Genre: Modern, police, light-hearted romance
# of Episodes: 21
Producer: Nelson Cheung
Casts:
- Niki Chow as Lui Fei Hap (Lui Hap)
- Michael Tse as Lam Yat Yat (A1)
- Mandy Wong as Szeto Kiu (Madam Kiu)
- Matthew Ko as Wong Tze Tsuen
- Oceane Zhu as Lam Oi Oi
- William Chak as Yau Man Chi (Delay Gor)
- Koni Lui as Lam Long Ning (Long Leg)
- Grace Wong as Kam Sui Na (Goldie)
- Queenie Chu as Mai Ka Bo
- Candice Chiu as Tong Mei Kei (Miki)
What's It About? Female cops and their perspectives on lives as they have to find a balance between work, family and love.
- Spoilers Alert -
I had low expectation for this series before it aired. I didn't even think about watching this until I saw the first episode, which was fully packed with action scenes. To my surprise this series was more enjoyable than I initially thought, probably because I didn't get to see the same over-exposed actors and actresses here. The cast combo is quite fresh. But let me first make it clear, an enjoyable series isn't automatically equivalent to a high quality series, and I do think this is an example of that.
Sergeant Tabloid is quite choppy and most of the time, it's super random. It's random how Lui Hap was about to get proposed to, then the proposal was called off, then she actually got proposed to, then the engagement was called off, and all of that happened within the first half of the first episode!! It's random how Goldie wore that weird-looking gold costume and walked around giving out money. It's random how Elaine Yiu popped up out of nowhere and targeted no one else but Lui Hap. It's even random how they kept picking on the 「中女」 in the first place!! There was actually nothing much to the story, just the normal police chasing criminals, some action scenes, some funny moments here and there, some out-of-nowhere love triangles, and lots of random events. I'm not surprised at all how some people didn't like this series very much.
I really enjoyed Niki's character Lui Hap here. She's strong, brave, witty, caring and nice. However, her character didn't have much development here so she ended up quite low-profile. Sometimes, I didn't even sense her presence because my eyes would be on other characters who appeared to be more interesting. And sometimes I even forgot that she's actually the lead here. So overall, I do like her character but sadly it turned out quite bland. I can't say Niki's acting here has improved either because even though she's good in those light-hearted moments, in the scenes where she's required to be a little more emotional or expressive, she seemed quite forced.
Now Michael Tse, I do feel that the ghost of Laughing is still kinda haunting him, not much though. When he first appeared, I really thought I would be watching Laughing again. Luckily, it turned out he's a reporter this time, though I don't like his character A1 very much. The way he did his job really disgusted me sometimes. I do enjoyed watching his change in character though. From the time he started to accept Oi Oi, to the time he realized what he had been doing was wrong, to when he fell in love with Lui Hap, it's like watching him slowly turning into a nicer person. Michael just needs to play different types of roles from now on to completely get rid of the Laughing image. Make him play a pauper or something (haha!!). And make him lose that cocky voice. He was quite nice here when he's soft-spoken. Michael had surprisingly good chemistry with Niki. I didn't expect that but they made quite a funny bickering couple. However, his storyline with Niki didn't turn out too well, thanks to the redundant appearance of the 'third party' Charlie (Becky Lee). I couldn't believe A1 just let her off like that after he found out how she treated Lui Hap and lied to him about the baby. That got me so mad. Charlie got to be one of the most annoying characters ever. She's the worst!!
Mandy's Madam Kiu also went through quite a nice change. However, no matter how many times I look at her, I still don't see her as a Madam, or worse, as Niki's superior!! I do feel like she's a miscast. But luckily, her acting really saved the day. She sounded authoritative enough. Mandy's character here is better than her Mei Suet in The Hippocratic Crush. To be honest, I didn't like her when she first appeared, too prejudiced. It was nice to see Madam Kiu changed, even though it was a sudden change that happened out of the blue. She was willing to accept her mistakes, knew how to apologize and say her thank-you's. Mandy and Matthew Ko together were really awkward though. They had zero chemistry. When her dad disapproved them going out, in my mind I was like 'So be it. I don't care!!' In fact, I think Matthew didn't fit in with the rest of the cast either. He failed to shine here, and most of the time, he seemed really out of it.
If I have to pick my most favorite character from ST, it got to be Lam Oi Oi. Oceane Zhu was quite a scene-stealer in ST and her acting was rather natural. Although there were still rooms for improvement, I thought her portrayal of Oi Oi was quite adorable. When I see her, I see energy, I see freshness, I see enthusiasm. I think Oi Oi was such a lovely character and I just couldn't get my eyes away from her. I like how she kept clinging onto A1 even though he just brushed her off most of the time. Oi Oi and Delay Gor were probably one of the cutest couples ever!! She's so brave while he's so chicken LOL. The stuff he does and says always made me laugh. I saw William Chak before but this is the first time he actually caught my attention. His acting here was quite natural as well.
The rest of the girls were quite nice to watch too, especially Koni and Grace. Together they made a lovely gang. I mentioned before that I really like the bond they shared with each other and I do think their storyline was one of the best parts of the whole series. I remember there was a time when they were trying to get Madam Kiu a bra, and the time when they were learning to speak Mando to get ready for their mission. That was hilarious!! Everything was perfect until they added the stupid love triangle of Miki, Ka Bo and her husband. It was truly horrible!! I didn't like the ending either. It was rushed and too cliche. This series dragged at some parts in the middle, then quickly ended, so I think the scriptwriting is actually the biggest problem here. Sergeant Tabloid may not be the best series around, but it was definitely an enjoyable one.
My Rating: 6.7/10
Worth watching? Not a must-watch but I would recommend it for its fresh cast combo.
A Sequel? No, thanks. Let's stop a disaster before it happens.
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