Shows coming to you in February: The Exorcist, Faculty, Perfect Wife and more
Every month, we’ll tell you about new television shows to hit terrestrial and cable channels, as well as streaming sites in Singapore! We’ll also highlight shows that you’ve got to be home (or on your phone) to catch every month.
Overview of February shows
February will be a rather quiet month since all the exciting shows premiered in January. Netflix expands its offerings to include more Asian shows, while Channel 5 debuts a new drama that’s targetted at the younger audience. Most intriguing of all is a new series from Thrill that continues the legacy of the classic horror film, “The Exorcist”.
The Exorcist (16 Feb, Thursdays 10.00pm)
Thrill (Singtel TV Ch 415 & StarHub Ch 618)
Caught in the middle of the two priests is the RANCE family, who are members of Tomas’ parish. On the surface, they’re a normal, American family, but all is not as it seems in this household. The patriarch, HENRY RANCE is recovering from a traumatic injury. Eldest daughter KATHERINE has become a recluse who refuses to leave her room. Her younger sister, CASEY thinks she’s hearing strange noises coming from inside the walls. And mother believes there is something in the house, that’s growing stronger by the day. Desperate, she begs Father Tomas for help, unwittingly setting the naïve young priest on a collision course with Father Marcus. Separately, each faces an insurmountable task, but together they become the Rances’ only hope against an evil force that has been around for centuries.
Could “The Exorcist” be the new “American Horror Story”? Here’s hoping that this new series that’s a sequel to the 1973 film can match the scares of the original. Of course, we’re not looking for head-twisting scare every episode (although that would be neat), but if it can keep up the tension throughout the entire series, we’ve got ourselves a keeper here.
Faculty (27 Feb, Mondays to Thursdays 10.00pm)
Channel 5
First local drama to delve into University life with equal attention to the perspective of the faculty, lecturers, professors as well as the students; pushes boundaries in uncovering the politics of academia and a revealing probe into the psyche of late teens on the cusp of adulthood.
Faculty is a 20-episode drama series, set in a highly-respected private tertiary institution, depicting the never before seen goings-on of the world of University life, exploring the psyche, mindsets, public, private, secret and not so secret lives of the students and the faculty, all united by one common goal: to be the best… or at least to be perceived to be the best.
Survival of the fittest is the key driving theme of the series as it traces the dual journeys of a newly-minted Assistant Professor Sylvia and first year student Philip, as they enter the privately-funded and very prestigious Straits University, a brave new world for both.
It’s been a long time since we’ve had a local English drama that specifically focuses on Millennials rather than families. With themes of meritocracy gone wrong (read: kiasuism) and a cast of fresh young faces, “Faculty” might very well be the jolt that revitalises English dramas on television. Plus, you know there’s going to be love triangles and scandals galore since it’s about college life.
Perfect Wife (28 Feb)
Viu
Sim Jae-Bok is married with two children. Due to hardships she went through, she has a wild temper. She gets involved in an unexpected case and begins to regain her true self.
The title is what’s most intriguing about “The Perfect Wife”, since you know the title character will try her best to be perfect but fail abysmally in the process. What makes it even more interesting is seeing how the female protagonist will strut her stuff given the tremendous sexism in Korean culture.
Terrestrial
Channel 5
Faculty (27 Feb, Mondays to Thursdays 10.00pm)
Suria
Cinta 11 Syarat (2 Feb, Thursdays 7.00pm)
Cable
DIVA (Singtel TV Ch 303 & StarHub Ch 513)
Imposters (8 Feb, Wednesdays 8.00pm)
HISTORY (StarHub TV Ch 401)
The Warfighters (5 Feb, Sundays 10.00pm)
Lifetime (StarHub TV Ch 514)
Arranged (second season) (13 Feb, Mondays 10.00pm)
Thrill (Singtel TV Ch 415 & StarHub Ch 618)
The Exorcist (16 Feb, Thursdays 10.00pm)
Streaming
Santa Clarita Diet (3 Feb)
Miss in Kiss (2 Feb)
The Sound of your Heart (24 Feb)
Girlfriend’s Day (movie) (14 Feb)
Legend Quest (24 Feb)
Thithi (1 Feb)
Chauti Koot (1 Feb)
Heartland (second season) (3 Feb)
Perfect Wife (28 Feb)
Marcus Goh is a Singapore television scriptwriter. He’s also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. He Tweets/Instagrams at Optimarcus and writes at marcusgohmarcusgoh.com. The views expressed are his own.
