Of borrowed titles...

I was seating on the red couch with hubby next to me watching tv quite absent-mindedly one evening, when suddenly, this Malay drama's trailer with English voice-over captured my attention because of its title. My jaw dropped as I turned my attention towards hubby and my eyes just opened wide.

"Yes, it is..." was his non-chalant respond, almost knowing what I might have ask eventhough I have not spoken a word.

I shook my head, heaving a longggg sigh.

"Oh well, darn, knowing them (very well), they'll definitely do it despite...(shaking head again)...whatever." If I was a juvenile, I was contemplated to make the letter "L" with my fingers on my forehead. But I merely shook my head, and just kept my peace.

So here I'm blogging, and decided not to keep my "piece."

Once, way after I had left the company, I was asked by the executive producer on my thoughts if they were to have a new season of Jeritan Sepi. Yes, I'm talking about Jeritan Sepi, the highly successful and award-winning social drama shown on MediaCorp TV12 Suria, which premiered in 2001. The first season of Jeritan Sepi won the ‘Most Popular Programme’ Award in Suria’s Pesta Perdana 5. This Award is based on the viewership figures of all programmes shown on Suria in that year. The series also sets a record as the highest ever rated programme of 8.2% P4+ (viewers 4 years old and above) which is equivalent to 306,000 viewers, since the channel’s launch in 2000. For more info, click here.

"It's a possibility," I answered, as I thought of a third season of Jeritan Sepi but of course, the new team needs to sit down and peel all the issues and problems and see how the story can develop where it was left off after the second season. It will not be an easy task.

"But what if it's an entirely different cast and different storyline...?" asked the executive producer.

"Errrr........."

I cringed at the thought, as I know, this was not the first time that they had borrowed popular titles. And though it was not the idea of the executive producer to borrow the popular title, it looks like it's a battle that she'd rather not get into with "unchanged minds" of some people.

Borrowing a popular title does not make a popular drama - even if it's the second season of the show. Look at Felicity - the popular American teen drama flopped in its second season. This is exacerbated if the entire casts and storyline were entirely different. What's more if some of the key personnel who were instrumental to its success in the first season where not part of the new team. Even a young kid understands this equation.

Popular Title = Popular Drama (Wrong!)
Borrowed Popular Title = Drama when current cast and storyline has nothing to do with the original show! Duhhh?!

It's excruciatingly painful to see this unoriginality stemming from one of the more experience and perhaps wise production team. And the most tiring, it's their inability to comprehend a simple formula, and their overriding egoistism as if they know all, when yet in fact, they don't seem to have the slightest clue or simply refuse to accept a simple logic. And they are running a station for the consumption of the masses.

Even during the first season of Jeritan Sepi, the then people at the station was not completely convinced that Jeritan Sepi could make it on its own, so it decided to ride on a previous popular drama - Selagi Ada Kasih - the one featuring Eda Farida as the kidney patient. As a result, if viewers can recall, Jeritan Sepi's opening title was tagged as Selagi Ada Kasih - Jeritan Sepi.

Because of the unprecedented and phenomenal success of Jeritan Sepi season 1 - it overshadowed the previous success of Selagi Ada Kasih - Jeritan Sepi was given the green light to stand on its own in season two, but not without every single somebody out there from the station and even outside agencies wanting a piece of the successful pie. The second season which was aptly and simply titled Jeritan Sepi, however did not make it at the "box-office" like the first season as it became a case of "too many cooks spoil the soup".

Now this so-called third season is titled as Jeritan Sepi - Memburu Kasih. Why not just "Memburu Kasih"? Doesn't the new team have the confidence and the ability to ensure that their new story of gambling, elderly neglect and a Malay/Muslim couple living the high life of women, sex and booze can perhaps be a success if all the ingredients are right? Why borrow popular titles time and again?

It seems that lessons were not learnt from a previous mistake of borrowing the popular Rahsia Perkahwinan title. The first season of Rahsia Perkahwinan featured the award-winning veteran actor S Effendy who jollied his CPF money with a Batam girl leaving his heck-care-in-appearance wife bitter. The second season, which was a totally new cast and storyline, featured singer-turned-actor Fauzie Laily as the unconvincing new stepfather, and Rahima as the wife who refused sex with hubby. The second season did not make it. The second season did not usurp the previous success ratings of the first season of Rahsia Perkahwinan. The simple truth and logic is out there. Open thou eyes. There's no one else to blame - not publicity or the viewers - it's just a simple logic.

It's time to get over borrowing. Move on. The days of Miss Universe is over! If you know what I mean.