My Favorite TVB Series of 2016

My Favorite TVB Series of 2016
*updated to add Dead Wrong 9/4/17

Sigh 2016 was definitely a good year for TVB indeed. It was a hard choice, and both A Fist Within Four Walls and Dead Wrong were both the cream of the crop. But if I have to choose, I have to vote for Dead Wrong as #1. Anyhow, TVB please keep making series like Dead Wrong and A Fist Within Four Walls to show you are still capable of bringing good series to the table!


1. Dead Wrong - It has been a while, but I still remember how much I enjoyed watching this serie, and the beautiful scenery of Vietnam. The mystery of who did it kept me watching until the end, and everything kind of makes sense at the end. Roger is definitely the star of the show portraying Vincent as a good man deep down, but he's not a flawless person because he is vengeful. He leads the series without any doubt. When he was angry and vengeful and going crazy, it felt so real - like this is not Roger Kwok, this is Vincent, which showcases Roger's superior acting skills. The other cast members also did a great job. I particularly enjoyed Vincent Wong and Stephanie Ho's story as a couple, which was unexpected. In one scene when she was all dressed up waiting at his bedside, she even kind of looks like Yoyo (Vincent Wong's wife in real life!). Roger and Joey Meng as a couple was actually cute to watch because the serie kind of shows when they get together and how they became a couple.. I am not a fan of Joey, but she did show she is a capable actress in this serie. The only actor that I had doubts was Kenny Wong, but he was bearable. I also think Zoie Tam and Rebecca Zhu both portrayed their characters well as supporting actresses. (Hello TVB, these actresses are what good supporting actresses should be!)

2. A Fist Within Four Walls - A close #1 but Dead Wrong's entire story and cast acting, I felt, was more complex and better. AFWFW was good entertainment without a doubt, the cast was well-casted, and the story kept me watching every episode. The chemistry of the cast reigns far more supreme to Dead Wrong definitely. I loved Grace Wong's character, and I was surprised she did such a a great job. I liked all three pairings in the serie. There are some elements of Ruco & Nancy's romance that reminds me of Charmaine & Raymond in Line Walker. Moon Lau and Phillip Ng also did well as a couple. I also liked Benjamin and Grace's story as well. It was cute watching all three pairs. It was not just the couples, the supporting cast all just a good job. I enjoyed all of Yuen Qiu and Phillip's scenes as mother and son. Carlo Ng also surprised me as well. I hope the whole cast would cooperate again in another serie because they all work well with each other.

3. Over Run Over- Time Travel/Sci-Fi Series/Movies are my favorite genres, so of course this one will be in my favorites list. This one was an unexpected surprise, but it kept me catching every episode. Without Tracy Chu and Vincent Wong as leads, it may not be the same level of success though. Their chemistry and romance story was really good, and the storyline was interesting to watch. Tracy is a charming actress, and Vincent Wong did a great job. I also like Pal's character in the serie.

4. Presumed Accidents-I enjoyed seeing the different cases and watching the mystery develop. This is one of the series that kept me chasing each episode and gave me a few surprises here and there. There are some sci-fi/mysterious element here with George's character and unbelievable plots, but it entertained me enough to keep watching. I grew to like Sisley's character in here, and she has improved a lot.

5.The Executioner- This was one of the first serie of 2016. My, time surely passed by quickly. In general, this serie told a pretty interesting story with interesting character - the midwive and the executioner. I remember I enjoyed watching it, and I kept watching it to see what would happen to the characters. However, nothing in the serie stands out incredibly. Nonetheless, a good serie in general.

6. K9 Cop- This one had decent leads, Linda Chung and Bosco Wong, and they were a cute pair. I liked it but felt like they didn't focus enough on the dogs. I think Kayi and Jerry Ku unexpectedly was an interesting couple and had good chemistry. Raymond Cho and Tracy was also a cute couple. I also enjoyed the chemistry with Bosco and the sisters (especially Kayi and Tracy). Bosco and Raymond Wong also worked well as good friends. Overall, enjoyable series but nothing memorable.


Special Mentions:

Law Disorder-  This serie was promising, and it did keep me watching from beginning. It kept me watching to see how Alex and Liu Kai Chi try to kick each other out, but there wasn't really anything too exciting or memorable about the series. I felt Liu Kai Chi was being a bit caricature as the villain though he was still captivating to watch. He even had a mustache like Hitler and really high standing hair. Alex Fong has always been a so-so actor for me, but he did a pretty good job in this serie. Ali Lee was not impressive at all. Mandy Wong does better but is not really leading actress material. Felt that Florence Kwok would've been a good female lead, and her character would've interesting material to work with. Too bad she would always be stuck as best supporting roles even though she is more than capable as an actress.

Fashion War- This is another serie that I thought would be relatively boring, but it was interesting to see the focus on the magazine industry. Not sure how it is in Asia, but magazines seems to be slowly dying here in the US since more and more people are going online for news and stories. I kept watching until the end, but again, not classic series material.

Blue Veins - Special mention because I thought this serie would be absolutely horrible, but I did enjoy the scenery, and the story is bearable. Kevin and Kay Tse's characters were romantic for me. I was never a fan of Kay Tse, but she did a good job. Grace Chan disappointed, and I thought her character was really annoying.

Come Home Love: Dinner at 8 - The thing with sitcoms is that it can keep you watching mindlessly. It's a good series for freshers to act and gain experience in. I liked that the serie revolves around the television station. Wayne and Teresa Mo work well together, and Power Chan and Angela Tong are good support, but is it classic material? No, but it's good enough that I know who the characters are and it's something to continue to watch because they are there.