TVB’s Armed Reaction "陀槍師姐" installments were a classic, earning high ratings and huge popularity among housewives. Ten years later, TVB produced new drama, Policewoman Love Battlefield "女警愛作戰", in hopes of repeating the formula for success. Anticipating an impending war with new rival television stations in 2012, TVB did not wish to take any risks and chose to film sequels such as Ghetto Justice 2 "怒火街頭 2", Triumph in the Skies 2 "衝上雲霄 2", and Policewoman Love Battlefield, which can be described as a continuation of the Armed Reaction series. TVB bought their insurance by placing the lucky Niki Chow (周麗淇) at the helm.
No Resource ConstraintsTo save face, TVB decided to release their resources and did not place any strict [budget] limitations on Producer Cheung Kin Man’s (張乾文) new drama, Policewoman Love Battlefield. An insider commented, “This series features a lot of explosion and large scale scenes. TVB did not intentionally restrict the budget during filming. They said that the most important thing was good results. Originally, the series was intended to resemble Jun Ji-hyun’s Windstruck. In the end, the script was revised to resemble Armed Reaction. Management said that Niki brings good luck in ratings and was popular among housewives in Bottled Passion "我的如意狼君". The emphasis of Policewoman Love Battlefield will be placed upon Niki, who is the sole female lead. Even Michael Tse (謝天華) is an adornment!”
“Bottled Passion” Received Popular ReceptionAlthough Niki was not TVB’s “biological” daughter, she was heavily utilized. Aside from the lack of fadans at TVB, the company also considered her to be auspicious. A crew member stated, “Niki’s series have decent ratings, such as Bottled Passion. Due to contractual issues, Niki was unable to join the cast when Bottled Passion started shooting. Producer Lee Tim Sing (李添勝) did not want to change the female lead. Entering its final week, the ratings increased to 29 points. The crux of the story lies in the next five episodes; the ratings will definitely surpass 30 points. Niki and Raymond Wong (黃浩然) already agreed that on the day the finale is broadcast (December 30th), they will split the costs to treat the cast and crew (taking up 5 to 6 dinner tables).”
Translated by: Jayne @ JayneStars
