Can't Buy Me Love (TV series)

Can't Buy Me Love (Chinese: 公主嫁到) is a 2010 Hong Kong television series. It is a grand production by TVB and starred Moses Chan, Charmaine Sheh, Linda Chung, Susanna Kwan and Raymond Wong Ho-yin as the main leads, with Kenneth Ma, Fala Chen, Lee Heung Kam, Sharon Chan and Louis Yuen as the major supporting cast.

Can't Buy Me Love
公主嫁到
GenreCostume drama
Period drama
StarringMoses Chan
Charmaine Sheh
Linda Chung
Susanna Kwan
Raymond Wong Ho-yin
Kenneth Ma
Fala Chen
Lee Heung Kam
Sharon Chan
Louis Yuen
Edwin Siu
Selena Li
Opening themeMan Chin Chung Ngoi (萬千寵愛) by Susanna Kwan
Country of originHong Kong
Original languagesCantonese, Mandarin, Thai, Vietnamese, English, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malaysia, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil
No. of episodes31 (Hong Kong)
32 (Overseas) (list of episodes)
Production
ProducerMui Siu-ching
Running time45 minutes per episode
Production companyTVB Jade
Release
Picture format576i (SDTV)
1080i (HDTV)
Original release23 August (2010-08-23) 
3 October 2010 (2010-10-03)
Chronology
Preceded byBeauty Knows No Pain
Followed byEvery Move You Make
External links
Website
Can't Buy Me Love
Traditional Chinese公主嫁到
Literal meaning"The Princess Comes in Marriage"

The television series was released in Hong Kong on TVB Jade network on 23 August 2010, in the third-line time slot (starting at around 21:30 in UTC+8), airing between Monday-Friday every night at this hour.

Like many TVB series, especially comedies, the name of the series is a pun. "公主嫁到" means "The princess has hereby married", while its homonym "公主駕到" is the formal way of announcing the arrival of a princess.

Synopsis

Set during the Tang dynasty of China, Can't Buy Me Love tells the story of the Third Princess, Princess Chiu Yeung (Charmaine Sheh), of the Tang Emperor (Samuel Kwok), who is beautiful but very unreasonable, and, as such, no one wants to marry her.

The Kam family is the largest gold manufacturer in the grand capital Chang'an, but because they are deceived, the business runs into troubles. The second son of the Kam family Kam Tuo Luk (Moses Chan) has to marry the Third Princess to save the family business, because then they will have the right to manufacture gold pieces for the Tang Palace, the Third Princess only agreeing to the marriage because otherwise she would be married off to the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo, as schemed by the evil Concubine Wei (Kara Hui).

The Princess brings many servants to the Kam family after marrying Kam Tuo Luk, and constantly comes into conflict with the members of the Kam family (Lee Heung Kam, Susanna Kwan, Louis Yuen, Raymond Wong Ho-yin). The Princess brings Szeto Ngan Ping (Fala Chen), with her to the Kam family, who has been awarded "Best Servant" by the Concubine Dowager Chui (Susan Tse) and later became wife of Ding Yau Wai (Kenneth Ma).

The Princess originally decides to leave the house, but when she misunderstands that the Kam family speaks negatively of her, she stubbornly stays. Later, she and Kam Tuo Luk fall in love. When the Kam family is convicted of a capital offence, she divorces Kam Tuo Luk to secretly save the Kam family.

Development

After the huge success of Beyond the Realm of Conscience, the filming of a similarly set costume drama comedy was announced. Can't Buy Me Love was featured in the TVB 2010 sales presentation clip, which was released shortly after the TVB Awards Presentation, and became a highly anticipated drama of 2010 in Hong Kong.

The drama became popularly compared to Beyond the Realm of Conscience due to its extremely similar lavish costumes and sets, cast members, and close time period (both set during the Tang dynasty of China). They were also compared to since Can't Buy Me Love also had links with the Tang imperial palace, though it had far more scenes out of the palace. It has also been widely and popularly named the indirect sequel (although it should really be a prequel, due to it being set during Taizong's reign) to the other drama, despite their entirely different genres (Can't Buy Me Love being a romance/comedy, while Beyond the Realm of Conscience being a historical palace epic). The two series share the same producer, Mui Siu Ching.

To capture the grandeur of the Tang dynasty, custom-made elaborate costumes and sets were created for the series, resembling those of Beyond the Realm of Conscience in a comical way. Elaborate costumes have been made for grand series produced by TVB in the past, especially costume dramas such as War and Beauty, The Charm Beneath and others. Costumes highly resembling those of the latter include those of the members of the Imperial Household Bureau and personal maids. Other costumes also greatly reminded the audience. A costume fitting was held on 17 December 2009 at 12:30 pm in Hong Kong, in front of the Shaolin Temple in TVB City's Ancient Street, Tseung Kwan O, with most of the cast members attending.

Especially grand was Charmaine Sheh's wedding ceremony headgear. A blessing ceremony was held for Can't Buy Me Love on 26 February 2010. The heavy headwear proved to be difficult for the cast; it resulted in injuries and discomforts for the members of the cast during filming. Television Broadcasts Limited created much hype prior to the release of the series, having numerous news on the progress of the series' filming published on TVB Weekly magazine and letting out news on the filming progress.

The filming completed in April 2010. Three official trailers were released near the date of release, the first making a parody out of Beyond the Realm of Conscience. Malaysia's Astro on Demand channel also showed previews of the drama. Because of the drama's high ratings during the early episodes (the series reportedly managed to gain a peak of 36 points in its first few episodes; a celebration event was promised if the drama reached over 30 points in viewership ratings during its first week of broadcast), a celebration party was scheduled.

However, because of the hostage-taking incident in The Philippines, the celebration event was cancelled, due to the tragedy, the Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority received complaints for a comedy being aired at a tragic time.

Format

The television series is a romantic comedy costume drama, featuring lavish costumes and sets intended to capture the luxury and grandeur of the Tang dynasty, and makes parodies out of other Hong Kong television shows, including dramas and varieties. The show regularly utilizes numerous original poems throughout the series for comedic effect, the poems being a hybrid between classical Chinese compositions and modern rap in terms of both structure and word choice. This dialogue further cemented the series as one of the most memorable and popular TVB series of its era.

The drama is set to have 32 episodes, with a definitive beginning and ending to the story. Each episode is 45 minutes long. This drama format is hugely popular throughout East Asia and also in Southeast Asia. The bickering is a major part of the comedic aspect of the drama. Apart from this romantic plot, the series also focuses on a plot where the protagonists' lives are under threat from the villains, and therefore part of the plot has focus on scheming in the palace. Dramas involving scheming people in the palace (especially those within the imperial harem, such as imperial concubines) have long been in existence in TVB dramas, especially after the hit 2004 TVB series War and Beauty.

The series, apart from the main couple, Charmaine Sheh and Moses Chan, also has the romantic plots of two main supporting couples, Linda Chung and Raymond Wong Ho-yin, Fala Chen and Kenneth Ma.

Historical trivia

  • None of the princesses featured in the drama are historically recorded princesses, though their names are loosely based on popular characters given to imperial princesses. The princesses in the drama are named, in descending age or ranking, Princess Yonghe the Eldest (Sharon Chan), Princess Qingyun (Tracy Ip), Princess Zhaoyang (Charmaine Sheh), Princess Qinping (Yoyo Chen), Princess Qinhui (Charmaine Li) and Princess Dexin (Linda Chung), none of whom are historically recorded imperial princesses.
  • It is revealed that the fictional Princess Yonghe's (Sharon Chan) mother was Empress Zhangsun, who is revered as one of the most benevolent empresses of Chinese history. Empress Zhangsun made notable contributions to peasantry and labour, and even towards Chinese technology despite her elevated status as an Empress during her lifetime.
  • The Emperor featured in the series is Emperor Taizong of Tang, the second Emperor of the Tang dynasty. Princess Zhaoyang (Charmaine Sheh) explicitly admires her father. Emperor Taizong, while still only a duke's son, assisted his father, then the Duke of Tang, to overthrow the brief Sui dynasty, thus establishing the Tang Dynasty and paving the road for one of China's golden ages.
  • The series reveals (fictionally) a reason for Princess Wencheng's famed political marriage to Songtsen Gampo of the Tibetan Empire. Princess Wencheng was probably not an imperial princess but a niece or maid of Emperor Taizong's or the Imperial Household's, who was married to Songtsen Gampo, forging an alliance between the Tang Empire and the Tibetan Empire. Princess Wencheng would later help to develop technology and more civilised and idealistic standards of living in Tuoba, which was then regarded by the Chinese as an almost barbaric empire.
  • The series mentions (and probably exaggerates) gender equality during the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty was in fact a period of a Chinese history in which women were fairly liberated, with records of outspoken courtesans and women of prominent families playing the Persian sport of polo with gentry men. The first instance of feminism in the Tang Dynasty was established very early on, when the daughter of the Tang's founding father Emperor Gaozu, Princess Pingyang, made large military contributions and in fact led military forces to help overthrow the Sui and establish the Tang.
  • Emperor Taizong was the first husband of the young Wu Zetian, who would later become a favourite of Emperor Gaozong's, then his Empress consort, a regent power and eventually an Empress regnant in her own right, interrupting the Tang Dynasty's early stages with the Later Zhou. Wu Zetian would rule as the only historically recorded female imperial monarch of Chinese history, and she would even further contribute to gender equality in the Tang after Princess Pingyang. Her efforts would include the installing Shangguan Wan'er as a political and literary scholar.
  • The series references trade with foreign empires. China at the time was by far the world's largest economy, and many foreign empires and states paid homage to China and traded with China. Trade with the West flourished for China under the Tang. China also imported aspects of foreign culture. Chang'an, the Tang capital, was a cosmopolitan area boasting a huge population. Christianity reached China for the first time around the time setting of the series. Buddhism was imported during the Northern and Southern Dynasties from India and its presence was solidified under the Tang. Chinese hanfu also made major alterations, adopting some of the court styles of the Persian Empire. Sports, philosophies and consumer goods were all imported, as well as exported.

Parody cast and main characters

  • Ikkyu-san as Princess Chiu Yeung (昭阳公主)
  • Tsubame as Kam Duo Lok (金多禄)
  • Adinda as Kam Duo Sao (金多寿)
  • Goku as Ding Loi Hei (丁来喜)
  • Paruh as Ng Sze Tak (吴四德)

Main cast

Note: Some of the characters' names are in Cantonese romanisation.
CastRoleDescription
Moses ChanKam Duo Lok
金多祿
Second son of Kam family
Kam Tai Fu Yan's grandson
Ding Loi Hei's stepson
Princess Chiu Yeung's husband.
Also has a daughter in episode 32
Charmaine ShehPrincess Chiu Yeung
昭陽公主
Third Princess of Tang Palace
Kam Tuo Luk's wife
Was framed for being an impostor by Concubine Wei and becomes a civilian in Episode 23
Had a daughter in Episode 32
Linda ChungNg Sze Tak
吳四德
Kam family's maid, then housekeeper
Becomes "3rd Princess" in Episode 23, after Concubine Wei frames Chiu Yeung as an impostor
Princess Chiu Yeung's adoptive sister in Episode 28
Kam Duo Sao's wife in Episode 32
Susanna KwanDing Loi Hei
丁來喜
Boss of Kam Kam Ho Gold Shop
Kam Tai Fu Yan's daughter-in-law
Kam Tuo Fuk and Kam Tuo Luk's stepmother
Kam Tuo Sao's mother
Yuen Siu Yuk and Princess Chiu Yeung's stepmother-in-law
Ng Sze Tak's mother-in-law
Ding Choi Wong's cousin and enemy/rival later became friends
her father is Ding Loi Hei's Father, her mother is Ding Loi Hei's Mother
Raymond Wong Ho-yinKam Duo Sao
金多壽
Third son of Kam family
Kam Tai Fu Yan's grandson
Ding Loi Hei's son
Ng Sze Tak's husband in Episode 32

Recurring cast

Note: Some of the characters' names are in Cantonese romanisation.
CastRoleDescription
Kenneth MaDing Yau Wai
丁有維
Lo Tou-yun and Fong Hak-lan's son
Szeto Ngan Ping's husband in Episode 32
Fala ChenSzeto Ngan Ping
司徒銀屏
Third Princess's servant and friend as well as body guard
Concubine Dowager Cui awards her "No. 1 Servant"
Ding Yau Wai's wife in Episode 32
Lee Heung-kamKam Tai Fu Yan
金太夫人
Ding Loi Hei's mother-in-law
Kam Tuo Fuk, Kam Tuo Luk, Kam Tuo Sao's grandmother
Suffered from Alzheimer's disease later and cured due to religion
Sharon ChanPrincess Wing Ho
永河公主
First Princess
Chiu Wan's wife
Daughter of Emperor Taizong of Tang and Empress Zhangsun
Enemy of Princess Chiu Yeung
Depreciated to a commoner, expelled from the Palace, and went mentally unstable in Episode 15
Was mentioned to be mending her ways later
(Villain)
Louis YuenKam Duo Fok
金多福
Eldest son of Kam family
Kam Tai Fu Yan's grandson
Ding Loi Hei's stepson
Yuen Siu Yuk's husband and have five children while his wife is pregnant with another
Edwin SiuChiu Wan
趙弘
Princess Wing Ho's abused husband
Leave the Palace to live with Princess Wing Ho in Episode 15
Selena LiYuen Siu Yuk
阮小玉
Kam Tuo Fuk's wife
Have four daughters and a son while pregnant with another
Samuel KwokEmperor Taizong of Tang
唐太宗
Princesses Yonghe, Qingyun, Chiu Yeung, Chuanping, Chunhui's father
Deshan's adoptive father
Concubine Wei and Concubine Xuan's husband
Susan TseConcubine Dowager Cui
崔太妃
Emperor Gaozu of Tang's concubine
Kara HuiConcubine Wei
韋貴妃
Emperor Taizong of Tang's concubine
Enemy of Princess Chiu Yeung and Kam family
Committed suicide (by stabbing a sharp headpiece into her chest) in Episode 28
(Main Villain)
Griselda YeungConcubine Xun
孫貴妃
Emperor Taizong of Tang's concubine
Tracy IpPrincess Qingyun
清雲公主
Second Princess
Hung Che-gong's wife
Enemy of Princess Chiu Yeung later friends
(Semi-villain)
Matthew KoHung Che-gong
孔志恭
Princess Qingyun's husband
Yoyo ChenPrincess Chuanping
川平公主
Fourth Princess
Cheng Po Wife
Enemy of Princess Chiu Yeung later friends
(Semi-villain)
Eric LiCheng Po
鄭浦
Princess Chuanping's husband
Charmaine LiPrincess Jinhuai
晉懷公主
Fifth Princess
Tai Dak Leung Wife but divorced in Episode 28
Enemy of Princess Chiu Yeung later friends
(Semi-villain)
Jonathan CheungTai Dak Leung
泰德亮
Princess Chuanhuai's husband, but divorced because he can't stand her attitude in Episode 28
Joseph Lee (李國麟)Ding Choi Wong
丁財旺
Boss of Ding Fung Ho Gold Shop
Ding Loi Hei's cousin and enemy
Mai Yan Che's husband
Ding Yau Wai's adopted father
Mary HonMai Yan Che
米仁慈
Ding Choi Wong's wife
Ding Yau Wai's adopted mother
Ram Chiang (蔣志光)Lo Tou-yun
羅道遠
Turkic peoples
Fong Hak-lan's husband
Ding Yau-wai's father
Yu-Man Kit's subordinate
Determined to overthrow Tang Dynasty with Yu-Man Kit
Killed and sacrificed himself to protect his recently found son when fighting with Wong Mang in Episode 32
(Main villain)
Meini Cheung (張美妮)Fong Hak-lan
方克蘭
Lo Tou-yun's wife
Ding Yau Wai's mother
Deceased
Vincent WongYu-Man kit
宇文傑
A disguised philanthropist, actually a Turkic prince
Lo Tuo-yun and Wong Mang's supervisor
Determined to overthrow Tang Dynasty with Lo Tou-yun and Wong Mang
Committed suicide when his plans failed and caught by Tang army in Episode 32
( Main villain)
Tai Chi-wai (戴志偉)Wong Mang
王猛
A Turkic General
Yu-Man Kit's subordinate
Determined to overthrow Tang Dynasty with Yu-Man Kit
Killed when fighting with Lo Tou-yun in Episode 32
(Villain)
Yu Tsz-ming (余子明)Uncle Wing
榮叔
Kam Kam Ho's ex-shop manager, then Ding Fung Ho's ex-shop manager
Threatened Kam Kam Ho to pay for his gambling debts
Fired by Kam Kam Ho and Ding Fung Ho successively
(Villain)
Tsui WingUncle Po
寶叔
Ding Fung Ho's shop manager
Plot with gangsters to kidnapped Mai Yan Che, but killed by gangsters in Episode 16
(Villain)
Elaine YiuCho Kiu
楚 翹
A prostitute
Kam Tuo Luk's dream woman
Bribed by Princess Wing Ho to seduce Kam Duo Luk and separate him and Chiu Yeong
Lily LiAunt Mei
媚 姨
A brothel's operator
Bribed by Princess Wing Ho to assist Cho Kiu to seduce Kam Duo Luk
Deno Cheung (張松枝)Boss Mak
麥老闆
Boss of Mak Lee Ho, another gold store
Incriminated Kam Kam Ho to sell fake gold
(Villain)
Au Sui-wai (歐瑞偉)Wong Ka-tung
王家棟
An assassin
Ordered by Concubine Wai to determine to kill Princess Chiu Yeung
Killed by poisoning by Concubine Wai in Episode 23
(Villain)
Rosanne Lui (呂珊)Chui Sim
徐嬋
Proclaimed to be Ding Choi-wong's cousin
Stole Lo Tou-yun's son (i.e. Ding Yau-wai) and sold him to Ding Choi-wong
Killed by Lo Tou-yun in Episode 26
(Villain)
Li Hung-kit (李鴻杰)Buk Yat Buk
卜一卜
A fortune-teller
Kam Tuo-luk's friend
Promoted to court astronomer for being very accurate in his predictions in Episode 31
Stephen HuynhLuk Tung-chan
祿東贊
A Tibetan ambassador
Tam Bing-man (譚炳文)Uncle Lam Tin
林天叔
A former gang leader
Fung So Bor (馮素波)Grandmother of Princess Chiu Yeung
Deceased
Chuk Man-kwanMother of Ding Loi Hei
Incriminated by Ding Choi Wong
Deceased

International broadcast

RegionNetworkNotes
 MalaysiaTV2 & 8TVDubbed in Mandrian (Mandarin Dubbed and Malay subtitles on TV2)
 USACartoon Network and Disney ChannelDubbed in English
 IndiaHungama TV and Pogo TVDubbed in Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil
 SingaporeVV DramaDubbed in Mandrian
 IndonesiaRCTIDubbed in Bahasa Indonesia
Mediacorp Channel 8Dubbed in Mandrian
 MalaysiaAstro PrimaDubbed in Bahasa Malaysia

Accolades

42nd Ming Pao Anniversary Awards 2010

NomineesAccoladesResults
Charmaine ShehMy Most Supportive PerformanceWon
Moses ChanOutstanding Actor in TelevisionWon
Charmaine ShehOutstanding Actress in TelevisionWon
Outstanding ProgrammeNominated

TVB Anniversary Awards (2010)

NomineesAccoladesResults
Best DramaWon
Moses ChanBest ActorTop 5
Charmaine ShehBest ActressTop 5
Louis YuenBest Supporting ActorTop 15
Susanna KwanBest Supporting ActressTop 5
Moses ChanMy Favourite Male CharacterTop 5
Louis YuenTop 15
Charmaine ShehMy Favourite Female CharacterWon
Linda ChungTop 5
Fala ChenTop 15
Susanna KwanTop 15
Lee Heung KamTop 15
Raymond WongMost Improved ActorWon
Selena LiMost Improved ActressNominated

16th Asian Television Awards 2011

NomineesAccoladesResults
Charmaine ShehBest Actress in a Leading RoleWon
Best Drama SerialNominated

Viewership ratings

Week Episodes Average Points Peaking Points References
1
23–27 August 2010
1 – 5
33
37
[1]
2
30 August – 3 September 2010
6 – 10
33
35
[2]
3
6–10 September 2010
11 – 15
33
35
[3]
4
13–16 September 2010
16 – 19
33
[4]
5
20–24 September 2010
20 – 24
32
36
[5]
6
27 September – 1 October 2010
25 – 29
35
37
[6][7]
2 October 2010
30
34
36
[6][7]
3 October 2010
31 – 32
42
45
[6][7]

References

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