Serangoon Road 

Serangoon Road is a detective noir series set against the tumultuous backdrop of 1960s Singapore.

Creator:

Paul D. Barron

Stars:

Don Hany, Joan Chen, Maeve Dermody

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Don Hany	...	Sam Callaghan 10 episodes, 2013
Joan Chen	...	Patricia Cheng 10 episodes, 2013
Maeve Dermody	...	Claire Simpson 10 episodes, 2013
Alaric	...	Kang 10 episodes, 2013
Michael Dorman	...	Conrad Harrison 10 episodes, 2013
Pamelyn Chee	...	Su Ling 10 episodes, 2013
Zhang Wei	...	Uncle Weng 10 episodes, 2013
Ario Bayu	...	Inspector Amran 9 episodes, 2013
Rachael Blake	...	Lady Tuckworth 9 episodes, 2013
Tony Martin	...	Bruce 'Macca' MacDonald 8 episodes, 2013
Jeremy Lindsay Taylor	...	Frank Simpson 7 episodes, 2013
Wendy Toh	...	Joo Ee 7 episodes, 2013
Shane Briant	...	Major Lawrence Miller 7 episodes, 2013
Aizuddiin Nasser	...	Tommy 7 episodes, 2013
Chin Han	...	Kay Song 6 episodes, 2013
Beatrice Chien	...	Kok Tao Aunty 6 episodes, 2013
Ted Maynard	...	Wild Bill 5 episodes, 2013

Storyline

It's 1964. The world is changing, the global balance of power is shifting and Singapore is at a crossroads. The colonial rule of the British has finally come to an end and independence is on the horizon. It's an exciting time where the island state can finally forge its own identity. The heartbeat of the nation stems from one main artery that runs through the island. Whether it is culture or crime, politics or patriotism, espionage or enterprise, all paths lead to Serangoon Road. This is the world of Sam Callaghan, Kang, Patricia Cheng and the clients of the Cheng Detective Agency. Sam Callaghan agrees to help Patricia Cheng after her husband is killed while working on a case. Patricia may not be a detective, but she knows her company needs a good investigator with contacts in the various local communities as well as among the ex-pats. Sam is all of that. But, after a childhood in a POW camp and a checkered career in Military Intelligence during the Malay Emergency, he is also ...

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Plot Keywords:

detective agency | singapore | british | 1960s | private detective | 

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Taglines:

Life's a beach.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

Singapore Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

September 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Детективи от "Серангун Роуд"

Filming Locations:

Singapore, Singapore

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Asia,Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC),ContentFilm International

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Singapore gained independence in 1961 and all vice including brothels and gambling became illegal and was closed down...this is supposed to be 1964.

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Goofs

The character Amran is described as a police inspector, but his rank badges are the equivalent of a British General (4 star), and he wears them the wrong way round throughout; the crown is worn next to the collar.

User Reviews

Playing up the stereotypes

Watching this series as a Singaporean was a cringe-worthy experience for me - it seemed like it was made for the Western audience, with all the accompanying stereotypes of the "mysterious East": Bugis Street transvestites, prostitutes, American sailors, Chinese triad gangsters.

Little attention was paid to the details: Malay women were shown wearing the "hijab", which did not appear till the 80s, as the lacy "selendang" were worn in the 60s setting of this series. The Chinese were shown speaking Mandarin to each other, whereas it's the Hokkien or Teochew dialects that were commonly spoken then.

The only redeeming feature was the elegant Joan Chen, though her character was also a caricature of the exotic Oriental lady: always clad in the high-necked, form fitting Chinese "cheongsam" and carrying a bamboo parasol when she's outdoors. And she inexplicably speaks with an American accent.

The biggest surprise to me was the fact that the Media Development Authority of Singapore actually has a hand in producing this series!