How TVB's Superstar Specials changed Hong Kong TV in the 70s with its big-screen aesthetic
True to its title, TVB's Superstar Specials featured A-list Hong Kong movie stars making their first forays on television.
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The series, comprising 15 stand-alone 45-minute episodes, premiered 50 years ago this week, at a time when Hong Kong's terrestrial TV industry was on the cusp of a revolution.
Titled simply Roy Chiao – but since renamed Treasure Hunt on Hong Kong broadcaster TVB's streaming platform – the episode revolves around a mysterious man's search for hidden treasure.
Superstar Specials ran for 15 episodes and is available for viewing on TVB's streaming platform. Photo: TVB
While there is plenty of derring-do as Chiao – or maybe his stunt double – gets into an underwater struggle and a scuffle aboard a propeller plane, the story itself subverted the actor's usual persona with animal-related absurdities aplenty.
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