Every month, we’ll tell you about new 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.
Highlights
September is an exciting month to wake up to, with a smorgasbord of shows across different genres. HBO GO brings Philippines crime drama On The Job to screens, while its cable channel HBO sees a remake of a Swedish classic, Scenes From A Marriage. Money Heist returns for Part 5 on Netflix, and a reimagination of everyone’s favourite musclebound hero, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, is also on Netflix. iQiyi has Danger Zone to offer fans of crime dramas, and if you’re a Star Wars enthusiast, then you have got to catch Star Wars: Visions on Disney+.
Money Heist (Part 5 Volume 1) (3 Sep)
Netflix
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htqXL94Rza4
In Part 5 of Money Heist, the crew has been trapped in the Bank of Spain for more than four days and one of their own is in grave danger. As they struggle to escape, they learn that a deadly new enemy is coming — the army. Even if they survive this heist, they may not make it out unscathed.
It’s not that the gang in Money Heist hasn’t been in similarly dire straits (remember Season 2?), but this time they’ve got an entire army coming for them. Also, their benefactor, the Professor, is in a somewhat… precarious situation. We know they’ll escape, it’s just a matter of what they’ll have to sacrifice to do so. And that’s all part of the draw of the series, isn’t it?
Danger Zone (3 Sep)
iQiyi
After a series of unsolved homicide cases, the police have to co-operate with a prison inamte to find the true perpetrator behind the crimes. But an impending crisis looms, and if the city is to survive, both sides must put aside their differences and work together — or face the consequences.
Is that Christopher Lee that you saw in the trailer? That’s right, he’s in Danger Zone and appears to be a grizzled, veteran police officer who has to solve these murders. The action looks slick, if a little formulaic, and there appears to be a cat and mouse game going on as well. Nothing hooks viewers like a good crime story, and it seems like Danger Zone may be it for iQiyi.
On The Job (12 Sep)
HBO GO
This drama series from the Phillipines revolves around crime syndicates that temporarily release contracted prison inmates to carry out political assassinations for those in power. But as it turns out, those crime syndicates are run by politicians themselves. As law enforcers struggle to uncover the truth behind these assassinations, the ultimate winners may be the syndicates themselves. Inspired by true events.
On The Job sounds uncannily like a real-life, non-super-powered Suicide Squad, where criminals are released to perform off-the-books assignments. Of course, the difference is that the politicians are also syndicate leaders. It’s an intriguing premise and a look at crime dramas besides those in Hong Kong. And as the title implies, it may just be a job for everyone involved — nothing personal about it.
Scenes From A Marriage (13 Sep)
HBO
An adaption of the 1973 Swedish series of the same name, Scenes From A Marriage examines the marriage between confident, ambitious tech executive (Jessica Chastain) and a cerebral and accommodating philosophy professor (Oscar Isaac). As their marriage deteriorates, they discover that that it isn’t just one event that has caused it, but a culmination of their feelings over the years.
The original Swedish series was said to have influenced filmmakers like Ari Aster, Richard Linklater, and even Woody Allen, so I’m eagerly anticipating how this remake will top that. It was based on the personal experiences of writer-director with his own marriage and his parents’ marriage, which accounts for its authenticity and realism. This new series updates some of the context to match today’s context, but human nature hasn’t changed in all that time. Will this series be able to influence a new generation of filmmakers, like its predecessor did?
He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe (16 Sep)
Netflix
A new adaptation of the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe franchise, this 3D-animated series follows the adventures of He-Man and his group awkward friends as they seek to thwart Skeletor’s evil plans. Each hero is a “Master” in his or her own right, and together they will prevail.
Not to be confused with the more adult-oriented Masters of the Universe: Revelation series, this show seems targetted squarely at a younger audience. The character designs, unfortunately, don’t look quite as memorable. But they’re embracing the uncle-nephew relationship between Skeletor and He-Man in this series, so perhaps we might get some family drama out of it. However, seeing He-Man wear clothes will take some getting used to.
Star Wars: Visions (22 Sep)
Disney+
Star Wars: Visions is an anime anthology series by seven Japanese studios that marks the franchise’s first formal venture into this genre. This collection of anime short films will explore different corners of the Star Wars universe, from the Hutts to the Jedi, in a fresh but familiar form.
“A lightsaber is the stuff of children’s dreams” — with a quote like that from the animators, you know that they’re approaching the series with the same sense of awe and wonder as the fans have for Star Wars. The closest we’ve come to an anime series so far has been Tartakovsky’s Star Wars: Clone Wars series, but the art style is so distinctive that you either love it or hate it (I hate it). While the technological and military aspect might not be all that different when translated to anime, the lightsaber fights and more mystical elements of Star Wars will definitely be interesting to see through the lens of Japanese sensibilities.
TERRESTRIAL
Channel 5
Projek Lagu (7 Sep, Tuesdays 8.30pm)
The Cheaters App (7 Sep, Tuesdays 10pm)
Reka 2.0 (13 Sep, Mondays 8.30pm)
Channel 8
The Heartland Hero (1 Sep, Mondays to Fridays 7.30pm)
Suria
Dendam Cinta Arissa (1 Sep, Wednesdays 9.30pm)
Vasantham
Achamillai Manamae (27 Sep, Mondays 10pm)
CABLE
BBC Earth (StarHub Ch 407)
Where the Wild Men Are with Ben Fogle (Season 8) (6 Sep, Mondays 9.55pm)
Eden: Untamed Planet (17 Sep, Fridays 8.05pm)
Arctic Drift: A Year In The Ice (23 Sep, Fridays 9.55pm)
BBC First (StarHub Ch 502)
The Baptiste (Season 2) (24 Sep)
The North Water (11 Sep, Saturday 8am)
BBC Lifestyle (StarHub Ch 432)
Rick Stein’s Cornwall (6 Sep, Mondays 7.30pm)
Bake Off – The professionals Series (29 Sep, Wednesdays 7.30pm)
Boomerang (StarHub Ch 317; Singtel Ch 228)
Barbie: Big City reams (11 Sep, Saturday 6pm & 12 Sep, Sunday 8am)
Cartoon Network (StarHub Ch 316; Singtel Ch 226)
Summer Camp Island (11 Sep, Saturdays and Sundays 1.30pm)
CBeebies (StarHub Ch 303)
My World Kitchen (Season 4) (2 Sep, Mondays to Fridays 8.40pm)
Swashbuckle (Season 5) (20 Sep, Mondays to Fridays 8.15pm)
GardenTales (24 Sep, Mondays to Fridays 6.15pm)
HBO (StarHub Ch 601; Singtel Ch 420)
The Marksman (4 Sep, Saturdays 9pm)
Freaky (11 Sep, Saturdays 10pm)
Scenes From A Marriage (13 Sep, Mondays 9am and 10pm)
Let Him Go (25 Sep, Saturdays 9pm)
Oh!K (StarHub Ch 816; Singtel Ch 525)
The Veil (18 Sep, Saturdays and Sundays 7.50pm)
STREAMING
BBC Player
Inside No. 9 (1 Sep)
Disney+
Godfather of Harlem (Season 2B) (1 Sep)
Bless The Harts (Season 2) (1 Sep)
Reservation Dogs (1 Sep)
Dug Days (1 Sep)
That One Word: Feyenoord (1 Sep)
The D’Amelio Show (3 Sep)
Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter To Los Angeles (3 Sep)
Only Murders In The Building (7 Sep)
Doogie Kamealoha (8 Sep)
American Horror Story (Season 10) (15 Sep)
Primal Survivor (Season 5) (22 Sep)
Star Wars: Visions (22 Sep)
What We Do In The Shadows (Season 3) (29 Sep)
Disney Magic Bake Off (29 Sep)
HBO GO
We’re Here (1 Sep)
On the Job (12 Sep)
Doom Patrol (Season 3) (23 Sep)
The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo (Season 2) (30 Sep)
iQiyi
Danger Zone (3 Sep)
Lost (4 Sep)
High Class (7 Sep0
Yumi’s Cells (17 Sep)
Fall In Love With A Scientist (Release date TBA)
Forever and Ever (Release date TBA)
Hometown (Release date TBA)
My Heart (Release date TBA)
Out Of The Dream (Release date TBA)
Netflix
Turning Point: 9/11 And The War On Terror (1 Sep)
Money Heist (Part 5 Volume 1) (3 Sep)
Sharkdog (3 Sep)
Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission To Space (6 Sep)
Kid Cosmic (Season 2) (7 Sep)
Into the Night (Season 2) (8 Sep)
The Circle (Season 3) (8 Sep)
Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali (9 Sep)
The Women And The Murderer (9 Sep)
Kate (movie) (10 Sep)
Prey (movie) (10 Sep)
Schumacher (15 Sep)
Too Hot To Handle Latino (15 Sep)
He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe (16 Sep)
Ankahi Kahaniya (17 Sep)
Lil’ Wild (17 Sep)
Sex Education (Season 3) (17 Sep)
Squid Game (17 Sep)
Love On The Spectrum (Season 2) (21 Sep)
Intrusion (movie) (22 Sep)
Monsters Inside: The 24 Faces of Billy Milligan (22 Sep)
Bangkok Breaking (23 Sep)
Blood & Water (Season 2) (24 Sep)
Jailbirds New Orleans (24 Sep)
My Little Pony: A New Generation (24 Sep)
Ada Twist, Scientist (28 Sep)
The Chestnut Man (29 Sep)
Love 101 (Season 2) (30 Sep)
Baki Hanma (Release date TBA)
Viu
Hauendae (movie ) (3 Sep)
My Girlfriend Is An Agent (movie) (3 Sep)
Beautiful Vampire (movie) (3 Sep)
High Class (7 Sep)
The Oath Of Love (8 Sep)
Dr. Stone (15 Sep)
Dr Stone: Stone Wars (15 Sep)
Midnight (movie) (18 Sep)
One The Woman (18 Sep)
The Veil (18 Sep)
Dali and the Cocky Prince (23 Sep)
Hometown (23 Sep)
This article was written for and first published on Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore.
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I’m an independent scriptwriter who’s written for popular shows like 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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