The domestic TV drama market still presents a lively scene during the Spring Festival.
"Big River 3" is coming to an end, and "Dog Leftover Run", which has become a dark horse in the ratings, has also attracted much attention. At the same time, Beijing Satellite TV's "Scout Hero" also ended perfectly with high ratings.
"To Love for a Long Time" starring Yang Zi is more popular than the two fairy sword dramas.
Although dramas, costume dramas and dramas with modern themes have been covered, there is still a lack of an indispensable Spring Festival genre in the market - comedy. Even Andy Lau went back to work in the supermarket to wish everyone a fortune, which shows that there is indeed a need for more comedy in the market.
In the national drama market, this genre of comedy has not appeared for a long time.
A comedy that combines ancient costumes and detective plots.
Hong Kong-style costume detective comedies were all the rage in the late 90s and early new century.
When it comes to this type of comedy, many people will think of "The Judge of the Dead", "Jiupin Sesame Official" and "Counting Dead Grass" starring Stephen Chow.
These classic comedies have one thing in common, that is, they all portray classic character characters and famous scenes of court debates in ancient costumes.
What's big? It's 'Adult', my name is Adult! ”
What's wrong with this man! Oops, the adults are wrong! ”
In costume comedies, if you want to mention the most famous, popular, and first debater, then it must be Song Shijie played by Xing Ye.
TVB took this role as the core, and found Zhang Daming, Guo Aiming, and ** to start filming the costume detective comedy "King Song Shijie".
In 1997, masterpieces such as "Dragon Babu", "Difficult Brothers", and "Criminal Investigation File 3" broke out collectively, and the show won the 6th position in TVB's annual ratings in one fell swoop, and even surpassed the familiar "Miao Cuihua" and "Drunken Golden Branch" that the audience is familiar with.
Huang Zihua played the villain again, so that the sequel could still get the top ten ratings two years later, making full use of the popularity.
When will such a costume detective comedy appear in front of the audience again?
Tonight is the time of "The King of Kings".
The producer is Zhang Daming, and the director is Lin Zicong.
This time playing Song Shijie is Wang Haoxin, who has won the TVB TV Emperor twice, and Yao Ziling, Lin Zicong, Zhang Daming, Chen Haomin, and Hai Junjie and others co-starred.
Not only does the king want to return, but he also intends to support the market.
After the popularity of TVB's self-made drama "News Queen", the two dramas that took over were "You Are Not Her" starring Feng Yingying and Ding Zilang, and "Spectator" starring Wang Minyi and Zhou Baihao, both of which achieved sluggish ratings and set a record low for TVB's self-made dramas.
TVB was forced to arrange this spare hit drama to be broadcast in advance during the Spring Festival. The show has achieved strong ratings at this moment**.
However, costume detective comedies have been around for a long time.
Can the possibility of being reborn?
Song Shijie"What I do best is to win on a reversal, and don't forget that.
Most Hong Kong-style costume detective comedies are set in the late Qing Dynasty, because this period of Chinese and Western cultures collided with each other and various forces were mixed, which was the soil for the vigorous development of costume detective stories.
Wang Haoxin plays Song Shijie in "The King of Kings", he is naturally smart and clever, but because he was used to seeing social injustice when he was young, he lost trust in the law. When he grew up, he chose to wander far and wide, rather than get involved in officialdom.
He later gets involved in a murder case and shows his talent as a lawyer in order to find out the real culprit. In the process, he met Linglong, the guard of the Qinglou with strong martial arts, played by Yao Ziling, and the two eventually became husband and wife.
Song Shijie started his career as a lawyer and became famous. He and his wife, Linglong, and his brother.
9. The maid Xiaofeng has formed a team that has no cases and no cases can be solved, and unsolved cases of any size cannot escape their justice.
*After the trailer, it can be found that there are at least three eye-catching highlights in the story of The King of Kings:
First of all, this movie is a Hong Kong-style costume comedy with the theme of the return of the king.
In the 90s, Hong Kong-style costume comedy used to be a popular choice in Chinese-speaking regions.
1992 is known as Stephen Chow's glorious year in the Hong Kong film industry, he set ten box office titles, of which the top five were all won by him, four of which were costume comedies, and the number one "Judge of the Dead" (49.88 million Hong Kong dollars) is a comedy that combines costume and detective elements.
TVB's costume comedies were also very popular in a certain period, and actors such as Zhang Daming, Guan Yonghe, and Ouyang Zhenhua all created many classic roles in wireless costume comedies during this time.
However, this top-notch genre has long since ceased to exist with the passage of time.
The main element of the film is the combination of suspense plot and comedy style, and the trailer has shown many traditional Hong Kong-style comedy scenes, such as female dress-up**, enemy comedy and Hedong lion's roar.
It seems that director Lin Zicong intends to revitalize Hong Kong-style costume comedy.
This is followed by a gripping and suspenseful fantasy case.
Since the advent of "Clearing Grievances", Hong Kong-style costume suspense has been blending fantasy and fantasy with its whimsical style, showing a unique charm.
The cases shown in the trailer of this drama, such as the spider spirit murder case, the ghost bride case, etc., make people feel at a glance that it is a classic TVB suspense case.
Director Lin Zicong also said that the new drama "does not have many scenes in court, but focuses on suspense and case investigation, which can be called Detective Song Shijie." ”
This drama entered Hengdian for filming, which not only included multiple shooting scenes such as the New Guangzhou Water Town, the Ming and Qing Dynasty Palaces, Minchu Street, and the Qingming Riverside Map, but also made it more generous than the previous wireless costume dramas.
A large-scale TVB costume unsolved case drama is really fascinating.
Two generations of Song Shijie faced off against Chen Mengji in the court, which was the third big scene.
Obviously, this drama is supervised by the older generation of "Song Shijie" Zhang Daming + cameo, obviously borrowing elements from "Song Shijie", although Zhang Daming no longer plays Song Shijie, but plays Song Shijie's father.
After 17 years, Chen Haomin returned to his hometown to shoot a movie and played the role of Chen Mengji.
The trial debate scene is arranged in the climactic paragraph at the end of the episode, which becomes the display moment of the two aces.
Inspired by the older generation of Song Shijie, the battle of words between Song Shijie and Chen Mengji has undoubtedly become the most eye-catching part of this drama, which is enough to attract the attention of the audience.
In Hong Kong-style detective comedy, characters play a crucial role. Imagine how much charm "The Judge of the Dead" would have lost without Stephen Chow, and "King Song Shijie" would have lost without Zhang Daming and Huang Zihua.
What is the cast of "The King of Kings"?
Wang Haoxin is second to none.
No matter how many doubts are about the private morality of this two-time wireless emperor, it is undeniable that among the wireless students who have played in this session, Wang Haoxin is the most outstanding acting talent.
Wang Haoxin starred twice in "Stepping on the Line"."Blind Man"After winning the Best Actor Award twice, his career seems to have stagnated, and no new classic roles have appeared, and there have not even been new dramas for more than two years.
His relationship with TVB has changed from an artist appointment to a ministry appointment, just like the previous three TV emperors Li Yaoxiang left the company.
Obviously, "The King of the King" is a big drama that is very suitable for him to show his talent, and it can even be regarded as a version of the blind man costume version.
Wang Haoxin is in high spirits in the trailer, showing funny passages with a hippie smile and a detective scene that clears people's grievances, and I believe that he is likely to succeed with this role, and is even expected to be shortlisted for next year's Shidi Award.
Whether he can cross the invisible mountain - the old version of Song Shijie determines whether the character can become a new classic.
Zhang Daming came in second.
In the Hong Kong film era, Cheung Daming is a much-loved comedy supporting actor.
Although he played a small but important role in "Ouchi Secret Agent Zero Hair" with Stephen Chow and "Stormtrooper Streets of Fury" with ** Yun and Wu Zhenyu.
In Zhang Daming's career, his role as the protagonist in "Song Shijie" is a rare big drama. Despite the fact that there is"Master Xing"Zhuyu's work is in the front, but he still successfully showed Zhang Daming's own style and created the role of Song Shijie, the gold medal master.
Many fans of old Hong Kong films and Hong Kong dramas, when they mention Song Shijie, the first thing that comes to mind is Zhang Daming, not Xingye.
This is actually already the highest praise for an actor's performance.
Although Zhang Da was obviously old and haggard after his illness, he still showed amazing performances in Hong Kong movies such as "Wheat Passerby".
Although he doesn't have many scenes in this return, the role he plays is as important as the finishing touch, so it's worth looking forward to. The reappearance of the old version of Song Shijie is still expected.
Lin Zicong ranked third.
The audience often ignores the fact that Lin Zicong actually played the most stable gold medal supporting role in the post-Stephen Chow comedy and Wu Mengda era.
Since he was excavated by Xing Ye to play the sixth junior brother in "Shaolin Football", Lin Zicong's comedy talent has been fully revealed. In "The Legend of Sword and Fairy", Mao Mao played by Lin Zishan also left a deep impression on the audience.
Lin Zicong's roles in "Kung Fu" and "Yangtze River No. 7" are both important supporting roles, that is, the supporting roles previously played by Wu Mengda.
If Stephen Chow had not retired as an actor after "Yangtze River No. 7", Lin Zicong's acting career would have been far more than the current level. With the loss of the partner of the king of comedy, his comedy performances became meaningless.
Although Lin Zicong has mainly directed films in recent years, he once again plays the familiar comedic role - a kind little prefect who supports Song Shijie in his investigation of the case, and he is still at ease.
Chen Haomin, ranked fourth.
Many people may feel a chill in their hearts when they see Chen Haomin. Over the years, the unpleasant picture of the big bad movies on the domestic Internet seems to be still vivid.
Chen Haomin actually did not disappoint the audience in the TVB drama of that year.
Chen Haomin played Sun Wukong, Duan Yu and Nezha in Hong Kong TV dramas, whether it was in "Journey to the West 2" to replace Zhang Weijian's role, or in "Dragon Babu" and "Fengshen Bang", his performance was full of aura. He not only brings joy to the audience with his humor and cuteness, but also far surpasses today's mainland entertainment stars in terms of character creation.
Returning to the filming site of a TVB drama again, it has been 17 years since the last time. This time, he will once again play the finale and Song Shijie's words, Chen Mengji, yes, it is the Chen Mengji played by Stephen Chow in "Counting Dead Grass". Chen Haomin fully exerted his best acting skills and won the favor of the audience unstoppably.
Yao Ziling, ranked fifth.
Yao Ziling has not been successful in the entertainment industry for many years, but in the end she successfully starred as the heroine on TVB.
Yao Ziling has played the role of a vicious and bitter female supporting actress for many years, but her real success is through her excellent performance in beating women, and the beautiful and handsome fighting roles she played in "Alliance" and "Iron Fist Heroes" left a deep impression on the audience.
She personally participated in many fight scenes and showed excellent performance, although she has a skillful royal sister temperament, she is not at all obtrusive when playing the role of a fighting woman.
With the scarcity of heroines in wireless TV dramas, it is not surprising that they chose to play important roles.
She plays the heroine Linglong in this play, with a mysterious identity and superb skills, and she also successfully married Song Shijie, who had lived in the midst of thousands of flowers.
Whether it is playing a female or male role, whether it is a funny scene or a bitter love drama, it is very suitable for Yao Ziling to play. It is possible that at the TVB awards ceremony next year, she will have a competition with Yang Yi in "Black Moonlight" to compete for the throne behind the scenes.
King Kong is one of the resident hosts of "Super Invincible Prize Door", and there are other veteran TVB supporting roles such as Gu Minghua, Zhao Yonghong, and Hai Junjie.
As soon as they appeared, these familiar faces immediately immersed the audience.
Can TVB's costume comedy regain its reputation?
Costume dramas used to be a highlight of Hong Kong TV dramas.
With the change of audience tastes and the rise of costume dramas in the mainland, the number of costume dramas produced by TVB has decreased.
TVB's costume dramas launched in recent years, such as "**Ten Thousand Liang" and "A Smile Across the Mortal World", have not performed satisfactorily.
Re-entering the realm of costume detective comedy raises the question: will the former best of the past still retain their glory? Perhaps it will deny the name of the classics.
Are Zhang Daming and Lin Zicong competent for the filming of costume detective comedies? This seems to be a question that is being questioned a lot.
How enjoyable a costume detective comedy is, the director's talent is also crucial.
In costume comedy, it's even more difficult to be funny.
As a result, some creators choose to skip "comedy" and go straight to "farce" creation.
Several of the high-scoring costume detective comedies listed are all directed by big directors, such as Stephen Chow (actual director) and Wang Jing.
TVB's most outstanding costume comedy director is Xu Zhengkang, who once directed "Male and Female Love" starring Huang Zihua, which set a ratings record. And he is currently filming "Song Shijie".
Lin Zicong and Zhang Daming are responsible for restarting the IP of "Song Shijie".
Lin Zicong served as the executive director of many star comedies, and then he began to independently direct a number of small-budget comedies, which also covered some bad online comedy films, such as "Jigong" with Chen Haomin, which made his directorial performance unstable. However, when he performs well, he is also able to create eye-catching works, such as "Gotta Drink Tea".
Fortunately, this show also has a trump card: producer Zhang Daming.
As soon as Zhang Daming debuted, he cooperated with Huang Zihua in "Dong Du Comedy Doubles".
He not only had outstanding performances in the 1997 film "Song Shijie" and the 1999 sequel "Song Shijie", but also starred in a number of star comedies. And behind the success of these movies, it is inseparable from the contribution of Duqiao.
It's hard to imagine that he will smash his old sign and return to "The King of Kings" as an executive producer.
Judging from the lens language and pictures of the trailer, it can be seen that this drama is full of the style of classic Hong Kong-style detective comedy, and I think it will reach above the passing line at least in terms of quality.
The decline of Hong Kong films and Hong Kong dramas is mainly because the genre is becoming more and more single, and now Hong Kong films only have police and bandit themes, and Hong Kong dramas only have workplace dramas that can attract audiences, which makes the audience feel tired of watching too much.
Costume comedy is the easiest signature theme to resurrect in Hong Kong dramas.
The reason is clear.
Costume comedy is different from the main drama in that it has no age and historical restrictions, and can present a variety of costume shapes, showing a high degree of creative freedom.
Hong Kong drama creators who are good at interpreting stories can therefore display their talents more freely, which is their strength.
In a free form, summed up in a sentence in rich language.
It is often possible to mix and match to achieve the effect that 1 plus 1 is greater than 2.
Whether it's martial arts, science fiction, fantasy, spy warfare or love, as long as it is integrated with costume comedy, it can produce dramatic effects.
Theoretically speaking, this versatile format, coupled with the genre experience that has been proven effective in the market, Hong Kong-style costume comedy should become a hit.
Surprisingly, Hong Kong-style costume comedies have rapidly lost their former glory since the beginning of the new century.
Constrained by the tastes of mainland audiences, coupled with the loss of Hong Kong's playwriting ability.
Hong Kong-style costume comedy is a film and television work that has gradually declined in recent years.
Only older viewers can recall how wonderful "Song Shijie" was at that time.
Cixi, Zeng Guofan and many other historical figures appeared one after another, and then Huang Zihua joined the second season, and the finale of the "Killing and Surrendering" case was even more unstoppable.
They show their own magical powers, you sing and I appear; You have a good plan, I have a bridge and ladder; You use a plot against me, and I will trick you into staying put.
Why not continue to run this one-of-a-kind ace store with no other branches.
The King of Kings is a film that shows the potential to revive the classic in terms of storyline, production team and cast.
So it's no surprise that I'm looking forward to this not too "trendy" project.
What is in the past is not necessarily bad.
In this era when the whole network is funny, but it is becoming more and more difficult for the audience to laugh, the suspense lies in whether the creator can still calm down, polish every burden, rack his brains to renovate every joke, and truly glow even a little bit of the glory of costume detective comedy.
Only when the new generation of kings can make the audience laugh as much as they used to, will it be considered a victory.