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 I personally love its historical references of my home country and the appearances a local cast of actors makes it that little more intrinsic.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!

Not a lot of action and I don't expect a lot of Americans to flock to it but I find it captivating. Maybe if you lived there in the '60s like another poster claimed it's not authentic but I didn't live there and I quite enjoy show.

I absolutely loved it. Couldn't get enough of it. Great cast and crew. Great collaboration efforts by Singapore and Australia. Great choice of cast. Don Hany did so well and I'm now his fan. I wish Russell Wong was featured more. He's a great actor and will watch more of him. Authentic settings and enjoyed the Aussie presence. Well done ABC!!! Don't worry about the ratings. The average Aussies aren't discerning. I hope they bring out another series. I think all the Aussie actors did extremely well in keeping the authenticity of the settings. Nice work too with bringing the honorable Joan Chen into the cast. Hany mastered the local languages and the culture very well indeed and looked very comfortable working with the Asian actors/actresses. He is indeed a very versatile actor. Please bring on more. I can't understand why ABC thinks this is a flop because it is so not!

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.