Smooth Talker
Smooth Talker (Chinese: 以和為貴; Jyutping: Ji5 Wo4 Wai4 Gwai3; Cantonese Yale: Yíh Wòh Wàih Gwai; literally "Harmony Is Precious") is a 2015 Hong Kong romantic comedy television drama created and produced by TVB, starring Joe Ma and Kate Tsui as the main leads, with Johnson Lee, Elena Kong, Tommy Wong and Tracy Chu in main supporting roles.[1] Filming took place from Augusts till November 2014. The drama aired on Hong Kong's Jade and HD Jade channels March 30 till April 24, 2015 every Monday through Friday during its 9:30-10:30 pm timeslot with a total of 20 episodes.[2]
| Smooth Talker | |
|---|---|
Official poster | |
| Also known as | Harmony Is Precious |
| 以和為貴 | |
| Genre | Modern, Comedy |
| Created by | Hong Kong Television Broadcasts Limited |
| Written by | Tong Gin-ping, Cheung Ying-wai, Tsui Lok-ci, Lau Chi-hun, Wong Sau-ching |
| Starring | Joe Ma Kate Tsui Johnson Lee Elena Kong Tommy Wong Tracy Chu |
| Theme music composer | Alan Cheung |
| Opening theme | "出口" Way Out by Justin Lo & Johnson Lee |
| Country of origin | Hong Kong |
| Original language | Cantonese |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Catherine Tsang |
| Producer | Lam Chi-wah |
| Production location | Hong Kong |
| Editor | Ng Lap-gwong |
| Camera setup | Multi camera |
| Running time | 45 minutes (per episode) |
| Production company | TVB |
| Release | |
| Original network | TVB Jade, HD Jade |
| Picture format | 576i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original release | 30 March – 24 April 2015 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Eye In The Sky |
| Followed by | The Empresses of China |
| Smooth Talker | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 以和為貴 | ||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "Harmony Is Precious" | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Synopsis
Hau Tak-sze (Joe Ma) has inherited his late father's social club, besides managing the club he also works full-time as a court mediator. He meets Mo Sui-yee (Kate Tsui), who is in the process of divorcing her cheating ex-husband, during one of his cases. Sui-yee moves into her cousin Lam Ah-lui's (Elena Kong) home during her divorce, she soon finds out that her ex-husband's lover also lives in the same building as her cousin. Since Tak-sze visits the building frequently Sui-yee thinks both him and her ex-husband's lover are in cohorts together to try to gain her property from her divorce.
Mo Sui-yee gets a job at Au Yeung-ai's (Johnson Lee) law office, Tak-sze also visits the law office frequently because he is best friends with Yeung-ai. Through her boss and new job, Sui-yee learns that Tak-sze is truly a nice guy who works hard at his job.[3][4]
Cast
Main cast
- Joe Ma as Hau Tak-sze (侯德仕), Pronunciation similar as "So many things" or "Busy for the extra" and "Toast".
- Kate Tsui as Mo Sui-yee (巫瑞薏), Pronunciation same as "Sleepless"
- Johnson Lee as Au Yeung-ai (歐陽繼)
- Elena Kong as Lam Ah-lui (林亞磊)
Supporting cast
- Tommy Wong as Au Yeung-bin (歐陽邊)
- Tracy Chu as Mo Sui-ka (巫瑞嘉)
- Jacqueline Wong as Angie Hu (胡姿柏; Wu Zi-baak)
- Nathan Ngai as Jason Wong (黃柱樑; Wong Cyu-loeng)
- Quinn Ho as Yau Sai-wu (游西湖), Pronunciation same as "Travel around Xihu"
- William Chak as Chung Kwok-wai (鍾國威), Pronunciation same as "China is very powerful"
- Eddie Pang *Peng Huaian as Che Ming-zan (車鳴震), Pronunciation similar as "Che Chan", which means having sex in car.
- Joe Junior as Mak Ming-ming (麥明明), Pronunciation similar as Hong Kong's famous female Feng-shui Specialist Mak Ling Ling.
- Carat Cheung as Betty So (蘇花兒; Sou Faa-ji), Pronunciation same as "coquettish flower", the really means in Chinese would be Slut
- Stefan Wong as Wan Siu-lung (溫少龍), Pronunciation similar as Less making money in Cantonese Slang.
- Raymond Chiu as Wan Tin-gong (尹天江), Pronunciation similar as Finding something a whole day.
- Pat Poon as Wu Gwai-wing (胡貴榮)
- Patrick Dunn as David Lee (李明達; Lei Ming-Daat)
- Hugo Wong as Wu Ming-gei (胡銘基)
- Shally Tsang as Wat Wong Ming-chu (屈黃明珠)
- Chloe Nguyen (阮兒) as Tong Jeoi (唐蕊)
- Jack Hui as Gwai Tau-ying (鬼頭鷹)
- MoMo Wu as Lai Lee Chi-chun (賴李至珍)
- Eileen Yeow as Wu Yiu Bik-san (胡姚碧珊)
- Suet Nei as Chung Yan-giu (鍾欣嬌)
- Rocky Cheng as Bei Yuen-fat (費潤發)
- Sam Tsang as Buk Chi-tou (卜智濤)
- Yu Chi Ming as Lee Yut-suan (李乙迅)
- Alan Mak as Ngai Bak-ho (倪柏豪)
- Even Chan as Ga Sau-man (賈秀文)
- King Kong Lam as Yan Chi-chung (甄子聰)
- Ngai Wai Man as Wong Ging (黃勁)
- Otto Wong as Dai Din (大癲)
- Ocean Wong as Wu Ming-fung (胡銘鋒)
- Jimmy Au as Hau Ye (侯爺)
- Chan Dick Hark as Ngan Gin-sheh (眼鏡蛇)
- Leo Tsang as Wah Suk (華叔)
- Man Yeung as
Cameo appearance
Development
- A promo image of Smooth Talker was featured in TVB's 2015 calendar for the month of May.[5]
- The costume fitting ceremony was held on August 26, 2014 12:30 pm at Tseung Kwan O TVB City Studio One.[6][7]
- The plot for Smooth Talker was first unveiled at "TVB Sales Presentation 2015" held in November 2014.[8]
- Filming of the drama began in August 2014 and ended in November 2014.[9]
- In October 2014 co-star Tracy Chu suffered a heat stroke during the midst of filming.[10]
Viewership ratings
| # | Timeslot (HKT) | Week | Episode(s) | Average points | Peaking points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mon – Fri 21:30 | 30 March - 3 April 2015 | 1 — 5 | 25 | -- |
| 2 | 06-10 April 2015 | 6 — 10 | 25 | 28 | |
| 3 | 13–17 April 2015 | 11 — 15 | 25 | 27 | |
| 4 | 20–24 April 2015 | 16 — 20 | 25 | -- | |
| Total average | 25 | 28 | |||
Awards and nominations
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | StarHub TVB Awards | My Favourite TVB Actress | Kate Tsui | Nominated |
| My Favourite TVB Supporting Actress | Elena Kong | Nominated | ||
| My Favourite TVB Female TV Character | Kate Tsui | Nominated | ||
| Elena Kong | Nominated | |||
| TVB Star Awards Malaysia | My Favourite TVB Actress in a Leading Role | Kate Tsui | Nominated | |
| My Favourite TVB Actress in a Supporting Role | Elena Kong | Nominated | ||
| My Favourite TVB On-Screen Couple | Johnson Lee & Elena Kong | Nominated | ||
| TVB Anniversary Awards | TVB Anniversary Award for Best Drama | Smooth Talker | Nominated | |
| TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actor | Joe Ma | Nominated | ||
| TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actress | Kate Tsui | Nominated | ||
| Elena Kong | Nominated | |||
| TVB Anniversary Award for Best Supporting Actor | Tommy Wong | Nominated | ||
| TVB Anniversary Award for Favourite Drama Song | Way Out (出口) by Justin Lo & Johnson Lee | Nominated |
International Broadcast
- Malaysia - 8TV (Malaysia), 10 February 2017
References
- ^ [1] Joe Ma to Collaborate in New Drama With Kate Tsui. Retrieved March 24, 2015
- ^ [2] Smooth Talker AF.net page. Retrieved March 24, 2015
- ^ [3] Overview - Smooth Talker. Retrieved March 24, 2015
- ^ [4] Synopsis of TVB’s “Smooth Talker”. Retrieved March 24, 2015
- ^ [5] TVB Calendar 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2015
- ^ [6] "Harmony Is Precious" Costume Fitting. Retrieved March 24, 2015
- ^ [7] Joe Ma, Kate Tsui, and Johnson Lee at “Harmony is a Virtue” Costume Fitting. Retrieved March 24, 2015
- ^ [8] TVB Sales Presentation 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2015
- ^ [9] Joe Ma and Kate Tsui Complete Filming “Smooth Talker”. Retrieved March 24, 2015
- ^ [10] Tracy Chu Suffers from Dizzy Spells During Filming. Retrieved March 24, 2015
External links
- Official website (in Chinese)