The Threshold of a Persona finishes on a high

It was always going to be a hard act following Rosy Business, Hong Kong TVB’s biggest hit show of the year. Threshold of a Persona (ID精英) , the action drama series set in the Border Control section of Hong Kong’s Immigration Department, attracted criticism early on, and unfavourable comparisons were made with the costume drama that preceded it in the key 9:30 timeslot. It struggled to sustain ratings beyond 30 points, although in the final episode it suddenly attracted thousands of new viewers and finished with 38 points.

The series, which ran from 1 June to 5 July, starred the popular Roger Kwok (郭晋安), two-time winner of the TVB Golden Anniversary Awards. However it was his co-stars Patrick Tang (邓健泓), Yoyo Mung (蒙嘉慧) and Toby Leung (梁靖琪) who were the subject of criticism. Tang has been popping up in just about everything on TVB, but for some of Hong Kong's ultra-critical TV fans he was starting to outwear his welcome, while Mung and Leung have had to endure criticism for their acting. Tang and Leung in particular are suspected by carping critics of winning roles more through their connections with TVB executives than their talent.

By the way, the strange English title is, presumably, meant to cash in on memories of the hit turn-of the-21st-century drama series At the Threshold of an Era. However, apart from both starring Roger Kwok, they share little in common.