Breakout (TV series)

Breakout (simplified Chinese: 破天网) is a Singaporean Chinese drama which was telecast on Singapore's free-to-air channel, MediaCorp Channel 8. It made its debut on 6 December 2010 and ended on 7 January 2011. This drama serial consists of 25 episodes, and was screened on every weekday night at 9:00 pm.

Being the end-year Channel 8 blockbuster of 2010, it was the tenth Channel 8 drama to be fully filmed in HD and the first to be filmed in Dolby Digital.

This drama will be encored from 30 November 2011 to 3 January 2012 at midnight, and this time rated PG for violence, similar to The Ultimatum. However, The Family Court and The Score were not being broadcast at midnight, but at 5.30pm instead.

Breakout was one of two blockbuster dramas for the year 2010 and has been mistaken to be Channel 8's anniversary special. There were no anniversary dramas that year.

Title

The drama's title translates to the Technical Analysis term in financial markets, referring to super-villain Yang Tianwei's attempt to trade using that strategy so as to get rich quickly enough to seek revenge for his murdered son rather than wait for justice to be meted out.

Synopsis

On her 12th birthday, Tang Ying (younger portrayed by Regine Lim, older portrayed by Zhou Ying) lost her parents and older brother to a tragic road accident. Although she survived, she lapsed into a coma for 13 years. When she came out of her coma, she was stunned to realize that she was no longer a 12-year-old girl but a 25-year-old young woman. Trapped in an older body with her memory still frozen at age 12, Tang Ying struggles to cope with reality which includes the cruel truth that her family is dead.

Tang Ying suspects that there is more to the tragic road accident which claimed the lives of her entire family. As a result, Tang Ying embarks on a rigorous routine to learn and to familiarize herself with a society that has changed tremendously in the years when she was unconscious.

During this time, she befriends Zou Jieming (portrayed by Elvin Ng), an autistic but highly intelligent savant, and Situ Dongcheng (portrayed by Christopher Lee), a down-and-out former lawyer who has lost everything he treasured in his life. Together, they embark on a battle against Yang Tianwei (portrayed by Guo Liang), a cruel, ruthless and cunning man who will stop at nothing in his quest to avenge his dead son Zhenjie. Tianwei's children, Chris Yang Zhenfeng (portrayed by Dai Yang Tian) and Nianqing (portrayed by Jeanette Aw), assist him in his evil deeds. It is revealed that Yang Tianwei had planned the murder of the Tang Yaozu and his family for a past grudge using a road accident and it was not an isolated incident. Will Tang Ying, Jieming and Dongcheng be able to bring him to justice before he ruins more lives? ^[1]

Cast

Yang family

Tang family

Zou Jieming's family

Other characters

Critical Reception

Nominations and Awards

There were no anniversary dramas in 2010. Breakout dominated the Star Awards with a string of nominations in the acting and technical categories.

It also won three nominations and commendations at the 2011 Asian Television Awards.

Parody

During the awards ceremony, Christopher Lee, Huang Wenyong, Ben Yeo and other actors performed a parody of the series. Lee, portraying Breakout director Chong Liung Man, and his "camera crew" (played by Huang and Yeo) were filming a scene on the harbour. Veteran radio deejay Dennis Chew played Yang Tianwei, ceremony co-host Quan Yi Fong played Yang Nianqing, popular television host Lee Teng played Yang Zhenfeng, award nominee Zhou Ying reprised her role as Tang Ying and Quan's co-host Guo Liang played Zou Jieming.

See also

• List of programmes broadcast by MediaCorp Channel 8

References

External links

• Breakout (Chinese) on MediaCorp website