Serangoon Road

As a Singaporean, coming across an English drama series that defines an era of change is hard to come by both in terms of depth and originality. My review may seem biased as i've only watched an episode (half an episode to be honest) but unlike those slapstick nonsensical series which have plague local airwaves with their superficial story lines and amateurish acting, this is something entirely different. It is a mind boggling piece of art that has long been overdue. I personally love its historical references of my home country and the appearances a local cast of actors makes it that little more intrinsic. The settings and environments bring a sense of nostalgia with props and costumes of that era. I would recommended it to anyone.

This series strongly reminds me of the Singapore I grew up in and it it great for setting and atmosphere. The stories are interesting and wide ranging which keeps the attention. The lead male is a kind of D'Arcy figure with 60s hippy flaws. Too many long languid looks to be snappy and sharp so loses a star for that alone. Very good acting from everyone and surprisingly addictive.

Where is Season 2 - it deserves it!

As is common these days, there are some ongoing stories that run through the whole series and only conclude in the last episode, but while this provides great continuity each episode also has an independent story which concludes during the episode. My recollection of Expat life in South East Asia at this time tells me this is very well represented, in terms of style, contrast with the local community, and attitudes of the time between the Brits and Americans, Chinese and Brits, Aussies and Brits, Police and population, etc. The lead male appears to speak the local languages well despite being Australian, so all credit to Don Hany for pulling that off!

I was looking forward to this series as I was living in Singapore round about the time the series was set. Not only that, I was living quite close to Serangoon Road so (ike reviewer 'pgmucha') I viewed the series with a hopeful sense of nostalgia. Why is the series called Serangoon Road? It is nothing like it. In reality it was/is a straight, wide street not a narrow winding lane, as depicted. One reviewer stated that it is 'not a documentary' but they should have tried to get the backdrop right at least. This was not the Serangoon Road I remember. The average temperature in Singapore is 25C with 70% humidity. However, our hero runs around and fights – but never raises a sweat . Just walking around in a climate where it is hot and humid all the time, has one dripping with sweat. People walked in the shade, not in the sun. Where are the Indians? Quite close to Serangoon Road is Little India but I could not see any Indians wandering about in this series. Geographical locations have been telescoped it seems. Bugis St is not just round the corner but a kilometer away. (I lived in a rooming house on the same floor as 4 of the 'boys' from Bugis St). Chinatown is at least 3 kilometers away. The acting is not Emmy (or even Logie) material. Joan Chen tries her best to be inscrutable. Her young female sidekick has a somewhat incongruous Oxbridge accent. The hero is suitably heroic, designer stubble and all. Does he ever change his shirt? His romantic interest however, is insipid and the epitome of 'wooden' - hardly the stuff of a a passionate love affair. The other characters are two dimensional at best. The bad guys are very bad. I don't think that in 1964 phrases such as 'pissed me off'and 'forensic accounting' were used. Overall, it was a very average production that barely held my interest A pity that it was not better researched. Yes, I know 'it was not a documentary' but it WAS a 'Hollywood generic' scenario aimed at viewers who have no idea what Singapore was/is like.

I don't tend to watch a lot of Asian cinema or TV but Serangoon Road may change that. I am finding the show really enjoyable. Perhaps the characters and story lines are a little stereotypical but the writing is strong, the atmosphere emotive and Don Hany and Joan Chen are never less than brilliant. I am captivated week in and week out with the story so far. I hadn't actually noticed any difficulty with sound as mentioned by other reviewers - although as I have been overseas for a few weeks I have watched the majority of the episodes on line (wearing earphones) so perhaps that had a bearing. The fashion and hairstyles of the era have been an interesting side issue for me ... as a Gen X I can barely remember how truly awful some of the fabrics were back on those days but Serangoon Road has definitely remained on the side of authenticity as the clothing looks really uncomfortable!

I think 'vapid' was a bit harsh; it's a little messy and yes, a bit predictable, but I like it! What I do NOT like is the fact I can't hear half the dialogue for the blasted background noise! It might be really clever, and well thought-out, but if it were more important than the actual actors' speech, you may as well call it 'foreground noise' and tell us all to turn on the subtitles. It's extremely annoying -please adjust the levels, and I'll continue to watch. Thank-you. Addendum, following an online message from you: 1) I've said what I wanted to say -why should it be a minimum of ten lines?! 2) Please don't tell me how to spell -I AM an Englishman, writing CORRECTLY IN English, and that is how the word 'dialogue' IS spelt! If you've set your stupid system to that thing which is ridiculously called 'American English', just because some cretin decided that he would change the future spelling of MY native language, which had been richly composed of words from many cultures, over several hundred years, then that's your stupid choice. And now it's well over ten lines, I'm pretty annoyed, and will probably not be able to watch your show in future without becoming annoyed again, so thanks for that, too!