What makes a good series?, Discuss Options

[Collie]

After watching Dicey Business I had realised that it is time for TVB story writers to think things carefully before filming. This series has a good theme which is gambling and not often touched upon. however the storyline is rather boring and nothing to be excited about.

other series like revolving door of vengenance and dance of passion had a good main plot but the storylines are not attractive. However the actors and actresses in these series are really good and I feel so sorry for them. They gave their best efforts in portraying these characters but the ratings are so bad and it seems that their efforts are wasted.

just like Drive of life. the concept of cars is not too appealing but the cast was very good and did very well. script writers should come up with better ideas and stop wasting the actor's talent.

however there are other series with very bad acting skills but the storyline was very attractive.

A good series in my opinion has a good storyline and actors and actresses with good acting skills.

what are your views?

[foreverleila]

In my opinion, what makes a good series, is when the series is rolling, you can't predict what is going to happen next. If you can predict what is going to happen next, it just means that the series is just like another series that you have watched. Also, a good series also come swith good actors and actresses that you can act and have some stars in there that makes the series shine. I agree with you that "The Drive of Life" was a good series too but it had a very appealing cast that make the series shine.

[Serval]

a good series should have a good plot, attracting storyline, good cast, something that makes you wana go chapters after chapters, addicting, a twist, and believable drama, and a good closure. however i thought dicey business was one of the best series, it had a good cast, great stoyline, and it even had a moral lesson within the series, and it was believable. on the other hand, drive of life was so long that by the time i got to the end i forgot what happen in the first twenty chapters. personally, i think a good series has to have a bit comedy too... that helps the series go by without feeling that its dragging. the seventh day, for example, was extremely dry to me. it took about 13 chapters before it got interesting..

[Collie]

yes i totally agree that sometimes it is important to add a bit of comedy into a series. but sometimes the comedy is so cliched and the only thing u cn think of is"ha ha" whats so funny about that?

[~Akane~]

I agree, that Dicey Business' plot/script could have been a little more 'sophisticated'. The basic storyline was something solid to work on, but if this series could have added a bit more 'complexity' it could have been better. But I think the casts and the production people made Dicey Business excelling even though it's small budget.

DOP is an example of what can go wrong when the script is OVERLY complex and mature. It has it's appeal but it gets tiring to hear and digest the storyline. The long term yellow tint added to filming didn't help at all because your eyes are naturally tired after a while.

For me, I think a good series has a few elements:

1. Casts

The cast shouldn't be overly huge (like Heart of Greed). When there are too many key players (like soccer) you would think it's great but because there's so many good players, each individual doesn't have enough screen time to shine. The audience gets lost on who to focus because you get people who can lead themselves being stuck doing a significantly minor role.

Dicey Business has it Just Right in terms of casts. You get your dose of Veteran actors (Michael, Bobby, Jess) and two new generation (Bosco and Tavia) and you get your strong supporting casts like Benz. This cast doesn't cost TVB a fortune, but the chemistry is so good. And all of them can act. Look at this casting, Bobby got nominated for an international award and he never did the emotional scenes so good. Michael proved to me he's not a piece of wood like he was back in TA and Jess/Bosco/Tavia/Benz all had breakthrough performances. The cast also finished filming earlier than budgeted saving TVB time and money.

Of course, if it's a grand production, I would say 'Triumph in the Skies' is the best example of great casting choices. You get your perfect balance of old and young generation + their screen time. Very well blend.

2. Unpredictable Story- like others said before. If you can foresee the outcome, it's like any other series you've already seen.

3. Entertaining- the series should somehow touch you emotionally.

4. Reasonable length- unless the story is complex, don't go over 25 episodes. Or else it will give the 'dragging' effect.

[asdsa]

To me a good series of course got to have hot chicks and a good story. Then followed with good suspense and please let the actors show some real emotional expression.

[Collie]

I agree, that Dicey Business' plot/script could have been a little more 'sophisticated'. The basic storyline was something solid to work on, but if this series could have added a bit more 'complexity' it could have been better. But I think the casts and the production people made Dicey Business excelling even though it's small budget.

DOP is an example of what can go wrong when the script is OVERLY complex and mature. It has it's appeal but it gets tiring to hear and digest the storyline. The long term yellow tint added to filming didn't help at all because your eyes are naturally tired after a while.

For me, I think a good series has a few elements:

1. Casts

The cast shouldn't be overly huge (like Heart of Greed). When there are too many key players (like soccer) you would think it's great but because there's so many good players, each individual doesn't have enough screen time to shine. The audience gets lost on who to focus because you get people who can lead themselves being stuck doing a significantly minor role.

Dicey Business has it Just Right in terms of casts. You get your dose of Veteran actors (Michael, Bobby, Jess) and two new generation (Bosco and Tavia) and you get your strong supporting casts like Benz. This cast doesn't cost TVB a fortune, but the chemistry is so good. And all of them can act. Look at this casting, Bobby got nominated for an international award and he never did the emotional scenes so good. Michael proved to me he's not a piece of wood like he was back in TA and Jess/Bosco/Tavia/Benz all had breakthrough performances. The cast also finished filming earlier than budgeted saving TVB time and money.

Of course, if it's a grand production, I would say 'Triumph in the Skies' is the best example of great casting choices. You get your perfect balance of old and young generation + their screen time. Very well blend.

2. Unpredictable Story- like others said before. If you can foresee the outcome, it's like any other series you've already seen.

3. Entertaining- the series should somehow touch you emotionally.

4. Reasonable length- unless the story is complex, don't go over 25 episodes. Or else it will give the 'dragging' effect.

I agree with what you have said. most people watch TV for entertainment without having to think but Dance of Passion was really complicated and you had to think really hard to understand the plot.
also about the length, 25-30 is long enough but series that are longer once youv watched the end you forget the start. its just ridiculous. if it was necessary to film the series longer due to the storyline then fair enough but sometimes the series drag and they spend one episode talking about unnecessary stuff rather than getting to the point. Iv realised that when i was watching Heart of Greed I was just wanting the family arguing rather than the Raymond-LInda -YOyo and moses loves storyline.

[~Akane~]

HOG was very badly edited (I admit, I only watched it for Bosco and Tavia...and Ray).

1. Two series in one

Who else thinks HOG was a 2 in 1? I could have cut the series into two, the family and SJS/Alfred. Ray didn't even have a scene with the other family...it's laughable. I seriously feel, that they've sacrificed the family scene for the SJS side (Linda's love side). I said it before, but like the time when Dai Kei went into a Coma, I thought she died because immediately after, they showed heaps of SJS scenes but then suddenly I realize she's not dead yet. Now, I'm a very experienced TV viewer...TV is like my life...but to screw me up to not knowing that Dai Kei didn't die...is it crappy editing or what?

I also think the 'affair' relationship between Bosco and Tavia is very intriguing and in fact, TVB hasn't really done anything similar before, a rich handsome young man stealing the heart of a famous married model of a real estate billionaire. I like it! But they got all of the 3 minutes of the flashback on how Bosco met Tavia....yet, SJS and Alfred's uni memories lasted 3 songs. I also don't know how on earth Chris hooked up with Nathalie or what happened to Fala and her shoe sales crush.

Truthfully, you can split the story into 2 and the family's screen time would not need to be suffered. The SJS/Alfred/Yoyo story is almost parasite like, living off the family's plot in order to be popular. Granted if it wasn't Raymond playing Alfred, I doubt Alfred would even be popular.

I don't get what's the hype about HOG in HK. Maybe the audience just wants to watch something after a hard day at work so they don't really care what the quality of work is thrown at them but just follow the hype. For me, who watch a lot of TV would say HOG is one badly edited series. I wouldn't be liking it if it wasn't for the Tong family.

[Collie]

yes i agree that Heart of Greed did not focus too much on Bosco and Tavia and how Chris and Natalie got together but i dont tink it was a bad series. the storyline was good. the only thing that made it bad that there were sum unnecessary parts with Raymond and LInda. their relationship was focused too much and other storylines was neglected. overally its not a bad series.

I really dont think people in HK watched the series randomly cos if they did then the ratings for all series would have been quite high.

[~Akane~]

but then, I ask my relatives when I go back...like why are you guys so interested in watching HOG or the really crazy hype over the Korean series (the super draggy one, but I dunno the English name). They just say 'I don't know, everyone's just hype about it' and then they think back and they were like 'yeah it's draggy and boring'...so I just think they follow some kind of wave but don't really know why they like it so much. Probably don't.

[SwTaZnLayDee]

WHAT ABOUT "TO GROW WITH LOVE", "DANCE OF PASSION" & "THE DRIVE OF LIFE"? ALL 3 HAD ALOT OF PROMOTIONS FROM TVB. BUT THE PROMOTIONS DIDN'T PERSUADE THE AUDIENCE TO WATCH THE SERIES. ALL 3 ENDED UP WITH LOW RATINGS.

I thought "heart of greed" was a lil overrated, but It was overall one of the better series of 2007. It was fast-paced and entertaining. 2007, imo, didn't have that many good series.

sure, hype & high ratings may convince me to watch a certain series. however, I am not going to continue if I just feel bored & unentertained.

This post has been edited by SwTaZnLayDee: Jun 22 2008 6 44 AM

[Collie]

yea thats right. i actually liked heart of Greed cos of the idea and the storyline. I also like series where the family have fights like the Charm beneath.

I think that usually the best series are the ones that people dont really expect them to be good. I mean if the producers had thought that Lee Sei Kei's character wud have been a success she wouldnt have died so early. also like D.I.E i dont think they were expecting much success with it due to the cast and it was broadcast quite late after filming. they made Roger Kwok die in the series but i think the ending would have been much more different if they had expected something else. they changed the ending just so they can film a sequel.

[jadedreams27]

For me, a good serie has a good cast, good characters, couple pairings with great chemistry & relationship, and a decent plot. Overall, I many TVB series fall into this category such as Dicey Business, RDOV, Drive of Life, etc. Some categories that they lack, they will exceed well in others. Like many above me has mentioned, the cast and acting was great in Dicey Business, but in general, the plot kind of had me wishing for something more. Anyhow, as long as it's a good serie according to my standards, I appreciate watching the characters, actors & actresses, and the general storyline because generally it put together nicely overall.

However, I am most impressed with series that are intriguing, ones that keep you fascinated, keeps you thinking, gets you addicted after every episode (ok maybe in general) and want to see what happens next. Series in the past few years at the top of my mind like this: Price of greed(from episode 8-9 onwards), The Brink of Law, and the most recent, Catch me Now. However, all of these lacked couple relationships to root for in the leading male & female characters.

In the past, good series are more well-rounded with good characters and couple pairings with awesome chemistry, as well as intriguing plots that keep you tuning in. At the top of the game are Detective Investigations I-IV, Secret of the Heart, Cold Blood Warm Heart, Looking Back in Anger, and Greed of Man.

I think that usually the best series are the ones that people dont really expect them to be good.

That's a good point, and I totally agree. I did not expect Catch me Now to be anything exceptional. When presentation was shown last year during the anniversary time, the only thing interesting to me was that Joe and Damian would be working together again after The Drive of LIfe. but man, after watching, this serie is at the top of my best series list for this year so far.

[Collie]

yea catch me now is quite good. i wasnt too excited about it at first cos i didnt really like the cast and thought there wouldnt be anything exciting about. however im really into it too and really like the storylines. think its quite refreshing and exciting in some ways.

[frenz8]

I think tvb has very good series over the years especially those that was taken on an industry base

[strawberry_hit]

Cast and plot is very important. Cast good actingn skill and chemistry and plot are creative and intersting. ....two most important thing for a series to be good. it would be a bonus if the effect custome and music are good as well.

but it's hard now to come with new and creative ideas..cause nearly all that are good have been done..so cant' really blame the writers.

This post has been edited by strawberry_hit: Jun 24 2008 8 07 AM

[Collie]

that is so true. they produce lots of series every year, no wonder they run out of ideas! I really cnt think of anything they havent touched upon. no wonder they havnt filmed a lot of ancient series lately, cos most of them are the same. you cnt really do much with ancient apart from talking about the forbidden city, fighting and martial arts or big familiies fighting over the family business or the war. theyv touched upon most of the main history of china that there isnt much to say now.

[stars13]

Personally, I think that a good series needs a strong cast. And what I mean about a strong cast is a leading actor and actress that can hold on to the series. What I also mean by that is the actress and actor must have good rating series. An example of an actor is Gallen Lo. He has done many of the huge cast series such as Golden Faith, At the Threshold of Era etc etc and he is able to cope and still have good ratings.
A bad example of an actor is Damian Lau. He is unable to cope with a big cast and become a leader in Drive of Life. He has totally failed to achieve high ratings.
An example of an actress is Flora Chan. Her series whether it is short or long, big or small production, they tend to have good ratings.
A bad example of an actress is Charmaine Sheh. She is unable to hold on to a small production series never mind about a big production series. Such as Angel of Mission, Maiden Vows. Both of these are small production with very low ratings. And big production such as Drive of life is also very unsuccessful and she is not capable of holding on to a huge cast.
Therefore a good leading actor and actress is essential.

Another essential requirement in a good series is it should have a range of genre in it. What I mean by that is that it should have some comedy, some villian, some evilness, kindness etc etc so that it makes it a good series. An example is Heart of Greed where it relates to reality and it also has comedy and fought. That is what makes a good series.

Good storyline is also necessary. If your storyline is silly or boring then the series will not be good. It must be interesting but nothing unusual.

[LS2005]

A good series to me has to have a good storyline + good casts.

[Eliotyuhin99]

Must have a good ending, it is the most important thing, just like DIE, the ending totaly gave the audience a bad image at th end, normally it is a very good series, the ending totally ruined.

[Collie]

Some people seem to think that because a series has a certain individual then the series must be good. I dont really think that. I dont think that a person in TVB has filmed all the good series and that people watch the series for the sake of watching them.

[pineapple_fluff]

I think in the past few years, TVB has had many worthwhile general storylines. However when it came down to creating the plot sequence and the scripts.. they lack a certain originality. Of course the cast is just as important. But sometimes they seem to cast people just on popularity and don't match the actors properly to the story's character. Sometimes the lines in these series are just so cheesy ". Another thing is I find that TVB is notorious for either (a) happy endings or ( open-ended endings. They general idea for most series is pretty good, but I still feel they lack something that makes it even better.

[F29966]

stock market. All the movies that talk about the stock market in the past were amazing. And if im not wrong TVB hasnt filmed any movies about stock market for a long time. Just my opinion!

[~Akane~]

stock market. All the movies that talk about the stock market in the past were amazing. And if im not wrong TVB hasnt filmed any movies about stock market for a long time. Just my opinion!

The money-making recipe is about stocks

I think maybe also because I'm becoming older, I find out how unsophisticated these stories are...especially money-making recipe...the stock market stuff they say are so false.

[shadow711]

somethin tht isnt predictable, has a lil twist will keep me watchin

[Collie]

I love twists in series too. I remembered a detective series a long time ago that starred Roger Kwok and Amy Kwok. that series had different cases and you can never tell who did it. It was either that i was very young at that time and couldnt guess the person or the series was really good cos u just cnt predict the storyline. that is the only one I can think of that had a good twist to it.

[ange-0061]

A good series will need good Actors and actresses a little bit of comedy, romance and a sprinkle of suspense. That's what i think would be good!

[eerational]

Good storyline (meaning more unpredictable than predictable bits in the whole story) and of course good cast with acting skills. Within the storyline the characters should also be compelling, like characters we can somehow identify with would be the best.

Drive of Life was great in that the storyline was fantastic and the acting was so good, it made me like actors/actresses (namely Damien Lau, Michael Miu and Sheren Tang) I never quite liked before.

And also, good, proper endings are a must. I don't know how many times I got irritated because the ending was too rushed, didn't make sense or was just plain stupid.

(reply to stars13:
I don't think it's quite fair to base that Damien Lau and Charmaine Sheh couldn't lead the series just by looking at the ratings, because they only reflect the opinion of HK audiences and at that time Hong Kong was caught up with Heart of Greed. While I watch series based on what I've generally heard about them, I don't actually use the ratings to determine if I think it's good. But then again it's just my opinion

This post has been edited by eerational: Jul 3 2008 12 39 PM

[Collie]

yes drive of life had good acting and the storylines were good but because it was kinda long, sometimes they have to drag. also the theme was not that appealing. I thought it was rather silly to be honest. who really drives cars made in china anyway. most cars driven these days are either from Germany or Japanese made. very few brands driven are made from China.

[charmmycathy]

The right actors for the right roles.. A good story for eg. in dicey buisness, revolving doors, heart of greed etc. all keep the viewers addicted. love is in almost all tvbs, so some attractive actors and maybe some twists in the love stories.

[boloney86]

A good series first have to have a good cast, this will draw people to watch it in the first place. Then it has to have a good story to back it up, if the story suxk, then people would stop. Story has to be suspendful having the audience hanging on their seats. There also have to be some unpredictable event and twists.

[Collie]

right now im watching Forensic heroes 2 and the cases are so predictable. its so easy to guess who are the killers

[sorkaankaan]

NICE cast is important! andd good ending too.. those ending are sometimes soo crappy!!! anywayy i think a good cast is the most important

[Collie]

i dont understand something. lately the gem of life seems to have good storylines talking about the life of rich people and the relationship of 3 sisters.
the cast is very good. quite a few from MR.
why is the series not doin as well?

[Musical-Notes]

The cast is very important to me. Even if a drama
has a really good story but bad cast, the drama automatically goes to my bad drama list. :\ I guess I only care who's in the drama? xD But, some dramas have really good cast but a really boring storyline, so that'd go to my bad drama list, too. lol I guess good cast & not a boring story is the best. :]

Moonlight Resonance is a good example.

[Rebecca012]

I think what makes a good series is having good cast in a drama.

For example:

Fungyi....=Raymond and Tavia !

[Sarwaah]

Most importantly...it needs a good storyline and cast.
For example..if there was this series where the cast was very boring and you dont even know anyone thats in it (New TVB stars) who would watch it?
And if the plotline is boring like for me, 'Your class or mine' which is only about football and tutor stuff..it wont really entertain people unless the people in it are very GOOD and very Popular.
But i like HOG and i find it has a very good plotline and had a great cast! That's why the ratings are high...but that's just my thoughts.

[Dorianking]

In my words, a good series should have these things

1) Good plot
2) Appealing storyline
3) Good cast (I mean in acting wise, though good looking helps)
4) Addicting factor( There needds to be something that pulls you toward the show episode after episode.
5) A good conclusion ( I hate series that either just leave you at a cliffhanger or an ending that is very unrealistic).

[× niKu ×]

a good solid storyline would help in my opinion but having a good cast lineup is also appreciated. humor is also a plus in my books along with action. the rest dont really matter much to me.

[StrawB3rryz]

i dont understand something. lately the gem of life seems to have good storylines talking about the life of rich people and the relationship of 3 sisters.
the cast is very good. quite a few from MR.
why is the series not doin as well?

Probably because it's a tad bit too long. when i first heard about GOL I was interested. then i heard it was 80 eps i decided not to watch.
Plus, all the series that are airing now aren't doing to well.
probably something to do with holidays and the economy...