TV shows coming to Singapore in October: Series about hawker centre and taxi uncle, 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 October's shows

Suria viewers will get a treat this October as three new dramas debut, including the star-studded Abang Teksi 2 (with Suhaimi Yusof, Fir Rahman, and Nadiah M. Din). Also on the local front, new hawker drama 128 Circle premieres on Channel 5. Riverdale and BoJack Horseman both return on Netflix, the latter for a final season. And if you like cartoons, favourites like Lego Ninjago (Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu) and Running Man Animation are back this month on Cartoon Network.

Extra-Ordinary You
OhKTV Asia (StarHub TV CH. 515, Singtel TV CH. 306) - 3 Oct, Thursdays and Fridays 7.50pm
Viu - 3 Oct

It's a classic tale of tragedy — a high-schooler who suffers from a deadly heart condition knows that she will not live past her teenage years, and then starts getting memory lapses. Except that she also discovers that she's just a character in a Korean webtoon, and her actions are dictated by the author's whim and fancies! With nothing to lose, she's determined to forge her own fate and defy the author's wishes, even though she's nothing but a supporting character in the webtoon.

Central character Eun Dan-O (Kim Hye-Yoon) looks like she strikes the perfect blend between aggressiveness and vulnerability in the trailer, which mean that she may not be as grating as the typical Korean female protagonist — an important personality trait, given that she's the one who drives the story. She probably lives and there's probably a love story in there, but it looks like the focus will hopefully not dwell on romantic melodrama, but more on the main character's struggles.

Abang Teksi 2 (3 Oct, Thursdays 9pm)
Suria

Taxi driver Sood (Suhaimi Yusof) returns in the second season of Abang Teksi — but this time, he's digitally literate! So now the onus is on him to teach his fellow cabbies the importance of digital literacy. However, his newfound sense of duty means that he's neglecting his personal life. And when he meets a dangerous criminal, all hell breaks loose. Fir Rahman and Nadiah M. Din also star.

Abang Teksi 2 may smell suspiciously government-sponsored, but it still manages to eke out some comedy from the poor taxi driver Sood's situations. While kindly old taxi uncles are a rarity these days, the show does manage to bring us back to more carefree days when cabbies were genuinely interested in bringing you to your location, instead of being ultra fussy about passengers these days (ever tried flagging down taxis who conveniently don't tell you they are changing shift?). It looks like it'll be good old-fashioned fun in a taxi.

128 Circle (7 Oct, Mondays 9.30pm)

Set in 128 Circle Food Centre, the show follows the lives of the multiracial hawkers there as it examines their personal and professional challenges. It stars Duan Wei Ming, Silvarajoo Prakasam, Daren Tan, Jae Liew, Sharon Ismail, and Chase Tan.

Details about 128 Circle have been scarce, beyond the fact that it's set in a hawker centre and the dialogue will be in a mix of English, Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil, to emphasise the multiracial aspect of the show. If you're wondering, "128" is a pun on "want to eat" (referred to as a "sonic similarity" by the producers) — which may give an idea about the tone and flavour of the series. Hopefully, the rest of the dialogue isn't as cringeworthy, since it's been a while since we've seen a real heartlander drama.

Riverdale (Season 4) (10 Oct)

In the fourth season of Riverdale, Archie (KJ Apa) and friends enter the senior year of high school (twelfth grade). However, their lives may have taken a dramatic turn, as we saw at the end of last season. Has a beloved character actually died? Will all of them survive their senior year? Is this the end of the Riverdale gang as we know it?

While Riverdale has gone through its share of weird plots over the seasons (after Season 1, stories could get strangely implausible, even for a fictional series), it looks like this might be the most dramatic one yet. If you haven't caught the third season and its shocking cliffhanger finale, then you must catch up before Season 4 starts. Otherwise, you might just get spoiled by one of the biggest teases it has dangled so far.

BoJack Horseman (Season 6, Part 1) (25 Oct)

After being sent to rehab for his drug addiction in the previous season, BoJack Horseman (Will Arnett) seems to have recovered — but his self-destructive urges seem to have been passed on to his friends. The final season of BoJack Horseman will air in two lots, 25 Oct 2019 and 31 Jan 2020. Will BoJack finally find happiness (even though he has everything) in this season, or will he destroy everything around him again?

BoJack Horseman is one of the most daring animations to have come out this decade — not for the animation style (which is admittedly amusing), but for touching on multiple social issues and its authentic portrayal of depression. While the central character may not be the most likeable man (horse? horseman?) on TV, you can't help but empathise with him every time he blows up the good things that happen to him. With the series coming to a close in this season, you can't help but wonder if they'll change his character for good by giving him happiness, or will they stay true to his characterisation and leave him as the self-destructive protagonist that he is?

Terrestrial

Channel 5

128 Circle (7 Oct, Mondays 9.30pm)

Suria

Abang Teksi 2 (3 Oct, Thursdays 9pm)

Izinkan Aku Mencintaimu (3 Oct, 9.30pm)

Pencuri Cinta Kelas Satu (8 Oct, 9.30pm)

Cable

OhKTV Asia (StarHub TV CH. 515, Singtel TV CH. 306)

Extra-Ordinary You (3 Oct, Thursdays and Fridays 7.50pm)

Blessing of the Sea (17 Oct, Tuesdays to Fridays 9pm)

HBO (StarHub TV Ch 601)

Watchmen (21 Oct, Mondays 9am & 10pm; Mondays 10am & 10pm from 4 Nov)

The Teenage Psychic (Season 2) (6 Oct, Sundays 9pm)

Warner TV (StarHub Ch 515)

The Flash (Season 6) (9 Oct, Wednesdays 9.50pm)

Supergirl (Season 5) (7 Oct, Mondays 9.50pm)

Arrow (Season 8) (16 Oct, Wednesdays 9pm)

FOXLife (StarHub Ch 501)

Nancy Drew (10 Oct, Thursdays 9pm)

FOX (StarHub Ch 505)

The Walking Dead (Season 10) (7 Oct, Mondays 11.30am and 9pm)

AXN (StarHub Ch 511)

The Blacklist (Season 7) (5 Oct, Saturdays 10.40pm)

Cartoon Network (StarHub TV Ch. 316, Singtel TV Ch. 226)

Lego Ninjago (Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu) (Season 11) (5 Oct, Saturdays and Sundays 10.30am)

Snack World (5 Oct, Saturdays and Sundays 11.30am)

Time Bokan 24 (12 Oct, Saturdays and Sundays 12pm)

Running Man Animation (Season 2) (26 Oct, Saturdays and Sundays 11am)

Streaming

Netflix

Solteras (2 Oct)

Peaky Blinders (Season 5) (4 Oct)

Big Mouth (Season 3) (4 Oct)

Riverdale (Season 4) (10 Oct)

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (movie) (11 Oct)

Insatiable (Season 2) (11 Oct)

Eli (18 Oct)

The Laundromat (movie) (18 Oct)

Living with Yourself (movie) (18 Oct)

Prank Encounters (25 Oct)

Dolemite is My Name (25 Oct)

Nowhere Man (movie) (31 Oct)

BoJack Horseman (Season 6, Part 1) (25 Oct)

Viu

The Tale of Nokdu (1 Oct)

Extra-Ordinary You (3 Oct)

VIP (29 Oct)

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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