Director Ho Cheuk Tin Apologizes And Cuts Bad Jokes As Sitcom Viewership Plummets
Hong Kong broadcaster HOY’s new sitcom Your Guard Lee Po-on suffered a sharp viewership drop to 4.9 points on Thursday (29th), just days after its Monday premiere drew 9.4 points, prompting director Ho Juek-tin to issue a public apology and scrap several controversial jokes.
Viewership Plummets After Premiere Week
The sitcom starring Li Sheung-ching, Irene Lo (妹姐), Mak Pui-tung, Tsang Jui-chi, and Wong Yiu-hung debuted on Monday (26th) to 9.4 rating points. The strong opening forced rival TVB to alter its evening lineup for the competing sitcom Come Home Love: The Sugar-Coated Generation by recalling classic cast members Fan Yik-man and Au Lui-wai. By Thursday (29th), audience figures for Your Guard Lee Po-on fell to 4.9 points, representing approximately 300,000 viewers.
Following the steep decline, the scheduled fifth episode was pulled on the 30th. In its place, the network aired a Q&A session where producers and creators addressed widespread complaints regarding poor story pacing, awkward wordplay puns, dim security office lighting, and erratic editing choices.
Director Issues On-Air Apology and Pulls Puns
During the special broadcast, director Ho Juek-tin bowed to viewers and acknowledged that the production resembled amateur work. “People say it looks like a student project, and it truly is a student project, because I am a student at shooting a sitcom, and I am still learning,” Ho stated on air. Production constraints forced the crew to shoot 20 minutes of broadcast material daily, a pace far exceeding standard television schedules.
Budgetary limitations also forced the production to construct its primary security office set inside a repurposed human resources office on the seventh floor of the Cable TV Tower. Ho confirmed that financial resources fell short of even typical student film budgets. Responding to audience pushback against repetitive puns and internet memes, Ho explained that he instructed the editing team to remove specific wordplay and rhythmic chanting sequences. Although producer Wong Tsz-kwong initially defended the comedic style as a distinct artistic choice, Ho noted that the team chose to yield to audience feedback and rewrite problematic dialogue.
Production Realities and Future Adjustments
Addressing criticism regarding flat lighting, single-camera setups, and an absence of outdoor scenes, Ho and Wong Tsz-kwong pointed directly to financial and logistical boundaries. Wong explained that the real-world office location prevented lighting designers from using traditional overhead grid lighting or movable studio walls. “World light is good, I am not teasing other television stations, Korean dramas really like world light, but the director wanted more lighting changes and design,” Wong stated. Producers plan to introduce active settings such as a boxing ring or swimming pool in upcoming episodes to expand the visual scope.
Despite the production challenges, the creative team confirmed plans to film 50 episodes before taking a temporary production pause to evaluate scripts.