Every month, we’ll tell you about new tv shows to hit terrestrial and cable channels, as well as streaming sites in Singapore. We’ll also highlight the television shows that you’ve got to be home (or on your phone) to catch every month.
Overview of new TV shows in February
Pop culture fans can rejoice (then again, are we ever not rejoicing in this time and age?) with the premieres of Jessica Jones (for Marvel fans) on Netflix and Krypton (for DC fans) on Warner TV. If you like Korean dramas, then Viu has four new ones — Queen of Mystery 2 among them — for you to while away your hours on. If you’re in the mood for something a little more offbeat, Killing Hasselhoff looks like an entertaining pick on Cinemax.
The Looming Tower (1 Mar)
Amazon Prime Video
Based on the Pulitzer Prize book, the controversial 10-episodic drama traces the rising threat of Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda in the late 1990s, and how the rivalry between the CIA and FBI may have inadvertently set the path for the tragedy of 9/11 and the war in Iraq. The series follows members of the I-49 Squad in New York and Alec Station in Washington, D.C., the counter-terrorism divisions of the FBI and CIA respectively, as they travel the world fighting for ownership of information while seemingly working towards the same goal – trying to prevent an imminent attack on U.S. soil.
Heavyweights Jeff Daniels and Alec Baldwin star in this dramatic series that show how 9/11 came to be as renewed interest in it continues (remember “12 Strong”?). Although most of us already know how the story ends (thanks to the benefit of hindsight), it makes for great drama to see Daniels and Baldwin go up against each other (or forge alliances, as the case may be). Hopefully, the drama comes from conflicting ideals rather than red tape and bureaucracy like in “Eye in the Sky”.
Queen of Mystery 2 (1 Mar)
Viu
Yoo Seol-Ok (Choi Gang-Hee) has thrown away her life as a housewife. She teams up with Detective Ha Wan-Seung (Kwon Sang-Woo) to solve mystery cases.
Although the description is unnecessarily dramatic, with a protagonist who has “thrown away her life as a housewife”, it’s intriguing that the drama has returned despite a fairly ordinary premise. The first series debuted last year, and viewers who’ve caught it will realise that Yoo Seol-Ok was no mere housewife — she’s a prosecutor’s wife. With this little bit more context, it’s more believable how this investigative drama has returned for a second season.
Jessica Jones (Season 2) (8 Mar)
Netflix
Jessica Jones is back as New York City’s tough-as-nails private investigator. Although this time, the case is even more personal than ever before. Fueled by a myriad of questions and lies, she will do whatever it takes to uncover the truth.
Jessica Jones is back! And apparently, so will Season 1’s villain Kilgrave (David Tennant). There’s just something refreshing about seeing the eponymous female character revelling in her powers and exhibiting a devil-may-care attitude. Will she fly more this season? Can the budget afford it? Will we see the limits of her powers? We’ll only know once Season 2 is out.
Krypton (22 Mar, Thursdays 9pm)
Warner TV (StarHub TV CH 515, and Singtel TV CH 306)
What if Superman never existed? Set two generations before the destruction of Superman’s home planet, KRYPTON follows Seg-El (Cameron Cuffe), the legendary Man of Steel’s grandfather, who is faced with a life and death conflict – save his home planet or let it be destroyed in order to restore the fate of his future grandson. With Krypton’s leadership in disarray and the House of El ostracized, Seg must balance the quest to redeem his family’s honor and protect the ones he loves while being challenged by familiar DC characters Brainiac (Blake Ritson) and Earthly time-traveler Adam Strange (Shaun Sipos).
“Krypton” is the Superman version of “Gotham” (a drama about detective Jim Gordon’s younger days), and it’ll be interesting to see just many characters the series will be able to name drop. Of course, we already know that Brainiac will be the villain of the series (or season 1 at least), so the question is whether the conflicting Kryptonians will be able to generate enough drama for a compelling series. It’ll be hard to physically introduce any of Superman’s other characters into the series, given that it takes place on Krypton… or will we be pleasantly surprised?
Killing Hasselhoff (movie) (30 Mar, Friday 10pm)
CINEMAX (StarHub TV Ch 611)
When a struggling nightclub owner fails to pay back a loan shark, he decides the only way to get the money is to kill his pick in an annual “Who Will Die This Year” celebrity death pool: David Hasselhoff.
This comedy film sounds like an absolute hoot, with Ken Jeong starring as the struggling nightclub owner. It’s definitely not high-brow comedy, but would you expect otherwise with Ken Jeong and David Hasselhoff? The premise is already enough to make you chuckle, and seeing the pair in such a ludicrous situation makes for a promising set of laughs.
Terrestrial
Suria
Pinggan Tak Retak, Nasi Tak Dingin (14 Mar, Wednesdays 7pm)
Cable
HBO (StarHub TV Ch 601)
Barry (26 Mar, Mondays 10.30am and 11.30pm)
CINEMAX (StarHub TV Ch 611)
Killing Hasselhoff (movie) (30 Mar, Friday 10pm)
Warner TV (StarHub TV CH 515, and Singtel TV CH 306)
Deception (12 Mar, Mondays 9pm)
Krypton (22 Mar, Thursdays 9pm)
Streaming
Queen of Mystery 2 (1 Mar)
My Husband, Mr Oh! (4 Mar)
The Great Tempter (13 Mar)
Hold Me Tight (22 Mar)
21 Thunder (1 Mar)
Ghost Wars (2 Mar)
Les affamés (movie) (9 Mar)
Guardians of the Tomb (movie) (2 Mar)
Borderliner (6 Mar)
Jessica Jones (Season 2) (8 Mar)
Love (Season 3) (9 Mar)
Collateral (9 Mar)
The Outsider (movie) (9 Mar)
Annihilation (movie) (12 Mar)
Benji (movie) (16 Mar)
Santa Clarita Diet (Season 2) (23 Mar)
Alexa & Katie (23 Mar)
Requiem (23 Mar)
Game Over, Man! (23 Mar)
Roxanne Roxanne (23 Mar)
A Series of Unfortunate Events (Season 2) (30 Mar)
The Looming Tower (1 Mar)
This article was written for and first published on Yahoo Singapore.
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I’m a Singapore television scriptwriter who’s written for Lion Mums, Crimewatch, Police & Thief, and Incredible Tales. I’m also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find me on social media as Optimarcus and on my site.
Send me an email if you want to get in touch!
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