''ABC DJ'' is a
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
an sitcom on
MediaCorp TV Channel 5. This show often makes references to sensitive issues such as
culture shock
Culture shock is an experience a person may have when one moves to a cultural environment which is different from one's own; it is also the personal disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due to immigration ...
and
racial discrimination
Racial discrimination is any discrimination against any individual on the basis of their skin color, race or ethnic origin.Individuals can discriminate by refusing to do business with, socialize with, or share resources with people of a certain g ...
.
Plot Summary and Cast
DJ (Dong-Jin) and Master Zhang
This series is about an
American-born Chinese
American-born Chinese () (sometimes abbreviated as ABC) is a term widely used to refer to Chinese people that were born in the United States and received U.S. citizenship due to birthright citizenship in the United States.
Contested usage
In ...
"
brat
Brat, Brats, The Brat or similar may refer to:
Term for young people
* Spoiled child
* Military brat
** Military brat (U.S. subculture)
* Trenchard Brat, a nickname for aircraft apprentices in the British Royal Air Force
Films
* ''The Br ...
" from
Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...
named Chia Dong-Jin, also known as Dong-Jin or DJ (
Eugene Lee), who is a rich, spoilt and almost-worthless
Americanized
Americanization or Americanisation (see spelling differences) is the influence of American culture and business on other countries outside the United States of America, including their media, cuisine, business practices, popular culture, tech ...
Chinese that was sent or banished to
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
by his father, Master Zhang, to live with a conservative Chinese family, the Gohs, so that DJ will learn about
Chinese culture
Chinese culture () is one of the world's oldest cultures, originating thousands of years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia and is extremely diverse and varying, with customs and traditions varying grea ...
.
DJ was tricked by his father into going to
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
. He thought he was in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
on a vacation when he received a phone call from his father, explaining to DJ that he had come to
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
not for a vacation but to live with the Goh family to learn the traditional Chinese culture from them. However, DJ did not adapt well to the Chinese traditions, such as
filial piety
In Confucianism, Chinese Buddhism, and Daoist ethics, filial piety (, ''xiào'') (Latin: pietas) is a virtue of respect for one's parents, elders, and ancestors. The Confucian ''Classic of Filial Piety'', thought to be written around the late W ...
. During the stay with the Goh family, DJ was often being threatened or bullied by Goh, and his family. DJ was often regarded as a
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
ang moh, a
Singlish
Singlish (a portmanteau of ''Singapore'' and ''English'') is an English-based creole language spoken in Singapore. Singlish arose out of a situation of prolonged language contact between speakers of many different languages in Singapore, incl ...
term for a
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
person who lives in
the West
West is a cardinal direction or compass point.
West or The West may also refer to:
Geography and locations
Global context
* The Western world
* Western culture and Western civilization in general
* The Western Bloc, countries allied with NATO ...
.
The Goh family and others
Goh Boon Keng (
Richard Low
Richard Low (; born 19 June 1952), also known as Liu Qianyi, is a Singaporean actor. He is best known for acting in many Chinese-language television dramas produced by MediaCorp Channel 8 and its predecessors. He also acted in some of Jack Neo's ...
), who is a sinseh (a traditional Chinese medicine) pupil to Master Zhang and a greatest threat to DJ, lives together with his wife, Hwee (
Margaret Lim), his two children, Fann (Ezann Lee), a
bookworm
Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. A bibliophile or bookworm is an individual who loves and frequently reads and/or collects books.
Profile
The classic bibliophile is one who loves to read, admire and collect books, often ama ...
and Jeng Lo (Deng Mao Hui), who is regarded as a sissy and his old, illiterate and dimwitted father, Ah Kong (
Marcus Chin
Marcus Chin On Kang (, born 22 September 1953) is a Singaporean host, actor and singer. He left Mediacorp as a full-time artiste.
Career
Chin joined the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation during the 1970s. During the 1990s, he was mainly know ...
). Goh Boon Keng works in a "sinseh" (traditional Chinese medicine) shop. Together, the Goh family lived in a
Toa Payoh
Toa Payoh (, ta, தோ பாயோ) is a planning area and matured residential town located in the northern part of the Central Region of Singapore. Toa Payoh planning area borders Bishan and Serangoon to the north, the Central Water Catc ...
HDB flat
Flat or flats may refer to:
Architecture
* Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries
Arts and entertainment
* Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch
* Flat (soldier), ...
. Ah Kong has an old Indian friend called Gana (Subin Subaiah), a former butcher in a nearby foodstall, who is also as equally illiterate as him. Occasionally, they together get into fights and arguments unexpectedly. Deepak (Vignesh V) is Fann's closest school friend. To DJ, Fann and Deepak are considered as "
nerd
A nerd is a person seen as overly intellectual, obsessive, introverted or lacking social skills. Such a person may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, little known, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly tec ...
s", an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
slang for a
stereotypical
In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...
person who is boring and is not attractive in terms of their appearance and outlook.
Recurring and Minor Characters plus Guest Appearances
*Gana played by Subin Subaiah (occurred in some episodes).
*Deepak played by Vignesh V (occurred in some episodes).
*Lee Tok Kong played by
Mark Lee (in episode 7).
*Lily Lee played by
Margaret Lee (in episode 7).
*Phua Chu Kang played by
Gurmit Singh
Gurmit Singh Virk Chainchal Singh (born 24 March 1965; pa, ਗੁਰਮੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ, Gurmīt Siṅgh; ) is a Singaporean actor, comedian and television personality. He was prominently a full-time Mediacorp artiste from 1994 to 2014. A f ...
(in episode 7).
*Rosie Phua played by Irene Ang (in episode 7).
*Ah Goon played by Ray Kuan (in episode 7).
Production history
The show started airing in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
on
MediaCorp TV Channel 5 on 23 May 2006.
AZN TV
AZN Television (formerly called International Channel) was a cable TV channel which promoted itself as "the network for Asian America". It was run by International Networks, a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast Corporation. The channel's programm ...
host
A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it.
Host may also refer to:
Places
* Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County
People
*Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman
* Michel Host ...
and
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
deejay
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...
Eugene Lee is one of the main actors in the show, along with veteran
Channel 8 actors
Richard Low
Richard Low (; born 19 June 1952), also known as Liu Qianyi, is a Singaporean actor. He is best known for acting in many Chinese-language television dramas produced by MediaCorp Channel 8 and its predecessors. He also acted in some of Jack Neo's ...
and
Margaret Lim.
Singaporean
Singaporeans, or the Singaporean people, refers to citizens or people who identify with the sovereign island city-state of Singapore. Singapore is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-lingual country. Singaporeans of Chinese, Malay, India ...
child actors
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associated t ...
Ezann Lee and Deng Mao Hui were also played as one of the main characters in that show. Vignesh V, an actor from
Fly Entertainment, were also one of the stars of the show but he only appears in some episodes. In addition, Subin Subiah were also one of the main casts in the show.
Guest stars such as
Mark Lee,
Margaret Lee,
Gurmit Singh
Gurmit Singh Virk Chainchal Singh (born 24 March 1965; pa, ਗੁਰਮੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ, Gurmīt Siṅgh; ) is a Singaporean actor, comedian and television personality. He was prominently a full-time Mediacorp artiste from 1994 to 2014. A f ...
, Irene Ang and Ray Kuan have appeared in the 7th episode of the debut season of the show.
Episodes
Broadcasters
External links
IMDb*
*
''ABC DJ'' commentary forum''ABC DJ'' programme showcaseEpisode Guide & Synopsis at MOBTV
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abc Dj
2006 Singaporean television series debuts
2006 Singaporean television series endings
Singaporean comedy television series
Channel 5 (Singapore) original programming