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 series takes its name from the eponymous road in Singapore's Little India area. The 10-part series is a collaboration between ABC and HBO Asia and was filmed largely in Singapore. It was created by Paul D. Barron and directed by Peter Andrikidis and Tony Tilse.
The final episode of the series aired on 29 November 2013. Though the series received encouraging ratings, HBO has no plans for a second season.
Plot
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.
Cast 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 as Sir Philip Tuckworth Ella Scott Lynch as Angelica Warnock Clarence Ryan as Young Robbo
Episodes
Production Because 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.“HBO Asia period miniseries Serangoon Road films on location in Singapore,” The Location Guide [website], Sept 19, 2013. Accessed June 5, 2024. The actual Serangoon Road, a major artery that became a predominantly Indian district,“Serangoon Road,” Singapore Infopedia [website], National Library Board of Singapore. Accessed June 5, 2024. does not figure in the series apart from the title.
International broadcasts Country/Region Network Premiere date Ref. GBC TV 25 March 2014 Sony Channel 9 April 2014 Max Prime 30 June 2014 France Ô 30 August 2014
References
External links Serangoon Road – HBO