile Linda has been severely neglected!

Misery Loves Company

Debuting on Tuesday night is also Tavia Yeung’s Friendly Fire. The show centers around lawyer Kam Jo Jan (Michael Tse) and girlfriend, prosecutor Fong Tin Lam (Tavia Yeung). The two break up after a failed marriage proposal and both went their separate ways. Jo eventually became a prosecutor as well and met Lam again. Meanwhile, Jo’s good friend, Kam Bo Tei (Sammy Leung 森美) who worked as a police inspector met undercover Ngai Mei San (Sharon Chan 陳敏之). Bo pursued Ngai relentlessly even though she has a boyfriend. While they are all hesitant about their future, wealthy businesswoman Pong Tit Sam (Alice Chan 陳煒) becomes involved in a murder case, presenting a difficult case for the lawyers.

There were rumors that TVB knew Tavia would walk away with the TV Queen award, and putting Friendly Fire right after the awards will increase the ratings. No matter how viewers see it, these two shows will bring you into the New Year!




Creds: Ming Pao

 

Yea. I agree they're in a bad timeslot.

I'm looking forward to Missing You though. Ah June!

 

I thought it would be good cause of the xmas break? guess not.