Lest you’re not aware, Netflix has a whopping 158 million paying subscribers by the third quarter of this year. In other words, it’s safe to say that they’re the biggest “TV channel” in the world. And also, if you’re not a Netflix subscriber, you might not know that the streaming giant produces their own shows. So, on 22 November 2019, Netflix dropped a show that they’ve produced, and it’s about Singapore, called Singapore Social. That’s not normal as all their original shows are catered to the global audience, so it shocked both Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans alike.
Singapore Social is a reality TV show about six people in Singapore struggling with…erm, their problems.
I highly suggest that you watch this video we’ve done before moving on:
(Also subscribe to our YouTube channel so you won’t miss our lousy videos lah)
Done?
Ok, so what is Singapore Social, and why are Singaporeans complaining about this show?
Singapore Social, a Reality TV Series
Here’s a brief idea of what the Singapore Social is all about: it follows the lives of six Singapore influencers, and it comprises interviews with them and skits (or maybe those “skits” are real-life footage lah; read on and you’d understand).
Throughout the show, we get to know more about the characters personalities, and the problems they face in their lives.
An example would be Ms Nicole Ong: the 28-year-old started a blockchain consulting company, Athena Advisory, and well, it’s not exactly being smooth-riding, according to what she said.
But trying Googling the company and you’d find nothing. I don’t know much about business, but maybe the first thingy is to at least get some online presence instead of networking in atas events in beautiful pink dress?
You get the gist: the show switches between what they do (e.g. in Nicole’s case, there’s footage of her networking in some event) and then an interview (whereby she said that due to her age, some people thought that she’s an intern).
The problems they faced are, to put it bluntly, all first-world problems that we laymen would never have the chance to face.
But is it real?
It’s Allegedly Real
Then again, all the contestants in Survivor and The Amazing Race said the same thing, so it’s really up to you to decide.
But according to an interview, those “skits” I mentioned earlier aren’t skits but real footages. It’s “not scripted” and cameras are allegedly capturing their lives.
Goody Feed makes lousy videos as well, so here’s what we can say: capturing those “unscripted” moments on camera is certainly easy, but getting such good audio is near impossible unless they have a wireless mic with them 24/7.
But many times they’re not wearing a lot so I don’t think that’s possible.
What Are Singaporeans Complaining About?
When Netflix dropped the trailer in their YouTube channel, the complaints Singaporeans had were that it doesn’t represent Singapore well: everyone seems so freaking rich with first-world problems, their accents are definitely not Singaporean and the entire show seemed to imply that Singapore is only about MBS, Newton Food Centre, and Chinatown.
After watching the entire show…well, let’s just say that it fitted into our expectations.
With the trailer getting 1.9K Likes and a whopping 1.5k Dislikes, the numbers kind of reflect the comments.
But then again, do remember that Netflix is doing this for a global audience, and they know what people like…which brings us to the next point.
Netflix’s Strategy for Original Shows
Here’s something you might not know: Netflix is extremely secretive about numbers.
You’d never know how many people have watched a certain show, and they won’t even disclose them in media interviews. Obviously the numbers are large and any sane company would flex them, but Netflix’s refusal to disclose the numbers means they have a winning edge: they know what people like to watch and won’t let their competitors know.
You see, even with numbers, their system can detect how long you watch a show—that also determines whether a particular genre is popular. I certainly don’t think it’s a coincidence that they bought over Designated Survivor after the TV network cancelled the show: it’s a political thriller and House Of Cards has proven that people love that genre.
So, despite all the hoo-ha and whatnot, big data does show that it’s going to be a success; maybe not in Singapore, but in other countries.
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Which brings us to the next point: who made the show?
Made by a US Company
For the first time in my life, I can finally say this: Mediacorp makes better local drama than this company.
But hey; it’s for the angmos, so an angmo company has to be at the helm, no?
The show is made by Love Productions USA, and as the name says, it’s a US production house.
A subsidiary of Love Productions based in the UK, the parent company is owned by an even bigger company, Sky Limited. And Sky Limited is owned by a bigger-er company, Comcast, which also owns Universal Pictures (they made Fifty Shades of Grey)
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So yes, you can say that this show is made by the grandchild of Fifty Shades of Grey. Sounds about right.
Singapore Tourism Board & A Certain Ong Family is Involved
Just like Crazy Rich Asians, the transitional scenes in Singapore Social are purely “advertisements”.
Which I totally understand lah, because why would you show BuffLord95 drinking kopi-O in a hawker if you want to show the best side of Singapore, right?
Over at the end credits, you’d see this:
Notice Singapore Tourism Board there? Well, it’s unknown whether they co-funded the production or not (this article agrees with me), but it’s not unexpected that they played a part in it.
Heck, even NEA’s there, though it could all be about the permissions to film in their premises. We know because we’ve sought permissions to film in certain areas, and the organisations usually request for credit.
And the “Ong Family”? Probably just because they film at their house.
I just added this point because I’m certain all of you skipped the credits.
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Who Are the Cast Members?
I’m shocked that they’ve not brought in high-profile influencers like XiaXue or JianHao Tan, but anyways.
The six influencers are:
Mae Tan: A fashion influencer with over 91K followers on Instagram. The 24-year-old also has a clothing store (well, of course).
Sukki Singapora: A 30-year-old burlesque performer and activist, and the founder of The Singapore Burlesque Society . Burlesque is like comedy but erm, darker and for mature viewers. And also, Sukki just happens to have a name that sounds like our country.
Tabitha Nauser: An ex-Singapore Idol contestant who’s still active in the music industry.
Paul Foster: An actor-host who recently got into the headlines for a reality travelogue on Viu (yes, not all actors or hosts are from Mediacorp).
Nicole Ong: Read the earlier part of this article lah
Vinny Sharp: He’s a YouTuber and influencer, though some of you might disagree: he has about 3K subscribers in his YouTube channel and about 4.4K followers on his Instagram account
Some Cast Members Aren’t Happy with Negative Feedback
A cast member has spoken out openly about the negative feedback.
Paul Foster posted this on his Instagram four days ago:
Lest you can’t read:
“If you focus on the negative, you miss all the positive around you.” – Betty Covington
I learned a long time ago, that no matter what you do, there will always be a hater. Mostly, they are unhappy with their own lives, angry at the world and jealous of anyone that has any sort of success. They hide behind their keyboard, using it as a mask to shield their insecurities, trying to bully others to make themselves feel something.
I’ve always tried to live by the mantra, if you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all, (unless justly warranted). But, I do want to say for every negative media article, misunderstood criticism (from not even watching the show itself) and just blatantly rude stab at us, we are getting so much more love, support and congratulations from those who have connected with our stories and our lives.
So here we are standing in front of the world. I for one don’t let people who don’t know me, bring me down with ther negativity. But if you want to hate us, by all means that’s your right too, just watch the whole season, in order to make that educated judgement and not just a 2min trailer…
As of now, Mae Tan seems to have spoken out as well but for some reason, the article has been taken down:
Well.
So, are you so going to watch Singapore Social, or would you rather watch paint dry by itself?