::Virtues of Harmony II:: Frequently Asked Questions

::Virtues of Harmony II:: Frequently Asked Questions

Why was "Virtues of Harmony II" produced?

How many episodes are there to the series?

Why is "Virtues of Harmony" so long?

Why did Frankie Lam and Bernice Liu leave "VOH II?" When?

Why did Cutie Mui leave? When? Is she coming back?

What is the premise of "Virtues of Harmony?"

When does Bernice Liu and Frankie Lam get together? How? When?

Why did "Virtues of Harmony" end?

Will there be another version or sequel to the series in the future?

Why did Hawick Lau leave the show? Is he coming back?

Why aren't ... in the modern version?

Who will Hawick Lau get together with in the show?

In what episode does .... appear in the series?

When will Steven Ma and Linda Chung hook up? What episode?

When are Bernice and Frankie returning to the series?

Any information on the actress that plays "Michelle?"

Wasn't Hawick & Linda suppose to "replace" Bernice & Frankie?

What is the relationship between Linda & Hawick's characters?

What is wrong with Linda's character?

Why was "Virtues of Harmony II" produced?

The ancient version, "Virtues of Harmony," was very popular and brought in good ratings. TVB wanted to continue with the series but instead of being an costume comedy, they changed it into a modern-day sitcom. This change probably occured because TVB was trying to cut costs. A modern series is much cheaper to produce than a costume series. Also, the casts can film faster and have an easier job since they don't have to wear heavy costumes. The less likely reason is perhaps the producer was running out of ideas for the ancient storyline.

How many episodes are there to the series?

The grand total number of episodes for classic known as "Virtues of Harmony" spans 770 episodes, with 327 episodes from the ancient version and 443 from the modern version. In the Vietnamese version, there is a total of 514 episodes for both parts with 218 from "Virtues of Harmony I" and 296 from "Virtues of Harmony II." At the time of this answer's writing, "Virtues of Harmony" is the second longest series produced by TVB.

Why is "Virtues of Harmony" so long?

"Virtues of Harmony" is not a typical production. It is a production known as a long-running series. There are no set number of episodes. It has the potential to go on forever, as long as the ratings and support for the series remains high. That is why "Virtues" is so long. It is highly popular. It's not correct to call it "draggy" because it's suppose to be long. TVB didn't design the series to be concise. If you don't like long series, then don't rent "Virtues," simple as that.

Why did Frankie Lam and Bernice Liu leave "VOH II?" When?

At the time they left, Frankie's father was in bad health and wished that he and Kenix Kwok married before he died. Wanting to fulfill his father's wishes, Frankie and Kenix arranged a marriage to be held in March 2004. Therefore, the VOH writers had to write him off from the script. Because most of Bernice's scenes revolve around Frankie, she was written out of the plot as well. These were the reasons that TVB gave the press at that time, but time has brought up speculation that their leave was much more complicated than that. There are rumors that Frankie felt that he was wasting time being in "Virtues" for so many years and not being able to boost his popularity or win any awards or recognition. Thus, he wanted to leave the show so that he could star in more series. As for Bernice, perhaps TVB wanted her to get out of "Virtues" so that they could promote her. They haven't been in "Virtues of Harmony II" since episode 187, which is episode 125 in the Vietnamese version. For a synopsis of Bernice and Frankie's last subplot, please proceed to "Series Summary" page and read!

Why did Cutie Mui leave? When? Is she coming back?

During late 2003 and early 2004, Cutie had been hosting a lot more and from that, she re-discovered her love for that career. Because she couldn't host full time and film "Virtues" at the same time, she had to let go of "Virtues." She couldn't have the "best of both worlds." Cutie appreciates working on the series for the past 3 years because it gave her stable finances, but at the moment she wants to try something new. Cutie is currently chasing after her passion and hosting variety shows and being on her own skit show. Her last appearance in "Virtues of Harmony II" is episode 229, which is ep. 153 in Viet version. Unfortunately, Cutie will not be coming back into the show.

What is the premise of "Virtues of Harmony?"

"Virtues of Harmony" was actually based on left-over ideas that the producer, Tsui Yu On, had from the long-running "A Kindred Spirit" that went on for 1,129 episodes. He still had a lot of storylines that he wanted to film. TVB's executive producer, Catherine Tsang, suggested that he turn the idea into an ancient costume comedy. Hence, "Virtues of Harmony" was born. It is no wonder why many people consider "Virtues" the comedic version of "Kindred." Both series are from the same producer and have a similar cast. The modern version is of course based on the ancient version.

When does Bernice Liu and Frankie Lam get together? How? When?

Unfortunately, Bernice and Frankie's characters are ill-fated and do not end up together at all. They remain single.

Why did "Virtues of Harmony" end?

Although "Virtues" ratings were still very good, the show was still making $4-5 million per month, and there was still strong support, TVB felt it's "time" to give the cast and crew a long break. They also added that they want to give viewers more "choices." Audiences have been watching "Virtues" for four years and TVB thought that people wanted a change. There is also a possibility that the ending of the show was a decision made by the entire casts because everyone wanted to do something else. In any case, "Virtues" did not end because it failing or declining.

Will there be another version or sequel to the series in the future?

At the time of this answer's writing, only time holds the answer. At the current time, everyone in the "Virtues" family is very busy with their own agendas. Perhaps in a few years there might be a sequel as "big brother" and "princess" did not end up together in the modern version. Also, there is still support and love for the show, so it's very possible. "Virtues of Harmony" is over, but a spin-off series in the future might be possible. No one knows, so we will just have to wait and cross our fingers (don't hold your breath though!).

Why did Hawick Lau leave the show? Is he coming back?

Hawick felt that TVB's pay is too low and he realized he wasn't going to get any younger, so he's decided to try his luck in China. Hawick wants to film series in China because the pay is much better there. With TVB, Hawick has exposure and popularity, but what he needs now is financial stability. Working with TVB means long hours and low pay. Therefore, Hawick cancelled all of his TVB work. After Hawick's appearance in episode 343 (229 in Viet), he doesn't appear in the show again.

Why aren't ... in the modern version?

Sherming Yiu doesn't want to be tied down by a long-running production. She wants to be in more series with more roles to showcase and improve her acting and have more time to do things that she likes. She had had enough with the ancient version and didn't want to be tied down by the modern version. Thus, she chose not to play "Sek Dai" anymore. Timmy Hung chose not to be in the series as well because he has to build his career. Although he promised in 2003 that he would join the show later, his promise was never fulfilled and "Sek Biu" didn't exist as well. Celine Ma was to be in the modern version, but because of her habitual tardiness and even came late on the first day of filming for "Virtues of Harmony II." The "Virtues" producer was pissed and brought in Rain Lau to replace her. It was later revealed that Celine was so happy to be in the modern version that she couldn't sleep and had to take sleeping pills. Therefore, she overslept and was late. She was very sad and cried to Nancy Sit about not being able to be in the show. Although Nancy asked the producer to give Celine another role, nothing came about with the situation and poor Celine couldn't be in the modern version. Maggie Siu is too popular and busy for the show. Without Timmy Hung in the show, there's no point for either Chan Hoi-Yee or Olivia Fu to be in the show. The "Virtues" producer cannot force anyone who doesn't willingly want to dedicate his/her time into the production.

Who will Hawick Lau get together with in the show?

He pairs up with Fiona, an uncasted actress. They never show her face, but he does indeed marry and end up happily ever after with her so that his character is written off of the show. Hawick had a perfectly good planned romance with Linda Chung, but he screwed the show when he left, so everything was changed. Linda is paired up with Steven Ma instead now.

In what episode does .... appear in the series?

Check the "Character Biographies" page.

When will Steven and Linda hook up? What episode?

They are able to be together starting in episode 440 (episode 294 in Viet). They will get married in the series's finale during episode 443 (episode 296 in Viet). Of course, they fall in love much before this, but due to circumstances, they cannot get together until the end.

When are Bernice and Frankie returning to the series?

They never come back after they were written off. Frankie does make a brief appearance during the time where Hawick was setting into the family, but there's no more mention of their romance except for random lines that accentuate the fact that Frankie is deeply in love with only Bernice. They don't return because they simply couldn't. There wasn't enough time to give their romance a proper conclusion. Frankie and Bernice were too busy to return to "Virtues" and thus, lack of fate and timing wrote them off the show forever. Whether it was because they couldn't return or because they chose not to return is unclear. In any case, they don't come back. If there must be a scapegoat, then blame Frankie and Bernice. It's not as if the "Virtues" producer has power to force them to film if they don't want to.

Any information on the actress that plays "Michelle?"

Linda Chung Ka Yan stars as Michelle Hung Bak Lam. She's the winner of the "Miss Chinese International 2004" beauty pageant. Fatefully, the "Virtues" cast had hosted that show back in January 2004 and Linda ended up joining "Virtues of Harmony II" in April 2004. As with the case of Bernice Liu (Miss Chinese International 2001) in the ancient version, the modern version is Linda's first time acting ever.

Wasn't Hawick & Linda suppose to "replace" Bernice & Frankie?

Indeed that was the plan. That was why Hawick Lau became the "big big brother" of the family and why Linda Chung's beauty and character is so praised by the other characters. They were meant to "replace" Bernice Liu and Frankie Lam so that the audience could see some romantic and dramatic storylines in the show. However, TVB decided to promote Hawick Lau during this time for some strange reason. He was first written out of the show to work on "My Family" with Shirley Yeung and Alex Fong. Then, he was casted in "Healing Hands III," but at this point, he announced that he was taking a break from TVB to act in China. Consequently his role had to be written off of "Virtues" permanently. "Virtues"'s producer was once again left without a "cute, young couple" in the show.

What is the relationship between Linda & Hawick's characters?

Although it never stated in the show the exact details as to the relationship between Hawick and Linda, ambiguity between their characters' relationship is cleared through Linda's romance with Steven Ma. Linda believed that she had inherited a heart disease from her father's side and would die when she turned 28. She didn't want to hurt anyone or have anyone cry over her when she died, so she couldn't have anyone love her. Thus, she put up a facade to appear money-hungry and cold- hearted. Most likely Hawick and Linda dated in past because it is clear that they were very much in love, even when they were fighting and seemed to "hate" each other so much. Hawick probably was turned off by Linda's facade and perhaps Linda pushed Hawick away, like she tried to push Steven away. Linda was probably very hurt by Hawick and it's likely that their relationship was (and would have turned out to be) similar to the romance between Linda and Steven.

What is wrong with Linda's character?

Her family (from her dad's side, the Hungs) is cursed with an inborn heart disease due to heredity and she is the only living member of her family. Everyone else has died after they reach their 28th birthday. No one has survived. Linda is scared that she will also suffer from this cursed fate so she wants to make the most of her life. She also doesn't want anyone to cry or break anyone's heart when she dies, so that's why she breaks up with Hawick and couldn't accept Steven's love. She would rather make herself suffer. As for the money issue, it's to repay her uncle for his dedication and care in raising her. Perhaps it's also to let her live as comfortable a life as she can in her short "28" years.