TVB aired 25 different series in 2011. At the end of each year, in addition to the TVB Anniversary Awards selecting the best series, netizens often run their own alternative elections and vote for the “Most Disliked Series of the Year.” The top three series in this category in 2011 were My Sister of Eternal Flower "花花世界花家姐", When Heaven Burns "天與地", and Men With No Shadows "不速之約".Charmaine Sheh and Raymond Lam in Two of Three Most Disliked Series
Over 200 people took part in the voting, with each person placing a maximum of three votes. My Sister of Eternal Flower received 87 votes, thus winning the “Most Disliked Series” title. In second place was When Heaven Burns with 81 votes, and in third place was Men With No Shadows with 78 votes. In fourth place was Only You "Only You只有您" with 50 votes, and in fifth place were Super Snoops "荃加福祿壽探案" and Curse of the Royal Harem "萬凰之王" tied at 46 votes. Among the “worst” series, Charmaine Sheh (佘詩曼) appeared in When Heaven Burns and My Sister of Eternal Flower, while Raymond Lam (林峯) appeared in Men With No Shadows and My Sister of Eternal Flower.
Some netizens described My Sister of Eternal Flower and Men With No Shadows featuring a “team that will not lose.” In fact, Charmaine Sheh was harmed by . TMy Sister of Eternal Flowerhe broadcast before and after this series was the difference between “heaven and earth.” Prior to the broadcast of My Sister of Eternal Flower, her role as a mentally challenged individual was regarded as an acting challenges. Partnering with Raymond Lam, the series was considered to be the most anticipated series in 2011. After the broadcast, the audience felt resistant towards the story’s mentally challenged individuals. Charmaine’s role was not well-received and was subject to criticism. The average rating of the series was only 25 points.
Appearing as a “devil” character and a hypnotist in Men With No Shadows, Raymond Lam was described as “schizophrenic Chok King” by netizens. However, the ratings were not bad, averaging 27 points for the entire series while the two-hour finale averaged 32 points in ratings.
When Heaven Burns was considered to be “beyond the understanding of Hong Kong housewives.” The series was also criticized to take half an hour of material and stretching it into one hour of film format. Although When Heaven Burns secured the second spot as the “Most Disliked Series of 2011,” many netizens also supported the controversial series and defended it, “Disliking the series does not mean the series was garbage. It only means some people did not understand it.”
Attentive netizens revealed that Charmaine’s When Heaven Burns was not the lowest rated series in recent TVB history, noting that 2005’s Always Ready "隨時候命" featuring Charamine, Ekin Cheng (鄭伊健), and Bowie Lam (林保怡) only averaged 23 points in ratings. Aside from the coincidence of collaborating with Bowie Lam, both When Heaven Burns and Always Ready were broadcast on November 21st, unable to escape from the fate of low ratings.
Source: Ming Pao
Translated by: Jayne @ JayneStars
