TV shows coming to Singapore this April: Game of Thrones S8, Lion Mums S3, The Flash S5, A Private Life and more
Every month, we’ll tell you about new comedies and dramas 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 new April 2019 TV shows
The biggest show for April is, of course, the long awaited final season of Game of Thrones on HBO, which promises to tell us exactly what happens to all our favourite characters (and more importantly, if they survive). But our local front is no slouch either – Lion Mums returns for its third season on Mediacorp Channel 5 too. A new slew of Korean dramas like A Private Life, Hide and Seek, Empress Ki, Beautiful World, Special Labour Inspector Mr Jo, and My Fellow Citizens are also out this month. Fans of The Flash will be glad to discover that they can catch the latest season on television this month too, and Netflix has an interesting new offering in the form of Special, a coming-of-age drama about a gay man with cerebral palsy.
Her Private Life (11 Apr)
Viu
Her Private Life is a romantic drama that plays out between a female curator and a male director of an art gallery. While female curator Sung Suk-mi (Park Min-young) puts on a professional, serious exterior at work, she secretly chases pop idols and even keeps a fan site dedicated to her favourite one. Harsh and strict art gallery director Ryan Gold (Kim Jae-wook) also has a secret – he was once a famous painter, but not anymore. Sparks fly when these two meet on the professional and personal level and discover each other’s private lives.
Her Private Life should really be titled Each Person’s Private Life, because that seems to be the theme of the show (given that each character has his or her own hidden persona). It’s the usual Korean romantic melodrama, but at least the art gallery setting will make for some interesting visuals. The fan girl aspect of Suk-mi’s character also means that we might get some pop idols guest starring in the series — and possibly interfering in the love between Suk-mi and Ryan.
Special (12 Apr)
Netflix
Special is a dramedy that follows the adventures of a gay man with cerebral palsy, and his quest to achieve freedom and break free from all the self-imposed barriers that have held him back for most of his life. Based on the memoir I’m Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves by Ryan O’Connell (who also plays the main character), it stars Jessica Hecht as his mother, with The Big Bang Theory‘s Jim Parson serving as executive producer.
Special may sound like yet another show that promises to be special but isn’t — but it actually is, given how it celebrates diversity in all its different forms. The show isn’t just about accommodating varying groups for its own sake though. It shows us that no matter how different we are, we all face the same problems (overbearing parents, poor self-image), and that it’s really this universality of our existence that really links us all together as humanity. It’ll be heartwarming, for sure.
Game of Thrones (Season 8) (15 Apr, Mondays 9am)
HBO (StarHub TV Ch 601)
The eight and final season of fantasy drama Game of Thrones finally brings closure to all the long-running plots that we’ve seen in the past seven seasons. The fantasy world of Westeros stands at the brink of a war like no other, with enemies within and without. With a supernatural army breaking in and a mad queen on the Iron Throne, will Westeros ever recover and reclaim its former glory — or will the Game of Thrones ruin the land irreparably?
The last season of Game of Thrones isn’t so much about springing new surprises upon us, as it is about giving conclusions to every character who’s survived till now. Honestly, we all know roughly how the series will end, but it’s the getting there that’ll be the interesting part. With so many different mini fandoms rooting for their favourite character to survive, and reports of episodes being as long as feature films, it’ll be an exciting ride to see how the series will end. Personally, I’m rooting for Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) to come out as the victor.
Lion Mums (Season 3) (22 Apr, Mondays 9.30pm)
Mediacorp Channel 5
The third season of dramedy Lion Mums sees three of the mothers returning with their children to face the challenges of life in Singapore. Durrani Mazlan (Nurul Aini), Ho Min Yi (Vanessa Vanderstraaten), and Chae Lian (Lina Ng) face off against a difficult new principal in their children’s primary school in the form of Grace Chiang (Constance Lau). With their children growing up, they face more issues than ever before, and it’ll take everything they have to survive the life of a Lion Mum.
The thing about Lion Mums is how it’s always managed to portray the unique challenges of parenting in Singapore without getting preachy or delivering unwanted social commentary. Also, it presents strong female role models in the form of its main cast, without taking away what makes them feminine in the first place. With major changes to our education system, it’ll be fun to see how the series tackles it and has the characters navigate these minefields.
The Flash (Season 5) (24 Apr, Wednesdays 9pm)
Warner TV (StarHub TV Ch 515, and Singtel TV Ch 306)
Superhero drama The Flash returns for a fifth season, which sees the titular hero’s daughter coming to the present from the future. Even though he’s the fastest man alive, new metahumans arise to menace him and his city. Fortunately, he’s also aided by superheroes like himself, and he’ll need all the help he can get when the villainous Cicada arises to threaten the timeline.
We’re finally getting The Flash on screens in Singapore this month, and the new suit doesn’t look too bad! There’s been so much drama and body shaming over the new Flash suit, when fans should be celebrating about how it’s coming closer and closer to the look of the comics. In any case, the new season of The Flash promises to be rollicking good fun, especially since Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) has much less to angst about in this season.
Terrestrial
Suria
60 Sen (10 April, Wednesdays 10pm)
Mediacorp Channel 5
Lion Mums (Season 3) (22 April, Mondays 9.30pm)
Cable
Warner TV (StarHub TV Ch 515, and Singtel TV Ch 306)
The Flash (Season 5) (24 April, Wednesdays 9pm)
HBO (StarHub TV Ch 601)
Game of Thrones (Season 8) (15 April, Mondays 9am)
Veep (Season 7) (1 April, Mondays 10.30am and 11.30pm)
Barry (Season 2) (1 April, Mondays 10am)
Gentleman Jack (27 April, Tuesdays 10am)
Cartoon Network (Starhub TV Ch 316, Singtel TV Ch 226)
OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes (Season 2) (26 April, Fridays 6.30pm)
Oh!K (Singtel TV Ch 525/611 and StarHub TV Ch 816)
Special Labour Inspector Mr Jo (9 April, Tuesdays and Wednesdays 7.50pm)
Hide and Seek (1 April, Mondays 7.50pm)
Empress Ki (1 April, Mondays to Fridays 11pm)
tvN (Singtel TV Channel 518/619 (HD), StarHub TV Channel 824 (HD))
Her Private Life (11 April, Thursdays and Fridays 9.45pm)
Streaming
Viu
My Fellow Citizens (2 April)
Beautiful World (6 April)
Special Labour Inspector Mr Jo (9 April)
Her Private Life (11 April)
Netflix
Suzzanna: Buried Alive (movie) (3 April)
Persona: Collection (5 April)
Unicorn Store (movie) (5 April)
The Perfect Date (movie) (5 April)
Special (12 April)
My First First Love (18 April)
Cuckoo (Season 5) (19 April)
Someone Great (movie) (19 April)
Bad Lieutenant (movie (25 April)
The Protector (Season 2) (26 April)
Marcus Goh is a scriptwriter, having written for popular shows like “Lion Mums”, “Crimewatch”, “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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