Line #70 Series/TigerCubs


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tc_poster_1438.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:Guess which Hong Kong actor has actual police experience? [[note]]Actor Joe Ma (Front left) was an ex-Royal Hong Kong Police officer who last served with the Special Branch's G4 unit (now the VIPPU) before he joined showbiz.[[/note]]]]
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4	''Tiger Cubs'' (飛虎, which literally means Flying Tigers in Chinese) is a Hong Kong [=TV=] series produced and created by [=TVB=]. A police procedural show that centers on the Hong Kong Police Force's elite anti-crime/terrorist unit called the Special Duties Unit (an alternative title given by TVB) alongside "The One", the title being rarely used in Hong Kong media), it first aired in 2012, with a second season in 2014.
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6	In Cantonese, it's officially called [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Flying Tigers]][[note]]Justified since it's the colloquial nickname of the unit by the Hong Kong public[[/note]] or Special Duties Unit as well. The show centers on the SDU's officers and personnel as they are deployed throughout the [=SAR=] to battle against armed criminals and terrorists, as well as being called in to support their fellow officers when their expertise or manpower is needed when firearms are involved. The SDU frequently works alongside detectives of the HKPF's Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) in most of their cases. It also shows the lives of these officers in and out of work as they try to balance their personal and professional lives, despite their position in the force.
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8	The first season, with 13 episodes, has finished airing on [=TVB=] with good ratings and a [=DVD=] release in Hong Kong and in the United States. Actor Joe Ma sang the opening theme of the first season called 身邊的依據 or "Surrounding Basis". For the second season, he sang 血與汗 or "Blood and Sweat" as its opening theme.
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10	A second season has already aired in Hong Kong with a total of 10 episodes. While the majority of the cast reprises their roles in the second season, lead actress Jessica Hsuan could not return for her role as [=OCTB=] Senior Inspector Chong Chuk-wah.
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12	Outside of Hong Kong, the show has officially been broadcasted in [=TV=] stations in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and in the United States. It's also known to be one of the most expensive dramas to ever be produced, with a total budget allocated by TVB at HKD$15 million, with HKD$1 million budgeted for each episode shot in Hong Kong.
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14	The Hong Kong Police Force, like in all Hong Kong-produced movies and [=TV=] shows involving the force (except for those produced from overseas, like Christopher Nolan's Film/TheDarkKnight), has cooperated with [=TVB=] by providing the needed training and equipment in order to help the actors portray themselves in the show as actual SDU officers in the HKPF.
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16	Although the series ended after 2 seasons, its spiritual successors include Flying Tiger (飛虎之潛行極戰, lit. trans. "Flying Tigers: Stealth Battle") (2018), and Flying Tiger 2 (飛虎之雷霆極戰, lit. trans. "Flying Tigers: Thunder Battle") (2020),
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18	----
19	!This series contains examples of:
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22	* AbsenceOfEvidence: In "Army Obsession", the [=OCTB=] has a hard time finding airgun [=BBs=] that were used to kill off [[spoiler:several persons charged in court with several crimes before they were released to the streets. This leads to the conclusion that the suspects had taken the time to remove them from the ground and from the corpses to ensure that they would not be implicated.]]
23	* ActionGirl: In season 1, Madam Chong in almost every episode, and So Man-keung to a lesser extent due to her role as a technical support officer. In season 2, CIB constable Chung Wai-yan takes part in a lot of operations.
24	* AddledAddict: The grandson and taxi driver in "Cracking the Drug Den", who gets high on cocaine.
25	* AssholeVictim: All of the Fuerdais involved in "The 2G Kidnapping Case". They're rich, bossy, won't listen to instructions from the host and the police to protect them from getting kidnapped to the point of just wanting to get away from the police and act like nothing's happening. But that changes when they're taken hostage.
26	* BigBrotherInstinct: The normally reserved Madam Chong shows concern for Cheuk-yuen when he's sent to observe a possible drug facility in "Cracking the Drug Den", enough that Hon-to accuses her of assuming that he's doing it to get back at Cheuk-yuen, to which she doesn't answer.
27	* BilingualDialogue: English and Cantonese for obvious reasons. In "The 2G Kidnapping Case", the Malaysian-Chinese nationals speak English and Cantonese, which is correct since Malaysia has a Chinese population and some parts of it do speak Cantonese as a regional language in Malaysia.
28	* BrandX: ''Skylette Airlines'' in "True & False Drug Dealers", possibly for Cathay Pacific.
29	* BoomHeadshot: Happens to the armed suspects when the [=SDU=] deploys snipers in an operation.
30	* TheBusCameBack: [[spoiler: Tin-yu and his wife]] return in the final episode of season 1.
31	* TheCavalry: Also as a BigDamnHeroes moment. In "Cracking the Drug Den", the SDU team come in just in time to kill the drug dealers as the OCTB officers are cornered and injured.
32	* CharacterDevelopment:
33	** In "The Cop Who Stole a Gun", Hok-lai nudges Cheuk-yuen to check in on him after they get word that [[spoiler:his sister Madam Chong]] is pursued by their target, indicating their relationship has become much friendlier after Hok-lai's initial hostility.
34	* CharacterTic: Cheuk-yuen's wink.
35	* CoolBigSis: Madam Chong/Cheuk-wah to Cheuk-yuen.
36	* CopKiller:
37	** Tin-yu brutally slices open the throat of a new recruit on his first foot patrol in "King of Thieves".
38	** In "The 2G Kidnapping Case", armed men kidnapping Fuerdais shot and killed Tsui Kin Hong while doing close protection duties with the [=SDU=].
39	** Senior Inspector Chin Hon-to has to calm his subordinates in the [=SDU=] when To Tin-yu and his girlfriend, Yiu Mei-ling, killed [[spoiler:Yau Chun Hin]] in "King of Thieves Returns" for ruining the latter's face. Inspector Chin reminds his men that if they [[VigilanteMan acts as vigilantes]] and [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope go after them by themselves instead of using the law]], then they'll be [[HeWhoFightsMonsters nothing more than just a bunch of rogue cops acting outside the law]].
40	* DefrostingIceQueen: Madam Chong is a very cool, reserved Senior Inspector. Hon-To defrosts her with a few bumps along the way. In season 2, Chung Wai-yan is also slowly defrosted by Hon-To.
41	* DieHardOnAnX: On a cruise ship in the 1st season finale episode "The King of Thieves Returns".
42	* DirtyCop: The [=HKPF=] thinks that Lam Shek-yung in "The Cop Who Stole a Gun" is one since he stole a revolver from the armory. However, he claims that Senior Inspector Chong Chuk-wah is responsible for ruining his career and destroying his marriage, as well as getting drunk, which is why he was "forced" to steal the gun.
43	* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: [[spoiler: Hok-lai]] is drugged and implied to be sexually assaulted by a Fuerdai, but the whole situation is treated as comedy.
44	* DrugsAreBad: Typical of TVB shows featuring drug use.
45	* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: Justified since the show is centered mainly on the [=HKPF=]'s [=SDU=].
46	* FaceYourFears: Man-keung manages to get over her fear of heights after a childhood accident in "I Want To Be A Cop" by jumping off the fourth story of the SDU building onto a landing airbag together with Hok-lai.
47	* FakeRelationship: Cheuk-yuen and Man-keung pretend to date to deter Wai-wai from pursuing the former. [[spoiler:It doesn't work.]]
48	* FatherToHisMen: Hon-to is this to his team, tough love included.
49	* FieryRedhead: A dyed redhead, but Chung Wai-yan can be pretty fiery nonetheless.
50	* FriendlySniper: Chuk-yuen is one of the friendliest characters, and is noted to be have good relationships with his team and caring with newcomers to the SDU.
51	* [[FunWithAcronyms/RealLife Fun With Acronyms]]: The [=SDU=] means Special Duties Unit and the [=OCTB=] means the Organised Crime and Triad Bureau.
52	* GoodGunsBadGuns: The [=SDU=] are armed with Western-made weapons like Glock 17s, [=HK=] [=MP5=] and [=KAC=] [=SR-25=]s while the bad guys are armed with [=AK=]-based rifles and [=IWI=] Uzis. The former is justified since the force was created and trained by British police officers stationed in Hong Kong when it used to be a British overseas territory.
53	* GoodHairEvilHair: Any time a character sports unnatural hair colours, they're a villain character. Cliche but understandable given cultural context that people with dyed hair are sketchy or "MK" (standing for Mong Kok, a district in Hong Kong known for triad associations).
54	** Subverted with the episodes "Army Obsession" since the wargamer vigilantes are armed with several airgun versions of the [=AR-15=]. [[spoiler:That is, until they were somehow able to acquire real gun parts covertly and change their weapons to actual firearms.]]
55	* GratuitousEnglish: The official [=DVD=] English subtitles sometimes fall into this.
56	* HandicappedBadass: The all-female team in "Disability Grant" in season 2 features a mute woman, a blind woman, and a woman in a wheelchair, who all manage to hold their own against the SDU team.
57	* HostageSituation: One of the few situations where the [=SDU=] gets deployed by the police.
58	* HumanShield: A tactic armed suspects usually do when they're in a corner.
59	* InSeriesNickname: Besides the usual Cantonese diminutive of "Ah-X" for example Ah-lai for Yu Hok-lai, many characters have other nicknames, especially within the SDU team.
60	** Also see: OnlyKnownByTheirNickname
61	* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: Averted, a majority of the bad guys managed to shoot well that a few [=SDU=] operators and [=OCTB=] detectives either get killed or are wounded in the course of the show's broadcast.
62	* JustLikeRobinHood: In "Disability Grant", four women with various disabilities steal from morally-grey companies in order to donate to organisations in need.
63	* KansasCityShuffle: The jewel thieves in "Here Comes the King of Thieves" leave evidence that they were staking out a location for a supposed armored car heist. The [=SDU=] and [=OCTB=] mobilized to stop it, [[spoiler:only for them to find out that the thieves faked the supposed plan in order to rob a small expo where jewels were being showcased.]]
64	* [[KilledOffForReal/LiveActionTV Killed off for Real]]: A few [=SDU=] operators are killed during several of its operations with one of them killed after being kidnapped aside from armed criminals, which reflects TruthInTelevision about the dangers of being an elite anti-crime/terrorist officer.
65	* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Sometimes the [=SDU=] uses this whenever they are forced to engage in close quarters. Luckily, they use a pistol with them to ensure that they aren't helpless.
66	* MotiveRant: A few suspects do this when they're cornered. Some are a bit justified, while others are just plain crazy.
67	* MundaneUtility: In "Uncovering Drugs Den", Alpha Team uses surveillance cameras to determine if [[spoiler: Wai-wai is in a relationship with Chuk-yuen]] or not.
68	* OhCrap: Whenever the suspect uses grenades/surprise attacks against the [=SDU=], which sometimes goes to ThisIsGonnaSuck.
69	* PresentDay: The show begins in the year 2011.
70	* RealMenCook: Chuk-yuen cooked, cleaned, and took care of his sister after the death of her fiancé, and continues to do so. He also stress cooks after he's [[spoiler:denied the job promotion]] in "Cracking the Drug Den".
71	* RealLifeWritesThePlot: There was initially a bus hijacking case in the final episode, but it was scrapped after producers decided it resembled the 2010 Manila Hostage Crisis.
72	* RomanticWingman: Cheuk-yuen is this for Hon-to. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, this doesn't work out as planned.]]
73	* RunningGag: Chong Cheuk-yuen tries to get away from Ting Wai-wai's romantic advances and his plot to mend the fence between her and his superior, Chin Ho-to.
74	* SaveTheVillain: Happens a few times in season 1.
75	* ShirtlessScene: Occasional but brief occurrences in the SDU locker room. Notable occurrences in "Disability Grant".
76	* SheIsNotMyGirlfriend: Standard TVB trope. Chuk-yuen says this during Wai-wai's romantic advances in season 1, and is [[spoiler: evidently proven wrong]] by season 2. Hok-lai has taken on this role in season 2 when asked about his friendliness to Man-keung.
77	* ShootTheHostageTaker: This sometimes happens when the [=SDU=] has a clear shot on the bad guy in a hostage siege and with permission from their commanders.
78	* ShownTheirWork: The tactics, uniforms and equipment are accurately shown since the Hong Kong Police Force has assisted the actors in their training to act like real [=SDU=] officers.
79	** The mannerism of the officers in the show, such as the salute and addressing their superiors as "X sir" or "Madam Y", are also accurate since this is how the [=HKPF=] operates, which is from the British colonial legacy in the police force from when Hong Kong was a British overseas territory.
80	** Using Cantonese and English for obvious reasons. Same goes for Guangdong-based people since they speak Cantonese as another major language in the province aside from Mandarin, because they are geographically near Hong Kong.
81	** The portrayal of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuerdai Fuerdai in the show]] from "The 2G Kidnapping Case", although one of them is clearly said to be Japanese. [[HandWave But one can excuse this since the Japanese national may have a Cantonese-speaking mother]] aside from her Japanese father.
82	** "Army Obsession" shows off Hong Kong law where it's mandated that an airgun that fires [=BBs=] from more than 2 Joules is illegal for sale/production/use in a wargame. The law currently states that 2 Joules and below is the standard.
83	* SlippingAMickey: A fuerdai spikes the champagne that she pressures Hok-lai to drink, making him more pliant.
84	* SmartPeopleWearGlasses: Kary, a psychiatrist, and her engineer boyfriend both wear glasses.
85	* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Man-keung is the only female member of Alpha Team.
86	* SpoilerOpening: Watching the opening and ending credits can shed some lights on what could happen next via scene previews in the next/future episode.
87	* SuicideAttack: To Tin-yu in "Here Comes the King of Thieves" forces one of his hostages to don a makeshift suicide vest with a timer and a mobile phone he uses as detonator. Thankfully, the [=SDU=] doesn't shoot the hostage and Tin-yu shoves the hostage out of the getaway vehicle.
88	* TakingTheBullet: A non-romantic example, [[spoiler: Ben takes a bullet for Madam Chong]] in "Young Criminal",
89	* TheLostLenore: Madam Chong's fiancé who died in an explosion while picking up their rings. His death is the driving motivation for her workaholic, distant tendencies.
90	* TheMafia: It's a police procedural set in Hong Kong, so of course there are mentions of the local triad organisations.
91	* TitleDrop: The title is mentioned several times in each episode.
92	* TrainingFromHell: Getting to the [=SDU=] is no easy feat. Training ranges from unarmed combat, proficiency in small arms and on-foot navigation while relying on maps and compasses. It also includes physical feats while in the rain and shooting confidence by shooting at paper target next to the head of your colleagues.
93	* TrickedIntoSigning: Fuk-chai, a neurodivergent man is tricked into signing away his land in "I Want To Be A Cop", an important plot point in the episode as his grandmother has no right to owning indigenous land due to her sex.
94	* UrbanWarfare: A given since Hong Kong is a city where most of the population live in urban areas, and that the [=SDU=]'s combat tactics are meant to engage armed criminals and terrorists in the [=SAR=]. However, they are also trained to engaged hostiles in the rural parts of Hong Kong as well.

Context Series / TigerCubs