HKTV's political drama The Election wins the youth vote

Hong Kong's first publicly elected chief executive is killed on the night of the poll; a candidate for the top job is caught having extramarital affairs; the leader of a pro-Beijing party tries to manipulate his way to victory despite being turned away by forces from north of the border.

The plots sound familiar but this political reality exists only in HKTV drama The Election, which is already wining the hearts of critics and young viewers. The series premiere was uploaded on Wednesday when the internet television station was launched and has been hailed for delivering an alternative to the output of major free-to-air player TVB, often criticised for staid dramas.

Critics said the drama, which touches on the dark side of politics, is a breakthrough after a decade of lacklustre television.

"Although political shows are common in American and Japanese TV, politics has been a taboo in Hong Kong's television entertainment," said Saville Chan, producer of award-winning film The Way We Dance. "The show's subject matter itself is already a breakthrough. And the fact it is set in Hong Kong creates a lot of room for imagination."

The Election charts the chief executive race in 2022. One of the candidates is the leader of the patriotic party and Legislative Council chairman Sung Man-shan, played by Liu Kai-chi. He was promised by forces above Hong Kong that he would be made chief executive, but the promise was never delivered as a seemingly weaker candidate was elected, despite being caught cheating on his wife. Sung then plots to turn the situation around to realise his ambition.

On the other hand, Yip Ching (Angelica Lee Sinje), widow of the chief executive who died in a car crash on the night he was elected in 2017, decides to run after she finds out her husband's death was not what it seemed.