Serangoon Road is an Australian-Singaporean drama television series that premiered on 22 September 2013 on ABC and HBO Asia. It is a detective noir drama set in Singapore in the mid-1960s. The 10-part series is a collaboration between ABC and HBO Asia and was filmed largely in Singapore.[1] It was created by Paul D. Barron and directed by Peter Andrikidis and Tony Tilse.[2]
| Serangoon Road | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Period drama Film noir |
| Created by | Paul D. Barron |
| Written by | Michaeley O'Brien Christopher D Hawkshaw Tony Morphett |
| Directed by | Peter Andrikidis Tony Tilse |
| Starring | Don Hany Joan Chen Alaric Tay Michael Dorman Pamelyn Chee et al. |
| Theme music composer | Cezary Skubiszewski Jan Skubiszewski |
| Country of origin | Australia Singapore |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Carole Sklan Greeg Simpkin Sue Masters Erika North Saralo MacGregor Mike Wiluan Michael O'Donnell |
| Producers | Paul Barron Nick North |
| Production locations | Singapore. Batam, Indonesia |
| Running time | 55 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC HBO Asia RED by HBO |
| Release | 22 September – 29 November 2013 |
The final episode of the series aired on 29 November 2013.[3] Though the series received encouraging ratings, HBO has no plans for a second season.[4]
Plot
editThis article needs an improved plot summary. (September 2013) |
The series is set in Singapore during the mid-1960s, a tumultuous time in the island's history. The island state is at a crossroads as it is about to break away from the newly created federation of Malaysia and become an independent country. The British colonial rulers are gradually pulling out of the country, while racial and political tensions are running high and the ensuing riots are threatening national security. Communist insurgency movements are active in neighbouring countries and trying to push into Singapore.
The protagonist Sam Callaghan is an Australian living in Singapore. As a child, he was interned in Changi Prison by the occupying Japanese and later joined the military, serving in Malaya. He now runs an import/export business with his partner Kang. Sam agrees to help neighbour Patricia Cheng at her detective agency after her husband is killed while working on a case.[5]
Cast
edit- Don Hany as Sam Callaghan
- Joan Chen as Patricia Cheng, runs the Cheng Detective Agency after the death of her husband.
- Michael Dorman as Conrad Harrison, young American CIA agent.
- Maeve Dermody as Claire Simpson, married to Frank, and having an affair with Sam.
- Rachael Blake as Lady Tuckworth
- Ario Bayu as Inspector Amran
- Tony Martin as Macca, Australian journalist.
- Nicholas Bell as Maxwell Black
- Jeremy Lindsay Taylor as Frank Simpson, expat businessman, Claire's husband.
- P.J. Lane
- Pamelyn Chee as Su Ling
- Chin Han as Kay Song
- Alaric Tay as Kang
- Cleave Williams as Nate Crosby
- Shane Briant as Major Miller
- Valentine Payen as Young Sam's Mother
- Edmund Chen as James Lim
- Russell Wong as Winston Cheng
- Christian Matthew Wong as Xiao Qiang
- Bernard Tan as Chan Li / Zhang Heng
- Ernie Dingo as Robbo
- Geoff Morrell
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | Peter Andrikidis | Michaeley O'Brien | 22 September 2013 |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | Peter Andrikidis | Michaeley O'Brien | 29 September 2013 |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | Peter Andrikidis | Christopher D Hawkshaw | 6 October 2013 |
| 4 | "Episode 4" | Peter Andrikidis | Tony Morphett | 13 October 2013 |
| 5 | "Episode 5" | Peter Andrikidis | Michaeley O'Brien | 20 October 2013 |
| 6 | "Episode 6" | Tony Tilse | Margaret Wilson | 1 November 2013 |
| 7 | "Episode 7" | Tony Tilse | Justin Monjo | 8 November 2013 |
| 8 | "Episode 8" | Tony Tilse | Kym Goldsworthy & Timothy Lee | 15 November 2013 |
| 9 | "Episode 9" | Tony Tilse | Michaeley O'Brien | 22 November 2013 |
| 10 | "Episode 10" | Tony Tilse | Michaeley O'Brien | 29 November 2013 |
Production
editBecause little remains of 1960s Singapore, the series was largely filmed on the soundstages of Singapore's Infinite Studios, in the ‘Chinatown’ streetscape on its backlot, and rural locations on the nearby island of Batam (Indonesia). Location shooting was done at the Raffles Hotel and other expatriate locations, and the merchant shop houses of Joo Chat Road heritage area.[6] The actual Serangoon Road, a major artery that became a predominantly Indian district,[7] does not figure in the series apart from the title.
International broadcasts
edit| Country/Region | Network | Premiere date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
 Gibraltar
|
GBC TV | 25 March 2014 | |
 United Kingdom
|
Sony Channel | 9 April 2014 | |
 Brazil
|
Max Prime | 30 June 2014 | |
 France
|
France Ô | 30 August 2014 | [8] |
References
edit- ^ "TV series fostering cultural ties with Singapore and Indonesia | Ministers' Media Centre". Archived from the original on 11 September 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "ABC drama co-production with HBO Asia". TV Tonight. 7 September 2012. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
- ^ "Serangoon Road". ABC iview.
- ^ "HBO Asia's Serangoon Road starring Joan Chen and Chin Han up for Australian awards". Archived from the original on 23 January 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- ^ "Airdate: Serangoon Road". TV Tonight. 30 August 2013. Archived from the original on 25 September 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
- ^ “HBO Asia period miniseries Serangoon Road films on location in Singapore,” The Location Guide [website], Sept 19, 2013. Accessed June 5, 2024.
- ^ [1]“Serangoon Road,” Singapore Infopedia [website], National Library Board of Singapore. Accessed June 5, 2024.
- ^ "Serangoon Road : avez-vous déjà vu une série australo-singapourienne ?". Le Figaro (in French). 11 August 2014. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
External links
edit- Serangoon Road – HBO
- Serangoon Road at IMDb