Tiger Mum

Tiger Mum (Chinese: 虎妈来了) is a Singaporean family drama produced and telecast on MediaCorp Channel 8. The drama began production in November 2014. The series made is run from 9 April to 6 May 2015. Originally, it was slated to make its debut on 2 April 2015, but was pushed back a week later, due to National Mourning week from 23 to 29 March 2015 in lieu of the death of Lee Kuan Yew.

This is the second drama appearance of veteran actress Huang Biren since her return to the entertainment industry after a seven-year hiatus. Huang plays the title character in the show. The series is sponsored by the Media Development Authority of Singapore.

With the show's viewership constantly breaking the 1 million mark, and its finale attracting more than 1.06 million viewers, Tiger Mum has been named the Top Rated Drama of Year 2015 at the recently held Star Awards 2016.^[1] This is the second consecutive time a drama starring Huang Biren (after Three Wishes in 2014) has managed to snag the top viewership spot.

Plot

He Xuemei (Huang Biren) is a senior prison officer. As she is known for her stern demeanor and authoritative manner, the prisoners nicknamed her “Tigress”. Someone just has to shout “Tigress is here”, and everyone will put on their best behavior to avoid being marked by “Tigress”. However, behind that steel veneer is a heart of gold. She cares about the prisoners, and often encourages them to improve themselves so that they will be able to earn a living upon their release from prison. Occasionally, she also helps them to resolve their personal problems. Chen Kai (Yao Wenlong) lost his wife in the early years of their marriage. He is sapped juggling between managing his career and raising four children, Huixin (Julie Tan), Haowei (Ian Fang), Haolian (Aloysius Pang), and Huiyan (Bonnie Loo), who differ markedly in character. Much as Chen Kai would like to be a good father, he is drifting apart from his children. Xuemei does not mind that Chen Kai is a father of four. Neither is Chen Kai put off by Xuemei’s self-deprecating remark that she is “not pretty, not gentle and not thoughtful”. The two of them hit it off and decide to enter into a relationship with marriage in the cards. The four children resist Xuemei’s intrusion into their lives and are determined to join hands to fend off “the invasion of Tiger Mum”. In the end, will Xuemei the “Tigress” win the children’s hearts? Will her relationship with Chen Kai receive their blessings?

Cast

Main cast

Supporting cast

Trivia

• This will be Huang Biren, Yao Wenlong, Julie Tan and Jeffrey Xu's second drama collaboration since Huang's return to the entertainment industry in Three Wishes.
• At the end of each episode during the credits, there will be extra scenes of the show that are available for viewing on Toggle as epilogues. This is the ninth series to have no commentaries for News Tonight.
• This is also Huang Biren and Aloysius Pang's second drama collaboration as mother and son after A Child's Hope in 2003.^[2]
• This is the second time Aloysius Pang and Yao Wenlong have acted as father and son after It Takes Two (Singaporean TV series) in 2012.

2016 Accolades

Tiger Mum is nominated for six awards in Star Awards 2016. The series, along with 118, Crescendo, The Dream Makers II and The Journey: Our Homeland, is one of the five dramas to be nominated for both the Best Drama Serial and Best Theme Song. The series wins two award categories: Best Screenplay and Top Rated Drama Series.

See also

• List of MediaCorp Channel 8 Chinese drama series (2010s)
• List of Tiger Mum episodes

References

1. ↑ "復出劇連破百萬收視 黃碧仁：拍戲沒有個人英雄". Lianhe Wanbao. 6 May 2015. 
2. ↑ "本周星动向 ：6月28日-7月4日" (in Chinese). Toggle. 5 July 2015.