Quality makes the world watch

With the actor playing the suspect, Ling Man-lung, Chan took a different, and what he describes as more "thrilling" approach. During filming breaks, he practiced exchanging intense eye contact with Ling as they ate take-away food, and rehearsed lines about the serial murders.

The show was something of a nostalgic opportunity to revisit Hong Kong in the 1990s, with street scenes filled with iconic neon signs and references to popular films of the time, such as the 1993 crime-horror film The Untold Story, which is mentioned as an important clue during an interrogation.

As someone who has experienced the rapid and profitable expansion of the film and television industry in the Chinese mainland over the past decade, Chan says each time he appears in a new project, he can see progress in both the technological and storytelling aspects.

When asked how a Chinese show might be able to better reach an overseas audience, he says that he believes a good production transcends national and regional boundaries.