Imported Japanese detective dramas had a profound influence on Hong Kong television in the early 1970s, as their success led to the creation of very similar domestic efforts in the genre. In the 1974 series Wandering Night, in episode 4 the murder victim is played by Yi Li Cheung, but later, in episode 12, they introduce Cheri Lo playing a character who is supposed to be the sister of the aforementioned murder victim. In real life, Cheri Lo was not Yi Li Cheung's sister, but was her husband's sister and thus sister-in-law.
What are other examples of Japanese-influenced Hong Kong modern crime dramas (excluding crime dramedies!) from the 1970s in which the onscreen blood relative of a deceased character is played by a non-blood relative of the original actor? I am specifically looking for series with direct influence from late 60s/early 70s Japanese private detective adventure shows--programs in which the protagonist starts out as a policeman but is fired/suspended/etc. by higher-ups in the first episode and must become a private detective are okay, but any cases in which the protagonist continues to work with the police, voluntarily becomes a PI, or is reinstated as an officer are to be excluded.

That's odd, because just today I was trying to think of blatant cash-grab Tornados instrumental singles recorded after Joe Meek's suicide other than 1974's "Telstar" / "Red Rocket"; I'm stumped, but I think there has to be something else in that category. Can anyone else think of any examples?

I laughed, I admit it, but I'm honestly not sure quite where this falls on the "affectionate ribbing/being gratuitously nasty to newbies" spectrum.

I saw the thread title, and then who was the thread starter, and wondered what the heck was up with that. I then read the first post and started laughing (as much as I can since I can't talk right now).

Meant as the former, assuredly.

*Ahem*




(takes run up)

As a heterosexual male, why should I care?

(totally punks the dismount)

Well let's make sure Mabuse knows that. S/He's at least starting topics that come under our raison d'etre.

I'd argue HK genre films and TV fall well under our raison d'etre, but to step back from the brink and reframe the initial question in a less absurdly specific light, let's talk movies and shows that can't get an original actor back for a second time, so they recast the actor, make him/her pretty much exactly the same character, but then explain away the difference as "it's his brother" (or sister, or descendant, or a faulty clone, etc.) or something. The one that really comes to mind is Battle for the Planet of the Apes, with the character MacDonald, who, for all intents and purposes, is exactly the same as the MacDonald from Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. But since it's Austin Stoker playing him instead of Hari Rhodes, the preternaturally exposition-laden leader of the Mutants makes sure to note that he's just the brother of the other MacDonald.

My favorite example is the Walking Tall films, where Joe Don Baker is beaten so badly he turns into Bo Swenson.

Ha, indeed. If only Heath Ledger had lived to film the "shovel scene" so that the same thing could have happened for The Dark Knight...

This may be closely parallel, but not exact:

On the TV show "Due South," when they lost funding and then came back after they got another source, they replaced the character of Ray Vecchio, but at first, they had the replacement character going around pretending to be Ray Vecchio, and everybody except Fraser going along with it. Turns out they explained that the original Ray Vecchio was deep undercover in the mob, and the replacement guy was there to take his place so the Mob wouldn't suspect he was gone. Not PRECISELY what you were looking at, I know, but... all I got.