TVB was impacted by a mass exodus of talent in recent months. Recently, TVB husband-and-wife producers, La Ka Ho (劉家豪) and Mui Siu Ching (梅小青), announced that they will go to rival television station, Now TV. When Heaven Burns’ <天與地> golden duo, producer Jonathan Chik (戚其義) and scriptwriter Zhou Xuming (周旭明) also possessed the desire to leave, after they complete War and Beauty 2 <金枝慾孽2> in the middle of this year. Producer Lee Tim Shing (李添勝) will be retiring after completing Detective Columbus <神探哥倫布>. With the loss of several talented producers this year, the quality of series may continue to deteriorate, marking an emergency situation ahead for TVB.

Leaving After Completing “War and Beauty 2″

Producer Jonathan Chik and scriptwriter Zhou Xuming collaborated together on numerous occasions over the last 19 years, creating classic TVB series such as Cold Blood Warm Heart <天地男兒>, Secret of the Heart <天地豪情>, Healing Hands 3 <妙手仁心III>, War and Beauty <金枝慾孽>, and Dance of Passion <火舞黃沙>.  However, the golden do’s carefully crafted series, When Heaven Burns, was coldly treated by TVB and warehoused for two years. Assigned a poor airing timeslot, the ratings was likely affected. Despite winning the support of young audience members, the series lost a number of habitual viewing audience. The ratings for When Heaven Burns continued to fall to an average of 23 points (approximately 1.46 million viewers), making the entire cast and crew disheartened.

Zhou Xuming’s Departure Decision Not Related to “When Heaven Burns”

Although Jonathan Chik was promoted to a managerial title in 2011 and appeared to be heavily utilized, this did not impede his intention to leave TVB. He decided to leave with Zhou Xuming and venture into new territory together after completing War and Beauty 2 in the middle of this year.

Zhou Xuming confirmed that he possessed the intention to leave a long time ago, while insisting that it was not due to the cold treatment of When Heaven Burns or the upcoming “television wars” among rival stations. Since it was several months away from the completion of War and Beauty 2, it did not rule out that other variables may change in the interim.

Jonathan Chik did not respond to the press’ questions prior to the publication deadline. Allegedly, he wished to fully immerse in the production of War and Beauty 2, which he hoped will be his masterpiece before leaving TVB.

Lau Ka Ho and Mui Siu Ching Heading to Now TV

With the creation of new rival stations in Hong Kong and the loss of TVB’s monopoly over the free television broadcasting market, a mass exodus of talent occurred in recent months. Producer of many hit dramas such as Heart of Greed <溏心風暴>, Forensic Heroes <法證先鋒> and Beyond the Realm of Conscience <宮心計> husband-and-wife producers, Lau Ka Ho and Mui Siu Ching, confirmed that they will join Now TV in March 2012.

Rosy Business <巾幗梟雄> producer Lee Tim Sing will be retiring this year. With the drain of numerous producers and production staff occurring, this will have a serious impact upon TVB’s drama department and a stabilization plan was necessary. The younger (and less experienced) workers at the company were unable to take the helm yet.

Upon learning that Jonathan Chik and Zhou Xuming intended to leave the company, netizens were worried about declining standards of TVB dramas.

Source: Ming Pao

Jayne: I think Jonathan Chik and Zhou Xuming will be leaving TVB this year. The pair’s scripts have been increasing ambitious and TVB operates too much as a family series factory house, which may not suit Mr. Chik and Mr. Zhou’s artistic ambitions. Now that there are financial opportunities elsewhere (and higher paying ones too), no employee will wish to undervalue themselves.

Tags: Jonathan Chik Kei Yi, When Heaven Burns, Zhou Xuming