TV guide for Singapore in August: Lucifer S5, Aggretsuko S3, Lovecraft Country, and more

Every month, we’ll tell you about new shows to hit terrestrial and cable channels, as well as streaming sites in Singapore. We’ll also highlight the television shows that you’ve got to be home (or on your phone) to catch every month.

Overview of August's shows

106 Singaporean films and series are hitting Netflix over August (although there's no sight of VR Man, sigh) and although you've watched them before, you're going to want to relive your childhood favourites. The Restaurant That Burns Calories is an intriguing watch on BBC First, while Netflix debuts the fifth season of Lucifer and the third season of Aggretsuko. If you're into horror, HBO's Lovecraft Country will scratch that itch. Korean drama fans will be happy to know they'll be getting their regular dose this month, with a touch of sci-fi through the two series Alice and SF8 on Viu (and the latter also on Oh!K).

Singapore Films and TV Shows
(Netflix)

You're already paying for Netflix anyway, so why not watch a pre-roll ad free version of all those shows you secretly look for on MeWatch? Besides Phua Chu Kang and Under One Roof, we also get gems like Return of the Condor Heroes and Legends of the Eight Immortals, both big budget Channel 8 productions back in the day. But you also get Singapore movies too, and The Teenage Textbook Movie is sure to warm the cockles of your heart, as well as Ilo Ilo and I Not Stupid.

The Restaurant that Burns Calories (13 Aug, Thursdays 9.55pm)
BBC Earth (Starhub Ch 407)

Welcome to a restaurant like no other. Where behind the scenes is not just the kitchen, but a secret gym and an army of exercisers — aiming to burn off every single calorie the diners eat. With a three-course meal plus drinks easily coming in at 2,500 calories, it’s going to get sweaty. How will the diners feel when all is revealed? And how will they feel when they have to take a turn on the treadmills? This high-energy stunt combines humour with innovation to reveal the science of calories

The premise behind this show is fascinating — how exactly are you going to burn off 2,500 calories after a meal (and how much time are you going to have to spend on the treadmill to do that?) when you're probably bursting at the seams from eating so much? There are very few clips of the series that have been circulated, and the response to the series, which airs as The Restaurant That Burns Off Calories in other countries, has been rather interesting. Suffice to say that I'd like to know how exactly they manage to run such a restaurant — what's their secret?

Lovecraft Country (17 Aug)
HBO

Executive produced by Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams, and based on the novel by Matt Ruff, the series follows Atticus Freeman as he embarks with his friend Letitia and his Uncle George on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father. This begins a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and the terrifying monsters that could be ripped from a Lovecraft paperback. The series stars Jonathan Majors, Jurnee Smollett, Aunjanue Ellis, Abbey Lee, Jada Harris, Wunmi Mosaku, Michael Kenneth Williams and Courtney B. Vance.

What could be hiding in 50s America that is so terrifying that it could be compared to Cthulhu and other Lovecraftian horrors? Admittedly, the setting does sound a little derivative, but we have precious few horror television series that are set in nostalgic eras to begin with. The themes of racism are probably going to be what jars you as much as the monsters do, and the inevitable question will be raised — man or monster, which is worse?

Lucifer (Season 5) (21 Aug)
Netflix

Lucifer makes a tumultuous return, Chloe rethinks romance, Ella finally finds a nice guy, and Amenadiel adjusts to the whole fatherhood thing in this new season of Lucifer, which centres around the adventures of the titular fallen angel as he wanders Earth after leaving Hell. Except that the end of Season 4, Lucifer returned to Hell, so it remains to be seen how the status quo has been restored. More interestingly is the appearance of Michael, Lucifer's twin brother, who will prove to be a major player in the events to come.

Having the lead actor play the (ostensibly) main antagonist of the season, who also happens to be his twin brother, is tricky to pull off. Even putting aside the logistics of the shoot and the acting prowess of the Tom Ellis (who plays Lucifer), such a storyline strains your suspension of disbelief, because you know it's the same person acting as two people. Nevertheless, it looks like some shake-ups will occur in this season of Lucifer, and maybe we might even see him ascending to... other thrones.

Aggretusko (Season 3) (27 Aug)
Netflix

Retsuko the Red Panda and her death metal karaoke return for another season as the single wage slave from accounts navigates life with an ironic air. But after her disastrous end of her relationship at the end of the second season, will Retsuko learn to love again? Or will things just be business as usual in this season?

Retsuko appeals to the deep rage that burns within all of us, and the toil of her existence is something we can all identify with. It's this cathartic element that makes Retsuko's adventures so much more hilarious, especially since we can relate to the annoyances of her daily life. While the third season will probably reveal another love interest that will break her heart, we're secretly rooting for Retsuko to finally find "The One" and happiness — because if she can find that, that means we viewers still have hope yet.

Alice (29 Aug)
Viu

When a pair of lovers are torn part by a devastating tragedy, they unexpectedly find themselves reunited across time and space. Physicist Yoon Tae Yi discovers that time travel is possible, while detective Park Jin Kyum is in the midst of solving a mysterious case. But when the pair stumble across "Alice", they learn secrets that they never meant to stumble across. Now, the pair have to unravel the secret of time travel, "Alice", as well as time and space itself.

Time travel romances always intrigue, because that there's that element of "love defies all odds", even if those odds are time and space. While it may seem that this is a tired trope, it looks like there may be a refreshing new take on it, since there seems to be an overarching mystery that ties the series together. Let's hope the sci-fi elements deliver and the lovers get their much-deserved reunion in the show.

Terrestrial

Suria

Lelakimu Yan Dulu (2 Aug, Sundays 9.30pm)

Azam & Johan (5 Aug, Wednesdays 9.30pm)

Tanka Doktor Say (9 Aug, Sundays 9pm)

Cable

HBO

Lovecraft Country (17 Aug, Mondays 9am and 10pm)

Dream Raider (16 Aug, Sundays 9pm)

Oh!K

SF8 (15 Aug, Saturdays 8pm)

When I Was The Most Beautiful (20 Aug, Thursdays and Fridays 7.40pm)

BBC First (Starhub Ch 502)

The Net (7 Aug)

W Hunt Together (21 Aug)

BBC Earth (Starhub Ch 407)

The Truth About Takeaways (6 Aug, Thursdays 9.55pm)

Race Across The World (Season 2) (9 Aug, Sundays 8.05pm)

The Restaurant that Burns Calories (13 Aug, Thursdays 9.55pm)

Food Factory (Season 3) (26 Aug, Wednesdays 7.10pm)

BBC Lifestyle (Starhub Ch 432)

Grand Designs: House of the Year (Season 2) (11 Aug, Tuesdays 9.15pm)

The Great Australian Bake Off (Season 4) (26 Aug, Wednesdays 7.30pm)

Cbeebies (Starhub Ch 303)

Clangers (Season 3) (19 Aug, Mondays 6.15pm)

FOX Crime (Singtel CH 313, StarHub CH 503)

I Am Rebel (3 Aug, Mondays 10.30pm)

National Geographic People (Singtel CH 255, StarHub CH 412)

Brojects: Built For The Weekend (31 Aug, Mondays 10.25pm)

Taste Bangkok (25 Aug, Tuesdays 9.55pm)

Chasing The Sun (25 Aug, Tuesdays 10.25pm)

Hub VV Drama (StarHub Ch 855)

Train (9 Aug, Sundays 9.45pm)

Streaming

Netflix

Connected (3 Aug)

Immigration Nation (3 Aug)

A Go! Go! Cory Carson Summer Camp (4 Aug)

Malibu Rescue: The Next Wave (4 Aug)

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs The Reverend (5 Aug)

The Rain (Season 3) (6 Aug)

High Seas (Season 3) (7 Aug)

Selling Sunset (Season 3) (7 Aug)

Tiny Creatures (7 Aug)

Work It (movie) (7 Aug)

Nailed it! Mexico (Season 2) (7 Aug)

Project Power (14 Aug)

Rita (Season 5) (15 Aug)

Stranger (Season 2) (15 Aug)

Glitch Techs (Season 2) (17 Aug)

Biohackers (20 Aug)

Great Pretender (20 Aug)

Hoops (21 Aug)

The Sleepover (21 Aug)

Lucifer (Season 5) (21 Aug)

Emily's Wonder Lab (25 Aug)

Trinkets (Season 2) (25 Aug)

Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol (26 Aug)

Rising Phoenix) (26 Aug)

Aggretusko (27 Aug)

Viu

Graceful Friends (9 Aug)

SF8 (15 Aug)

When I Was The Most Beautiful (27 Aug)

Alice (29 Aug)

Missing: The Other Side (30 Aug)

BBC Brit (BBC Player)

Friday Night Dinner (Season 6) (7 Aug)

Marcus Goh is a television scriptwriter who writes for “Crimewatch”, as well as popular shows like “Lion Mums”, “Code of Law”, “Incredible Tales”, and “Police & Thief”. He’s also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find him on social media as Optimarcus and on his site. The views expressed are his own.

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