Known for its predictable storylines, tacky production and scripts that would take pride of place at the
cheese counter at the local delicatessen, what is the appeal of TVB series that just keeps the fans coming back for more
as the company goes from strength to strength and heads towards its fortieth year?
Is there a deeper reason behind the success,
especially for people like us in the overseas Chinese and Asian communities...
Among the Chinese youth born and raised in Britain, I guess I am one of the luckier ones. For a start, I was born into a
British-Chinese family that did not have to work into the early hours of the morning, slaving away over a hot wok in a take-away
and so, I was able to enjoy quality bonding time with my folks every evening after they finished work. Secondly, I have a
gadget fanatic for a father, so we had a video recorder in the house as far back as 1981 and thirdly, I was introduced
by my grandfather into the wonderful world of TVB series from an early age.
As most of my English schoolfriends tuned into their "Dynasty" and "Dallas" in the evenings, my family watched TVB series
from Hong Kong in Cantonese. I have to admit I did feel a little left out when I didn't have a clue what my friends were talking
about in school when they dissected the previous night's storylines, but as the only Chinese person in my class I was never really
expected to fit in. Instead, we had our special TV to watch and for me, it was thanks to these series that I learned to speak
Cantonese so fluently without even trying and became motivated to learn to read and write my native language. For my generation,
the presence of TVB series seemed to give rise to different breeds of overseas Chinese. Those who were fortunate enough to have
this exposure seemed to show more tolerance and embrace towards the native culture, whereas those who did not were more
highly absorbed by Western ways and influences. As a result, TVB became one of those things that you either loved or hated.
There were those who enjoyed it greatly and overlooked the shortcomings of the poor scripts and low budget productions and
there were others, for whom the whole culture of TVB fandom was purely reserved for the geeks.
I became a geek.
For the more senior members of my family, having left their home in Hong Kong and emigrated to a foreign land, being able to
escape into the world of life 'back home' must have been a great comfort to them. Before the days of satellite TV news, internet
link-ups and readily available live media, the daily Chinese paper featuring two-day old news and the regular dose of TVB drama
were their only contact with what life was like back home and seeing the familiar black-hair and brown-eyes of other Chinese
people speaking recognisable tones must have been a welcome relief from the stresses and strains of living in a foreign country.
So how about the next generation of TVB fans that have emerged in the last few years? Thanks to the wonderful invention that is
the internet, the younger e-generation have found a new way of accessing the world of TVB and sharing their interest with
like-minded people all over the world openly and interactively. No longer do fans have to hide away to avoid embarrassment,
TVB fandom is becoming a growing worldwide phenomenon because viewers in America, Europe and Asia are able to gather in the
many forums and communities dedicated to the subject and exchange views, information and experiences. The TVB geeks have fused
with the computer geeks to create something pretty amazing!
After the opening of markets in China and the many production companies there and in Taiwan that are churning out TV series by the dozen every year,
why is TVB still the market leader when it comes to Chinese drama serials, especially overseas? My answer would be down to
accessibility, marketing and exposure. Where there is a major Chinese community, there is bound to be a TVB video shop. For those in more remote areas, there is still
a satellite or cable channel providing TVB programmes. Traditional Cantonese dialogue series are dubbed or subbed into many
different languages: Mandarin, Vietnamese, Thai, English, Spanish... the list goes on. The storylines are simple to follow,
appealing to the masses and the familiarity of the artistes' faces bring a sense of belonging and TVB series are always a
talking point, whether the comments are positive or negative, they are common language between fellow viewers looking for a
good discussion. This is the magic formula that leaves the competition far behind.
What of the future? For me, I will keep on watching TVB series for as long as I can. It's become part of my life now, in the
same way I like to drink tea with milk and sugar and check my email every day. For TVB to keep it's hold on its overseas viewers in the
coming years, it needs to make sure that it is keeping itself up with the changing needs of the communities. TVB is no longer just
about Hong Kong, it has gone global and it needs to realise that apart from the six million viewers in Hong Kong, there are
another thirty million of us out here that are eager to be part of their world too!
