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We know — it’s been a long while since anyone watched a local television (TV) production. But there are reasons to give upcoming Singaporean-Chinese drama Emerald Hill a go.
The spin-off of arguably Mediacorp’s most successful TV drama The Little Nyonya (2008), Emerald Hill, which features characters from the original series, is in the pipeline.
If you were living under a rock, The Little Nyonya (2008) is a biographical flashback of an extended Peranakan family in Malacca. Set in the 1930s, the TV drama spans to more than 70 years and chronicles the stories of several generations of three families.
Here’s what to look out for when Emerald Hill airs on Channel 8 in the first half of 2025:
A star-studded cast
Living up to its name, Emerald Hill’s cast is made up of the who’s who of Caldecott Hill.
From Ah-Jie Zoe Tay, 56, to newly minted All-Time Favourite Artiste Jesseca Liu, 45, and rising starlet Chantalle Ng, 28, it’s tough for any drama to top this in terms of star power.
The cast also includes foreign and overseas-born actors. These include Malaysian actress Jojo Goh, 40, and Malaysian-born Singaporean actor Shaun Chen, 45 (talk about staying true to your Peranakan roots), who play husband-and-wife. Taiwanese actor Xu Jie Kai, 41, also recently confirmed that he will be acting as the son of Tay’s matriach character.
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A familiar face returns in Emerald Hill
Guess who’s back? It’s none other than…The Little Nyonya herself, Jeanette Aw!
The 41-year-old Singaporean actress will be reprising her character and appearing on-screen as the iconic Yamamoto Yueniang, 17 years after the original series was aired.
Aw will be portraying Yueniang as an accomplished businesswoman in her 40s. While she does not have many scenes in Emerald Hill, Aw’s appearance will not be short, she said.
Lots of family drama
If you liked (all the) infighting in The Little Nyonya, you’ll probably like Emerald Hill, too.
Emerald Hill will similarly chronicle the story of a big Peranakan family, and will be “as enchanting and emotionally charged as its predecessor”, said a Mediacorp spokesperson.
First, there’s the main storyline where the lead protagonist Xin Niang (Tasha Low, 30) starts out as a homeless child. She supports herself and her foster mother (Chen Liping, 58). Xin Niang later finds out she is the long-lost daughter of the rich Zhang household.
Then, there’s the main antagonist, Chantalle Ng. (Her mother Lin Mei Jiao, 60, was also the villain in The Little Nyonya — cue: serious deja vu vibes.) Ng plays Anna, Xin Niang’s shrewd and vengeful cousin, who undermines Xin Niang at each step of the way.
Of course, as with every good drama, there’s romance, friendship and a plot twist (which we won’t reveal). You’ll have to catch Emerald Hill when it airs next year to find out!
