Raising the Bar (Chinese: 四個女仔三個BAR; Jyutping: Sei3 Go3 Neoi5 Zai2 Saam1 Go3 BAR; literally "Four Girls, Three Bars") is a 2015 Hong Kong modern legal drama series produced by TVB. It stars Ben Wong, Louis Cheung, Ram Chiang and Grace Chan as the main leads, with Elaine Yiu, Jeannie Chan, Stephanie Ho, Timothy Cheng and Moon Lau as the major supporting cast. Natalie Tong and Elena Kong guest star this series. Filming of the series took place from June till September 2014. The series began airing 26 January 2015 and ended its run on 27 February 2015. It was broadcast on weekdays, Monday to Friday, by TVB's Jade channel in the 8:30–9:30 pm timeslot.[1][2][3]
| Raising the Bar | |
|---|---|
 Official poster | |
| Also known as | Four Girls, Three Bars Quid Pro Quo |
| 四個女仔三個BAR | |
| Genre | Legal drama |
| Created by | Hong Kong Television Broadcasts Limited |
| Written by | Lee Sai Kuk Hin-lung Yue Ka-koon Chan Yuen-mei Wong Po-yin Yu Lau-yuen Kwong Po-wai Chan Cheuk-yin |
| Directed by | Hui Sui-ping |
| Starring | Ben Wong Louis Cheung Ram Chiang Grace Chan Elaine Yiu Jeannie Chan Stephanie Ho Timothy Cheng Moon Lau |
| Opening theme | You & Me (我和你) by Stephanie Ho |
| Ending theme | You Are The One (面前人) by Louis Cheung & Grace Chan |
| Country of origin | Hong Kong |
| Original language | Cantonese |
| No. of episodes | 25 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Catherine Tsang |
| Producer | Joe Chan |
| Production location | Hong Kong |
| Camera setup | Multi camera |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Production company | TVB |
| Original release | |
| Network | Jade HD Jade |
| Release | 26 January – 27 February 2015 |
| Raising the Bar | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 四個女仔三個BAR | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 四个女仔三个BAR | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "Four Girls, Three Bars" | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Synopsis
editA group of barristers and trainee lawyers vow to pursue justice and ideals, but the process is fraught with difficulties. Regarded as the "Condor Heroes" of the legal world, barristers Marcus Fan (Ben Wong) and his wife Vivian Cheung (Elaine Yiu) have taught many students. Among them, Giselle Tong (Grace Chan), Brittany Fok (Jeannie Chan) and Quinton Chow (Louis Cheung) are Marco's favourites. Giselle's classmate, Holly Tsang (Moon Lau), is a trainee solicitor at Vivian's law firm, while Chris Yiu (Stephanie Ho) trains under barrister Duncan Yam (Timothy Cheng). Brittany's elder half-sister, Ashley Cheng (Natalie Tong), has an affair with the married Duncan and later switches over to work for Marcus. With each of them using their own methods, how do these rookies become qualified legal practitioners, in a journey that is full of struggle, doubt and tough choices about their future? Theory turns into practice as they handle tricky cases and experience success and failures, while also dealing with love, family and friendship problems every day. Their biggest test arrives when legal standards challenge their personal orientations.
Main cast
edit- Ben Wong (黃智賢) as Marcus Fan Chi-ngai (范智毅)
- Louis Cheung (張繼聰) as Quinton Chow Tsz-pok (周梓博)
- Ram Chiang (蔣志光) as Woody Lam Sam-muk (林森木)
- Grace Chan (陳凱琳) as Giselle Tong Ching-chi (唐靖姿)
Guest cast
edit- Natalie Tong (唐詩詠) as Ashley Cheng Cheuk-tung (鄭妁彤)
- Elena Kong (江美儀) as Judge Amanda Lui (呂官)
Recurring cast
edit- Elaine Yiu (姚子羚) as Vivian Cheung Wai-wan (張慧芸)
- Jeannie Chan (陳瀅) as Brittany Fok Chi-ying (霍紫凝)
- Stephanie Ho (何雁詩) as Chris Yiu Chui-fa (姚翠花)
- Timothy Cheng (鄭子誠) as Duncan Yam Suen-yip (任雋燁)
- Moon Lau (劉佩玥) as Holly Tsang Ho-yan (曾可欣)
- King Lam (林景程) as Lincoln Chai On-kui (齊安居)
- Sunny Dai (戴耀明) as Kuk Tat-kan (谷達勤)
- Andy Siu (邵卓堯) as Paul
- Matthew Ho (何廣沛) as Max Kwong
- Sam Tsang (曾航生) as Don Chu Yiu-lik (朱耀力)
- Hugo Wong (黃子恆) as Hanson Chui Yin-chit (崔賢哲)
- Alex Tsui (徐家傑) as Fok Koon-tung (霍貫東)
- Li Shing-cheong (李成昌) as Chan Keung (陳強)
- Mimi Chu (朱咪咪) as Ng Suk-fan (吳淑芬)
- Chun Wong (秦煌) as Chow Chung-cheung (周忠祥)
- Hinson Chou (周子揚) as Jaydon Ngai Chung-hang 危仲衡
- MoMo Wu (吳沚默) as Lee Dan (李丹)
- Ali Lee (李佳芯) as Shum Lai-ching (岑麗清)
- Skye Chan (陳倩揚) as Sabrina Fong Tin-na (方天娜)
- Stefan Wong (黃長興) as Kelvin
- Gary Chan (陳嘉輝) as Judge Ho (何官)
- Wendy Hon (韓毓霞) as Judge Wong (王官)
- Joseph Yeung (楊瑞麟) as Judge Chan (陳官)
- Eddie Li (李岡龍) as Judge Lai (賴官)
- Dolby Kwan (關浩揚) as Roy
- Mary Hon (韓馬利) as Holly's mother (曾可欣之媽)
- Steve Lee (李家鼎) as Holly's father (曾可欣之爸)
- Helen Ng (吳香倫) as Lam Mui (林梅)
- Johnson Law (羅莽) as Sit Kim (薛劍)
- Judy Tsang (曾敏) as Yeung Lau (楊柳)
- Snow Suen (孫慧雪) as KeiKei (淇淇)
- Suet Nei (雪妮)
- Jacquelin Chong (莊思敏) as Lawyer Yiu (姚律師)
- Jack Hui (許家傑) as Alex Lam Chin-sum (林展信)
Alternate ending
editAn alternate ending was shown for the overseas broadcast of the drama. The scene depicts the lawyers in a silent protest in support of Hong Kong's continued judicial independence.[4] The scene is in reference to the real life event that happened in Hong Kong during the "White Paper" protest in June 2014.[5]
Development
edit- Filming of the series took place from June till September 2014.
- The costume fitting ceremony was held on 7 June 2014 12:30 p.m. at Tseung Kwan O TVB City Studio One.
- The blessing ceremony was held on 26 June 2014 2:00 p.m. at Tseung Kwan O TVB City.[6]
Viewership ratings
edit| Week | Episodes | Date | Average Points | Peaking Points |
| 1 | 01－05 | 26–30 Jan 2015 | 23 | 25 |
| 2 | 06－10 | 2–6 Feb 2015 | 24 | 26 |
| 3 | 11－15 | 9–13 Feb 2015 | 23 | 27 |
| 4 | 16－20 | 16–20 Feb 2015 | 22 | 24 |
| 5 | 21－25 | 23–27 Feb 2015 | 27 | 32 |
| Total average | 23.8 | 32 | ||
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | StarHub TVB Awards | My Favourite TVB Drama | Raising The Bar | Nominated |
| My Favourite TVB Actor | Ben Wong | Nominated | ||
| My Favourite TVB Actress | Grace Chan | Nominated | ||
| My Favourite TVB Supporting Actress | Natalie Tong | Nominated | ||
| Elaine Yiu | Nominated | |||
| My Favourite TVB Male TV Character | Ben Wong | Nominated | ||
| My Favourite TVB Female TV Character | Grace Chan | Nominated | ||
| My Favourite Onscreen Couple | Louis Cheung & Grace Chan | Nominated | ||
| My Favourite TVB Theme Song | You & Me (我和你) by Stephanie Ho | Nominated | ||
| TVB Star Awards Malaysia | My Favourite TVB Drama Series | Raising The Bar | Nominated | |
| My Favourite TVB Actor in a Leading Role | Ben Wong | Nominated | ||
| My Favourite TVB Actress in a Leading Role | Grace Chan | Nominated | ||
| My Favourite TVB Actor in a Supporting Role | Louis Cheung | Nominated | ||
| Ram Chiang | Nominated | |||
| Timothy Cheng | Nominated | |||
| My Favourite TVB Actress in a Supporting Role | Elaine Yiu | Won | ||
| My Favourite TVB On-Screen Couple | Louis Cheung & Grace Chan | Nominated | ||
| Ben Wong & Elaine Yiu | Nominated | |||
| My Favourite TVB Drama Theme Song | You & Me (我和你) by Stephanie Ho | Nominated | ||
| My Favourite Top 16 TVB Drama Characters | Ben Wong | Won | ||
| Elaine Yiu | Won | |||
| TVB Anniversary Awards | TVB Anniversary Award for Best Drama | Raising The Bar | Nominated | |
| TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actor | Ben Wong | Nominated | ||
| TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actress | Grace Chan | Nominated | ||
| Elaine Yiu | Nominated | |||
| TVB Anniversary Award for Best Supporting Actor | Ram Chiang | Nominated | ||
| Timothy Cheng | Nominated | |||
| TVB Anniversary Award for Best Supporting Actress | Natalie Tong | Nominated | ||
| Stephanie Ho | Nominated | |||
| Jeannie Chan | Nominated | |||
| Elena Kong | Nominated | |||
| TVB Anniversary Award for Most Popular Male Character | Ben Wong | Nominated | ||
| TVB Anniversary Award for Most Popular Female Character | Stephanie Ho | Nominated | ||
| TVB Anniversary Award for Favourite Drama Song | You & Me (我和你) by Stephanie Ho | Nominated | ||
| You Are The One (面前人) by Louis Cheung & Grace Chan | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ [1] Grace Chan Leads a New Generation in "Raising the Bar". Retrieved 01-25-2015
- ^ [2] Overview – Raising the Bar. Retrieved 01-25-2015
- ^ [3] Raising the Bar soompi page. Retrieved 01-25-2015
- ^ [4] Raising the Bar Alternate Ending. Retrieved March 12, 2015
- ^ [5] White paper on Hong Kong. Retrieved March 12, 2015
- ^ [6] Raising the Bar AF page. Retrieved 01-25-2015
- ^ [7] StarHub TVB Awards 2015 Nominations. Retrieved September 5, 2015