TV shows coming to Singapore this May: Chernobyl, The Last Summer, Matthew's Story, One and Only Love 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 May 2019 TV shows

May sees a grab bag of unconventional genres, like HBO’s Chernobyl, a dramatisation of the Chernobyl accident, and supernatural romantic drama One and Only Love on Viu. On the local front, we have Kin spin-off Matthew’s Story debuting on Toggle in May — which may not be the most imaginative title, but it gets the job done. This is a good month for us to take a breather and catch up on each breathtaking episode of Game of Thrones (which continues this month), with a super treat at the end of May — Supergirl Season 4.

Matthew’s Story (2 May)
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Matthew’s Story is a spin-off from Kin, which follows the eponymous Matthew’s (Charlie Goh) journey after several tragedies in his life. Even though the upright character finds new friends and family, he also discovers that it comes with a price. Will he stay true to his values, or will he have to sacrifice one for the other? It stars Ferlyn G (Fiona), Bernard Tan (Wilson), and Bryan Wong (Cheong).

If episodes of Channel 5’s Kin aren’t coming out fast enough for you, then you might want to explore this spin-off that fleshes out the backstory of one of their popular characters. Helmed by two powerhouse veterans (Bernard Tan and Bryan Wong), the series promises “intimate scenes” between Matthew and his love interest, Fiona (Ferlyn G of When Ghost Meets Zombie). That’s probably the biggest draw of this online series.

The Last Summer (movie) (3 May)
Netflix

A group of unbelievably gorgeous teenagers — Griffin (KJ Apa from Riverdale), Maia Mitchell (Phoebe), Jacob Latimore ( Alec), Halston Sage (Erin), Ricky (Tyler Posey), and Audrey (Sosie Bacon from 13 Reasons Why) find themselves having to deal with their aspirations, purpose, and love in their final summer before they go off to college. Instead of rainbows and sunshine, they might have to contend with a rather stormy summer before they move on to their next phase of life. The Last Summer may very well be their last summer of innocence.

You almost feel like adding “I Know What You Did” before the title, but this isn’t a horror/slasher flick. The Last Summer is a teen drama that, well, features everything you want to see in a teen drama. The trailer itself already shows Instagram-worthy filters applied on every shot, plus there are beach scenes, break-ups, romantic dates, stadium events, and even a bromance. It looks and feels like it’s going to be a guilty pleasure, and it’s buoyed by good-looking stars, too.

Chernobyl (7 May, Tuesdays 9am)
HBO (StarHub TV Ch 601)

Chernobyl is a dramatisation of the events that led to 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant explosion and the consequences of the accident. Lives are upended and families are torn apart in the aftermath. How will humanity respond when faced with one of the worst disasters that has ever taken place on the planet? It stars Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgard, and Emily Watson.

Perhaps one of the scenes that we’re most looking forward to in Chernobyl is the actual accident itself, since that’s the raison d’etre for the series. Chernobyl may seem to be a straightforward dramatisation, but there looks like there will be some measure of infotainment as well regarding radiation sickness and the engineering behind power plants. Most importantly, it sounds like it’s a story of hope and the human spirit, and how humanity overcomes adversity.

One and Only Love (16 May)
Viu

A beautiful ballerina with a heart of stone, Yeon-Seo (Shin Hye-Sun), discovers that true love may exist after all when she meets Kim Dan (Kim Myung-Soo). However, Dan turns out to be a troublemaking love angel who must find true love for the ballerina before he is allowed to return to Heaven. However, the pair soon find themselves in forbidden love.

The ballerina aspect of One and Only Love is what gives this series a slightly more colourful edge over other shows with a similar trope (a human and a supernatural being falling in love). We’re pretty sure this sort of love is banned in both the heavenly and earthly realms, which is what makes their relationship slightly more complicated. Hopefully, One and Only Love will focus on the supernatural element as well, and give us some pearls of wisdom regarding divinely manufactured love.

Supergirl (Season 4) (28 May, Tuesdays 9pm)
Warner TV (StarHub TV CH. 515, and Singtel TV CH. 306)

The Last Daughter of Krypton, Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) faces a new threat this season when an anti-alien movement rises up to threaten everything she loves. Even her superpowers may not be enough to quell the rampant hatred for aliens that is spreading across the world, and she will need every possible ally to aid her in this impossible quest. But she’s Supergirl — and she’s more than up to the task for it.

Supergirl has always been known for being progressive, especially with its predominantly female cast, and Season 4 will be no different. It features the first transgender superhero on screen, Dreamer/Nia Nal (Nicole Maines), fighting alongside Supergirl. While the alien-immigrant metaphor has always been portrayed as a simmering undercurrent of resentment in the series, it seems to be paying off in Season 4 too. Here’s to hoping for more action-packed super battles in the fourth season of Supergirl!

Terrestrial

Suria

Dian (9 May, Thursdays 9.30pm)

Cable

Warner TV (StarHub TV CH. 515, and Singtel TV CH. 306)

iZombie (Season 5) (3 May, Fridays 9pm)

Supergirl (Season 4) (28 May, Tuesdays 9pm)

HBO (StarHub TV Ch 601)

Chernobyl (7 May, Tuesdays 9am)

Catch-22 (18 May, Saturdays 4pm)

Oh!K (Singtel TV Ch 525/611 and StarHub TV Ch 816)

Different Dreams (23 May, Thursdays and Fridays, 7.50pm)

Streaming

Netflix

The Last Summer (movie) (3 May)

Abyss (7 May)

Wine Country (movie) (10 May)

The Society (10 May)

See You Yesterday (17 May)

The Rain (Season 2) (17 May)

One Spring Night (22 May)

The Perfection (24 May)

What / If (24 May)

Always Be My Maybe (31 May)

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Matthew’s Story (2 May)

Viu

Different Dreams (5 May)

The Secret Life of My Secretary (7 May)

Police Tactical Unit (9 May)

Voice 3 (12 May)

One and Only Love (16 May)

The Wind Blows (28 May)

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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