Tiger Cubs

Tiger Cubs (; literally "flying tigers"), alternatively titled Special Duties Unit, is a Hong Kong police procedural television series produced by Lam Chi-wah and TVB. It stars Joe Ma, Jessica Hsuan, Him Law, Oscar Leung, Vincent Wong, Mandy Wong, Benjamin Yuen and William Chak as casts of the first installment. It premiered on Sunday, 24 June 2012 on Jade and HD Jade, and was the first TVB drama to broadcast in the Sunday night time slot since 1995's File of Justice. Tiger Cubs was one of six TVB dramas that were promoted at the 2011 Hong Kong Internal Film and TV Market. Tiger Cubs debuted its trailer at TVB's Programme Presentation 2012 event on 1 November 2011. The drama was renewed for a sequel in early 2013 for ten episodes. Tiger Cubs II premiered on 19 October 2014. Premise The drama follows a fictional team of elite paramilitary officers from the Special Duties Unit of the Hong Kong police force. They specialise in counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, and crimes that are deemed too dangerous for regular police to handle. The unit works closely with the Organised Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) to crack down on terrorist groups. Production Written by Lee Yee-wah, Tiger Cubs began pre-production with the backing of the Hong Kong Police Force, which supported the drama with their newest SDU equipment. With a budget of over HK$15 million, each episode took HK$1 million to make, three times more expensive than an average TVB drama production. On 3 January 2011, it was announced that Joe Ma, a former VIPPU officer, and Jessica Hsuan had been cast in the lead roles. On 5 January, a press conference and costume fitting was held at TVB City, Tseung Kwan O. Filming commenced on 20 January and ended in April, taking four months to complete. To keep up with the demanding and flexible physical requirements of the drama, most of the main cast members consistently underwent special training between filming schedules. Him Law, who portrays SDU A-Team officer Yue Hok-lai, reported that he lost about 10 pounds after filming the first episode. On 10 February, guest star Ngo Ka-nin injured his right knee while filming a fight sequence with Dan Jun-wai, who injured his head. A TVB spokesperson later announced that they were both fine. Earlier, Savio Tsang, who portrays SDU A-Team sub leader Yip Shu-fai, was injured in the face by a plastic bullet, and Christine Kuo injured her head from a telephone booth.