Joe Ma’s “Stranger Anniversary” Premieres to Weak Ratings

Starring Joe Ma (馬德鐘), Alice Chan (陳煒), Roxanne Tong (湯洛雯), Winki Lai (賴慰玲), Tsui Wing (徐榮), and Matthew Ho (何廣沛), TVB drama Stranger Anniversary <雙生陌生人> opens with dismal viewership ratings of 13.5 percent and was watched by nearly 880,000 viewers. Due to the disappointing numbers, Stranger Anniversary is TVB’s lowest rated drama this year occupying the non-prime time slot.

The drama revolves around strangers who look exactly the same but have very different life experiences. When law firm partner Ko Sau Shin (Joe) is matched on a doppelganger website with freelancer Mo Kei Nam (Joe), they agree to swap identity for two weeks and get entangled in various complications.

The recent episode focuses on the shenanigans of swapping identities. Ko Sau Shin reconnects with his old flame Chin Fung (Roxanne) and he skips out on his wedding anniversary with his wife (Alice) to spend time with Ching Fung. To make this work, Mo Kei Nam steps in to replace Ko Sau Shin’s absence.

Meanwhile Ko Sau Shin’s cousin Otis (Mathew) begins to suspect that Ko Sau Shin and Mo Kei Nam have an agreement together. However, Otis does not wish to go against his cousin and is in on the duo’s secret.

While Joe is being challenged to play two different roles, Mathew is being noticed for showing a wide range of emotions that compliments his witty character. Although Mathew was criticized in the past for his acting and vocal tone, Mathew has been making steady improvement after appearing in variety program Dub of War <好聲好戲>.

Sranger Anniversary is not the only TVB drama this week with low and declining ratings. Barrack O’karma 2<金宵大廈2> aired its finale with a viewership rating of 15.6 percent down from its high of 18.6 percent, while Story of Zom-B <食腦喪B> saw its viewership rating decreased from last week’s 16.6 percent to this week’s 15.8 percent.

Source: Mingpao