TVB’s “Another Era” Finally Gets to Premiere
After months of being on limbo, TVB’s co-production drama Another Era <再創世紀> is finally getting an airdate.
The co-production with China’s iQIYI will first premiere in Mainland China through iQIYI’s online platforms on August 29, followed by a television premiere through CCTV-8 on August 30. It will then premiere in Hong Kong through TVB Jade on September 10, picking up the time slot that is currently being carried by The Stunt <特技人>.
Another Era, which stars Roger Kwok (郭晉安), Niki Chow (周麗淇), Frankie Lam (林文龍), Tavia Yeung (楊怡), Benjamin Yuen (袁偉豪), and Pakho Chau (周柏豪) is the sister production of 1999’s At the Threshold of Another Era <創世紀>. The drama is set in the backdrop of Hong Kong’s financial industry, and spans 10 years.
Roger Kwok, as the only returning cast member from the original Era series, shared with fans, “[Another Era] is definitely not a prequel. I want to provide a good childhood memory for everyone. My character this time will definitely not be like [Threshold’s] Ma Chi-keung. I play a villain who appears warm on the outside, but is actually very cold! All my opponents won’t be good guys either. I’m going to be savage!”
The story of Another Era begins with the global financial crisis of 2008. Ambitious businessman Leo Ho (Roger Kwok) wanted to buy out Fong Chung-yam’s (Bowie Wu 胡楓) business group, but Cheuk Kai-tong (Pat Poon 潘志文) stopped him in time. Furious, Leo decides to out a plan to destroy him.
Ten years later, Cheuk Kai-tong becomes one of the richest men in the city, but the psychological torment of his son’s untimely death has put him bedridden, soon followed by a coma. His daughter, Ella (Niki Chow) learns to manage the family business, and together with her trusted accountant Duncan Ko (Frankie Lam), she starts a business war with Leo. Leo’s wife Hayley Cheung (Tavia Yeung ), Fong Chung-yam’s grandson Walter (Benjamin Yuen), and rookie entrepreneur Ching Hoi (Pakho Chau) also join the war, starting a new era of business politics.
Source: HK01.com
This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.
Terrible idea and substandard cast. I won’t be watching this in a hurry. Tvb – you’ve sold out to the RMB but you just don’t care.
@longhair84
Can’t blame tvb for selling out.
7 million vs 1.3 billion persons
The math is easy. Not to mention, HK is pretty much on life support.
@anon Not only that — Mainland also gets earlier air date and just like with the previous co-productions, VIP iQiyi members will likely get to watch anywhere from 5 to 10 episodes ahead of HK audiences. This almost guarantees that 1) HK ratings are going to suck (HK audiences that are less picky about Canto vs Mando version will likely choose to watch the Mando version either on iQiyi or pirated all over the internet) and also 2) there will be tons of spoilers from the Mainland version all over the internet as well as via all of HK’s media outlets, to the point that there really isn’t even a need to watch subsequent episodes if you’re in HK, lol (which is basically what happened with all the previous co-productions — some of the articles were so detailed, down to specific scenes and characters, that you can just read that instead of watching).
No matter which way we try to slice it, HK audiences get the shorter end of the stick….whether that’s good or bad, well, depends on which side you’re on, I guess….
@anon This article just came out today…yet another reason why TVB is going to continue the Mainland route regardless of what anyone says…
Hong Kong broadcaster TVB’s profit rises as drama series appeal to mainland Chinese
https://sc.mp/2PwmuHW
@llwy12
Thanks! I won’t be surprised if 100% of their dramas would be co-produced with Chinese studios soon.
They should have their FTA licence revoked if their drama productions are not focused on HK audiences.
such a cliche plot. i thought they could do better with the cast…. this type of drama definately suits mainlanders taste…so heavy flavor.
@m0m0
These ‘heavy flavor’ plots were the plots of the golden age 80’s and 90’s TVB that I grew up watching and sorely missed.
Though the plots will be similar, I know the overall acting and plot will be lacking.
I wished Raymond Wong was in here, I liked him with Nikki in Bottled passion!
I will definitely give it a shot for Pakho C. haha lol
Let’s hope Roger can save this series.
Even though I’m a fan of Tavia but the plot is just so ehhhh
This was awful, the entire production was weaker than a cheap horror movie with random jump scares.
Of the original Cast, Roger Kwok was the only one around, but his villain character is poor as heck, it’s like his old character from the 1990’s TVB “Instinct” starring Adam Cheng and Ekin Cheng, except we all know he can do better. “To Get Unstuck in time” showed us he had emotional and acting skills, this is a regression of his skills.
Tavia tried her best, but the plot doesn’t help her out.
The stock games and drama from the original series at least had meaning and drove plot development. Gallen Lo was an Anti-hero we rooted to succeed as the underdog Hong Kong businessman fighting his way up the ladder of power. That was the magic of “At Threshold of An Era” part 1 and 2. Also to add a cherry on top, the “Smokeless” city concept hinted at something grander and bigger than what people’s in 1990’s or early 2000’s could achieve, a true environmentally friendly and sophisticated new “city”. The idea has a spirit of hope and the promise of a dream, which in western or eastern storytelling is what great epics are made of.
Instead, in “Another Era” we have a bunch of superfluous drama surrounding family and an over the top villain, played by the goody-goody of last series. We also have stupid lines of “Justice” and “retribution” being hard to obtain in the “real world”, until the very end with the Deus ex Machina ending like most TVB nowadays. WTF was TVB thinking with that kind of messaging, the producer/directors should be fired.
I doubt many pople from the studio will care or if my fellow Cantonese Chinese viewers will agree with my hard line comments, but if TVB continues to make dramas like this, they deserve to go out of business.
What TVB needs to do for the 21st centure and a truly “new era” is to seek out where people and livelihoods need to go towards, what is life in Hong Kong like today and what aspirations do people have for this great city, and finally dream about the future of China as a whole nation to bring in all viewers of Chinese descent, not just locals. Ancient dramas talk about “china” in the past, but what is its future and what is its dreams.