MediaCorp channel 5 is getting bigger, bolder and better, first by rolling out a few of the many to come locally-produced productions.
To celebrate 'Localicious' (made-in-Singapore content), a celebratory event was held at Nanyang Polytechnic on Tuesday where some of the cast members from the various shows gave an introduction on what to expect from the productions.
Spouse For House
Premieres 11 February - Tuesdays 8pm
“After Under One Roof, after Phua Chu Kang, this is the family to watch out for this millennium” is what actress-entrepreneur Irene Ang describes the upcoming Channel 5 sitcom ‘Spouse For House’.
Starring TVB actress Selena Li, Alaric Tay, Irene Ang, Richard Low, Desmond Tan and Rebecca Spykerman, Spouse For House is a comedy about a couple (Li & Tay) and their whirlwind romance that led to a HDB BTO flat-application within three months of their first date.
To perfect his lines, Low would do a script-read with his daughter a day before shoot to ensure he gets the tone and voice of his character right. “I will read (the script) over and over again. Sometimes I will also use the internet to listen to its pronunciation”, he continued.
It’s the first time Li is acting in an English drama and calls it ‘a joy coming to set’. To the former Miss Hong Kong contestant who plays Jessica, a control freak and wife to John played by Alaric Tay, she says that ‘communication, common understanding and having fun’ are key to a good relationship.
Stay tuned to our interview with Selena Li as she talks about playing Jessica, filming in Singapore for the first time and TVB!
Code Of Law Mondays 8pm
Back for the 2nd season, Code Of Law sees criminal lawyers Jacob Fernandez (Keagan Kang), Sabrina Wong (Joanne Peh) and Sanjay Deveraj (Mathialagan), together with police investigators - Insp Han (Sunny Pang), Ssgt Razali (Fauzie Laily) and DSP Soh (Sharon Ismail) back with more exciting cases and new character developments.
Fauzie Laily who plays Ssgt Razali Hamzah said that the second season will have more fight sequences and even action. “The show even starts with a fight scene,” he quipped.
Wok StarsWednesdays 8pm
The first nationwide reality TV cooking competition, Wok Stars sees 16 aspiring hawkers as they battle it out to be Singapore’s next hawker star and win $30 000 and a one year rent-free stall.
Renowned chefs Alvin Leung and Willin Low will be mentors and judges for the aspiring cooks. Besides the delicious dishes that Chef Low will be looking out for from these contestants, he said ‘passionate’ and ‘someone who is consistently good’ is what he hopes to see from them as well.
It’s all about finding the next hawker star from this show. Cafe owner Sean took part in this competition to create a new platform to redefine hawker food. “Through the show and process, I want to learn more about what it takes to be a hawker in general,” he added.
Zero Calling
Premieres 16 February - Sundays 10pm
The day when social media/location-based sharing backfires on us might well be the premise of what Zero Calling is. David (Pierre Png) is coerced by a mysterious caller, Zero, to do his bidding by ‘righting wrongs’ in our society and he cannot back out from it.
Female cast Cynthia Koh and Hayley Woo were representatives, described the show as ‘edgy, dark and sexy’. “This is the first time Channel 5 is doing a 10pm slot on Sunday. You will see more violence, suspense, thriller and more sexiness”, Koh added.
Woo admitted that she actively uses social media platforms to share information with her fans and followers but will make it a point not to share her location. Posts like ‘#throwback’ and ‘#latergram' (Instagram about the past) are some ‘hacks’ the ladies agree that do come in useful!
Rules of ThamTuesdays 8.30pm
What happens when four University undergrads, each with different personalities live together in a HDB flat as part of a social experiment? Starring Kimberly Chia, Joakim Gomez, Tan Shou Chen, Erin Lim and Edwin Goh, Rules Of Tham airs every Tuesday, 8.30pm.
All four main cast members were present at the media conference and when asked if they felt that Singaporean youths are PMET (Pampered, Mediocre, Expensive, Timid), Tan said: “I think there are some Singaporeans who are PMET, but definitely not all.”
I asked the cast to substitute P.M.E.T to acronyms of how they would describe our youths in Singapore and they came out with “P.T.D.I” - Passionate, Talented, Driven, Independent! Do you agree?
