Forensic Heroes IV (法證先鋒IV) has already gotten much publicity long before it was scheduled to be aired. This is because they had to replace Jacqueline Wong with another actress and re-shoot her scenes due to her affair with Andy Hui. So, this is a drama that has been on people’s radar for quite some time. Moreover, this series has always managed to obtain pretty good response from viewers in the past. Does the fourth installment live up to its billing then? Check out my Forensic Heroes IV review below to find out more.
My rating: 5.5/10
Episodes: 30
Type: Crime
Aired: February 2020
Images Credit: TVB
* Amazon affiliate link
The Main Cast Of Forensic Heroes IV
Raymond Wong Ho Yin as Ko On
Ko On is the head of the Forensic Science Division. He leads his team to collect crime scene evidence and then analyse and test them. The results are then forwarded to the police to assist in their investigations. Ko On is a very calm and rational guy. He is in a long term relationship with Monique. He also has a sister, Ko Sin, who was abducted when she was 6 years old and has not been found. Ko On has never given up looking for her ever since.
Selena Li Sze Wa as Dr. Man Ka Hei
Dr. Man is a forensic pathologist. She is an independent and capable lady. Her good friend is Queen. She is brought up by Chau Che and treats her like her own mother. Dr. Man also has an elder sister who has died 11 years earlier.
Shaun Tam Chun Yin as King Sir / Kwok Fai Wong
King Sir is a senior inspector in charge of serious crimes. Ko On is his good friend and martial arts sparring partner. He has a sister, Pik Che, who runs a dessert shop. He feels responsible for her as her husband had died years earlier while chasing waves with him during a typhoon.
Rebecca Zhu San Lai as Ko Ching
Ko Ching is Ko On’s youngest sister. She is also a sergeant and King Sir is her superior at work. She enjoys a very close relationship with her brother and often fusses over his lack of affectionate display towards Monique. Ko Ching also misses her abducted sister and longs for her return.
Alice Chan Wai as Queen
Queen is a senior scientific evidence officer and Ko On’s subordinate. She is independent and capable. Queen has a long term boyfriend, Louis, and they have a very loving relationship. She also has a close friend, Elaine, who is her ex-classmate.
Roxanne Tong Lok Man as Tsui Yi / Chris
Tsui Yi is an investigative news reporter. She is gutsy and not afraid to take risks to get a story. Tsui Yi also has an interest in Ko Sin’s abduction case. She lives in King Sir’s apartment as his sub-tenant.
Supporting Cast
Fred Cheng Chun Wang as Cham Ting
Cham Ting is a scientific evidence officer under Ko On. He is also King Sir’s sub-tenant.
Yumiko Cheng Hei Yee as Monique
Monique is a wine specialist who travels often for work. She is in a stable relationship with Ko On and they have been together for 5 years. Her dream is to work for a renowned wine expert, James Parker.
Timothy Cheng Tse Sing as Louis
Louis is a dentist and Queen’s boyfriend. He is a loving partner who dotes on Queen and wants to marry her.
Hoi Chun Kit as Stan
Stan is a voice analyst and forensic phonetician. He was Dr. Man’s late sister’s boyfriend and has been abroad for a long time before returning to Hong Kong for work.
Susan Tse Suet Sum as Chau Che
Chau Che used to be a maid in Dr. Man’s family. She brought her up and they enjoy a close bond. Dr. Man regards Chau Che as family.
Akina Hong Wah as Elaine
Elaine is Queen’s good friend and ex-classmate. They go back a long way. Elaine always look up to Queen as she is confident and successful. As Queen is always busy with work, Elaine would willingly help her friend with little chores.
Kelly Cheung Hei Man as Emma
Emma is an air stewardess who is on holiday in Hong Kong. She is from the US and is in Hong Kong to visit her adopted brother. They share a close bond although they are not related by blood. Emma has lost all her memories of her childhood up to the age of 6.
Jonathan Cheung Wing Hong as Michael Ma
Michael is a popular foodie YouTuber. He is from San Francisco, US and is in Hong Kong for work. His parents adopted Emma when they were kids. He loves his adopted sister very much.
Synopsis
Ko On and his forensic team are often called on to collect crime scene evidence for analysis and testing. They work together with King Sir and his investigation team members to help solve crimes and murders. Another important figure is Dr. Man who is a forensic pathologist. She will go through the dead bodies to find out their cause of death and collect whatever samples that may have been embedded. These will then be passed on to Ko On’s division for testing.
Hence, the members of these 3 separate departments will cooperate closely as they try their best to find out the truth and arrest the guilty. In the meantime, Ko On is still looking for his abducted sister even though 23 years have passed. For some reason, Tsui Yi is also interested in the case. Although all of them are always busy solving crimes, they also have their own private lives to lead and relationship issues to handle.
Forensic Heroes IV Ending (Spoilers Alert!)
In the end, Ko On manages to find his long lost sister through Tsui Yi’s contacts. His sister turns out to be Emma, a flight stewardess. Emma has been adopted by Michael’s family in the US and has grown up there. Tsui Yi has a deep interest in the case because she had a hand in luring Emma away during the abduction. The abductors were her uncle and aunt who had made use of her for their evil deeds. Tsui Yi has been feeling guilty ever since then and has been looking around for news on Emma. She only knows that Emma has been sold off then.
When Emma reunites with Ko On and Ko Ching, Michael becomes extremely jealous. He feels that his position as Emma’s most beloved brother is under threat. Michael wants Emma to follow him back to the US. When Emma refuses, he abducts her. In the end, he dies after falling off a building during a fight with Ko On who has come by to rescue Emma. If you want a detailed story, you can check out my Forensic Heroes IV episode summary.
Last Episode
In the final scenes of the last episode, King Sir and Queen are getting married. They are seen having pre-wedding preparations. Cham Ting is after Ko Ching. Dr. Man and Stan get back together as a couple. Ko On wishes Monique well as she will leave to take up a job offer to work for James Parker. Tsui Yi is interested in Ko On and he reciprocates. They become a couple.
It all seems like a happy ending until the last scene. A few clowns are found murdered again. All the characters are shown arriving at the crime scene. A link to Emma is thrown in with her snapshots appearing. The producers have left room at the very end for the next installment as usual.
Forensic Heroes IV Review – A Disappointment
Forensic Heroes IV starts off well. The first few cases are interesting enough. But halfway through, it just goes down hill for me. For dramas like this, you need really interesting cases to keep chasing after each episode. There must be some level of suspense as you try to guess the actual killer. But nope, Forensic Heroes IV fails on that score. Some of the cases are just too predictable.
On top of that, the screenwriters seemed to have gotten lazy as the drama progresses. The number of guilty parties having mental disturbance is just too many. I can understand if a character with mental illness is present in one case. But 3 characters exhibiting some sort of mental problems in a 30-episode drama is just an overkill to me. The romance is also another big letdown. There is no necessity to force everyone to end up with someone for a big happy ending. It is simply impossible to have good story development in such a short drama if you need to divide the screen time among so many couples.
Casting And Acting
I find no nice surprises in the acting department. Everyone seemed to be just going through the motions that no one stands out on screen to make me take notice. If I really have to pick one among the main cast, I would choose Selena Li’s performance as Dr. Man as the most watchable. At least, there are notable changes to her facial expressions and body language to suit different scenes in a convincing manner.
Personally, I also prefer someone else to play Ko On as Raymond Wong just seems too wooden for the role. I know Ko On is supposed to be a very rational man but his portrayal is just not up to the mark with little facial expressions and other unique characteristics to make the character stands out. Raymond Wong just doesn’t have the aura needed to give Ko On a commanding on-screen presence which is befitting of his role as a confident and smart senior chemist.
Perhaps they have made Ko On to be too perfect as a character. He is always calm and rational as well as selfless. He can just walk away from a relationship without a tinge of anger. Sometimes, a too perfect character is hardly interesting to watch. This brings to mind a recent mainland drama that I have binged on, Perfect Partner. Although it is not a crime drama, it does have some investigative elements. The main character is also a smart and capable man but suffers from anxiety disorder. That certainly gives the character more depth unlike Ko On who seems so one-dimensional.
My Verdict – Same Old, Same Old
After 4 installments, Forensic Heroes IV really should have changed tack and give viewers something different rather than recycling past successes. TVB did it with Big White Duel which was refreshing to watch and they should have done the same for this drama. There is a lot of potential for this series and crime dramas have always been TVB’s forte. But they do need to supplement that with fresh ideas and better casting.
For this Forensic Heroes IV review, I can only give it a bare pass at 5.5/10. There is nothing new compared to the last 3 installments which is why you can give it a skip. The cases lack suspense and excitement especially for the second half of the drama while the romance seems forced with little story development. I don’t even know why they bother with the romance at all for some of the couples except to force a happy ending on the viewers. There is also little character development as the drama progresses.
If you really like watching TVB crime dramas, I think The Man Who Kills Troubles would be a much better option. Even Flying Tiger II would give you some excitement with actions throughout. So, just save your time and give Forensic Heroes IV a miss, unless you are a diehard fan of any of the main cast.
* Amazon affiliate link
Leave a Reply