Inbound Troubles


Inbound Troubles, is a Hong Kong television comedy-drama serial produced by TVB and Wong Wai-sing. The serial, which touches on the growing cultural differences between Hong Kong and mainland China, premiered on Monday, 14 January 2013 on Jade and HD Jade, and ran for 20 episodes.
Filming took place in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Dongguan, and Qingyuan from June to September 2012. The first trailer debuted at TVB's Sales Presentation 2013 event on November 8, 2012.
Inbound Troubles had the highest-rated Hong Kong serial debut in 2013. The first episode attracted over 2.12 million viewers. Praised for its "realistic portrayal" of Hong Kong's current social issues, the serial has received favourable reviews.

Synopsis

Aiming to become the best tour guide in the industry, Ng Ka-yee sets up a travel agency with his girlfriend Szema Shuk-ching but he goes bankrupt and owes a huge debt after being cheated by others. Ka-yee wishes to pass the last few months of bankruptcy peacefully and start a new chapter with Shuk-ching after marriage. However, Shuk-ching falls in love with his best friend Ching Siu-shan and Ka-yee is devastated. During the time, Ka-yee runs into the newly immigrated social worker Yik Suet-fei, his Dongguan cousin Choi Sum who dreams to be a singer in Hong Kong and the old singer Monrole who is looking for free meals everywhere. In addition, his younger sister Ng Chi-ching also returns to Hong Kong by lying to him that she has completed her master's degree in Taiwan already. Different culture and lifestyles between Hong Kong and mainland China create family farce every day. Used to be a coward with low self-esteem for all his life, Ka-yee suddenly wakes up and discovers his ultimate dream…

Cast and characters

Critical response

Inbound Troubles suffered brief media censorship in mainland China a week before its official broadcast. Trailers of the serial that aired on TVB's overseas mainland channels were replaced with local Chinese television ads instead. China's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television never released an official statement for why the trailers were censored. Nonetheless, Inbound Troubles premiered on overseas channels and mainland Chinese video streaming websites as scheduled on 14 January.
Since its premiere on 14 January 2013 in Hong Kong, Inbound Troubles has received mixed to positive reviews. On mainland China's Douban, the serial received a rating of 7.1 out of 10 based on over 6,500 votes. Drama critic Shou Jingjing from Global Times praised that the serial had "realistic portrayals" of the conflicts between mainlanders and Hong Kongers, which is "a bold attempt and breakthrough." However, Shou criticised the production of the serial for being "average, lacking subtle descriptions of interpersonal relationships." Conversely, Shou explained that through the comedic style of Inbound Troubles, the serial can have the potential to "really help both sides realise their defects and learn to put themselves in others' shoes."
230 complaints were submitted to TVB and Hong Kong's Broadcast Authority after the first week of broadcast. With a topic that centered on the growing social rifts between mainland China and Hong Kong, some viewers found the content in Inbound Troubles offensive to both the mainland Chinese and Hong Kong citizens. Complaints varied; some viewers expressed that the content in Inbound Troubles "beautified" the mainland Chinese and had malicious portrayals of the Hong Kong tourism industry. Others noted that the serial carried a demeaning perception of the mainland Chinese.
A few passionate viewers threatened TVB to cancel the serial, claiming that ongoing broadcast of it will create a greater division between mainland China and Hong Kong. Main leads, Roger Kwok and Wong Cho-lam, were also harassed in public for negatively portraying a Hong Kong citizen and a mainland Chinese, respectively.
The general Hong Kong public and amateur netizen critics, however, gave Inbound Troubles a positive review. The serial was praised by reviewers for its fresh cast, lighthearted storytelling, and relevant script. The main leads are also critically acclaimed for their performances.

Ratings

The premiere episode was watched by over 2.12 million viewers, receiving an average rating of 31 points. It currently has the highest-rated drama debut for Hong Kong's 2013 television season. The drama reached to 2 million regular viewers, and peaked to 2.36 million viewers, in the first four episodes of its broadcast.
Throughout its broadcast life, Inbound Troubles has received an average rating of 30 points. The two-hour finale episode achieved an average of 31 points, and peaked at 34 points. The finale episode also accumulated to over 3.9 million views online.
The following is a table that includes a list of the total ratings points based on television viewership. "Viewers in millions" refers to the number of people, derived from TVB Jade ratings, in Hong Kong who watched the episode live. The peak number of viewers are in brackets.
#Timeslot WeekEpisodeAverage pointsPeaking pointsViewers AIRankReferences
1
Mon – Thu, 8:30 pm
14 – 17 January 2013
1 — 4
30
37
1.92
92%
#1
2
Mon – Fri, 8:30 pm
21 – 25 January 2013
5 — 9
30
34
1.92
TBA
#1
3
Mon – Fri, 8:30 pm
28 Jan – 1 Feb 2013
10 — 14
30
33
1.92
TBA
#1
4
Mon – Fri, 8:30 pm
4 – 8 February 2013
15 — 20
30
34
1.92
TBA
#1

Sequel

Talks of a sequel to Inbound Troubles were circulating after the first week of broadcast. Despite the controversial reception, TVB executives expressed that they were satisfied with the drama's critical success.
TVB confirmed that a sequel to Inbound Troubles was given the green light in February 2013. The sequel, which was stated to be a major motion picture, would begin production at the end of 2013. A reboot sister production, Come On, Cousin, aired in 2014.

Awards and nominations

TVB Anniversary Awards 2013