Things have been much more bitter than sweet for TVB executives in the past two months. Although Beauty at War <金枝慾孽貳>, the sequel to TVB’s acclaimed 2004 palace drama War and Beauty <金枝慾孽>, is critically lauded, its viewership performance is dropping by at least 100,000 viewers per week. With an already disappointing debut week rating of 23 points, the ratings have continued to slip to 19 points. Already failing to hold in the interest of many Hong Kong television-goers, TVB’s future in television dramatic programming also looks gloomy. To make matters worse, Sheren Tang (鄧萃雯), the star of Beauty at War, had come out to complain about the lack of finished scripts during the shooting of Beauty at War. These “flying papers” have reportedly taken a toll on her performance and health; she even expressed her regrets on filming the feeble sequel. Several media outlets reported that Sheren, disappointed in TVB’s filming practices, refused to attend certain promotional events for Beauty at War. When she appeared on talk shows to promote the drama, Sheren would always emphasize the flaws of the show and her poor filming experience with the production team. Sheren’s outbreak reportedly angered TVB, and she was finally frozen from the company. TVB’s General Manager, Mark Lee (李寶安), admitted, “TVB had always valued Sheren highly, and Sheren herself has had her shining moments with us. She has made accomplishments here; but now, when the drama is struggling, she starts complaining. Acknowledging the success and disregarding the losses really hurts our team spirit. Some of Sheren’s TVB colleagues have talked with me about her before, saying that her critical behavior makes them uncomfortable. Since this is the case, it is better if we stop the collaborations for now!” Asked if Sheren’s poor behavior was a reason to why she was dropped from Eric Tsang’s (曾志偉) Aerobic Girls drama project, Mark Lee sharply said, “In a way, yes.” Sheren, however, does not seem to be too affected by her axing by TVB, as she is currently working under a fully-booked schedule in mainland China. Creds: Oncc
I think Sheren Tang already read the writing on the wall, and said good riddance. It's very obvious that she doesn't need TVB. The sad thing is that one more capable Cantonese speaking star is gone.
