Good shows must watch: Triad Princess and other shows to binge on

With so many streaming platforms at our fingertips, it's easy to get caught up in the deluge of shows and marvel at the vast content we're getting for the price of a couple of dollars a month.

So, we're cutting through the noise and giving you a cheat sheet of our top picks to stream this weekend.

Think of this as the North Star for all you weekend watchers who love a good binge.

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TRIAD PRINCESS

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MppKF564QEk[/embed]

What: An action-comedy about the daughter of a triad boss (Angie) who runs away from her father's pre-arranged marriage and the hijinks that ensue, Triad Princess is a surprisingly light-hearted series that feels familiar if one grew up on a diet of Taiwanese idol drama. Not surprising, considering that it stars one of Taiwan's hottest actors, Jasper Liu — the male lead of the critically acclaimed 2018 Taiwanese film, More Than Blue.

The slow pacing of the show and the slapstick humour (a staple of Taiwanese idol dramas) can feel tiring but there's something inherently adorable about the strong and crude Angie having a softer side to her. She is brash, uncouth and won't hesitate to serve you a 'knuckle sandwich', but as it turns out, she is actually a huge fan of fictional Taiwan idol Jasper Xu (played by Jasper Liu) and has a shrine of him in her room.

She even goes as far as to defy her father's wishes and take up the position of an undercover bodyguard to an actress in the same agency that manages Jasper — just to get an opportunity to meet him. Angie (played by Eugenie Liu) is such a spirited character that it's a treat to watch her navigate the unfamiliar world of glitz, glamour, and even love; even more than watching Jasper play a rather dull idol.

Where: Netflix; Season 1 is available now

AFTER THE STARS

What: Ever wondered what a highly dramatised version of the local showbiz looks like? Then After the Stars should be on your watchlist because it's about as soapy as it can get. Jeanette Aw plays budding actress, Zheng Tianai, at an artiste management agency run by the 'Empress Dowager' (played by veteran actress Lin Meijiao). Jeanette's character is a simple girl-next-door who gets dragged into the vicious politics of showbiz because the agency's biggest star, Wang Ling (played by Dawn Yeoh), is pissed that she's dating the 'Crown Prince'.

Long story short, she gets framed for trading sex for a movie role because of Wang Ling's devious scheme, resulting in the loss of her career and boyfriend in one fell swoop.

Thankfully, the show doesn't drag out the conspiracy for too long (as such dramas are wont to do) so Jeanette gets justice by the end of the series premiere and goes on to be the agency's next big thing. She even snags a Best Actress nomination in the show's version of the Golden Horse Awards! However, the one thing she didn't recover was her relationship with the 'Crown Prince'; although it's infuriating that like all stereotypical leads in a romance drama, he doesn't want to tell her his motivations.

That said, it's been a while since we've had such a salacious and juicy drama that can possibly rival the likes of similar shows such as Korean drama Cruel Temptation.

Where: Toggle

THE HAUNTED ROOMS 4

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iHluYZlubc&feature=youtu.be[/embed]

What: This supernatural Hong Kong reality TV series — a Viu Original — brings young intrepid hosts to a haunted hotel each episode. Despite the '4' in the show title, this is actually the third season, where the hosts visit Japan and Taiwan again.

The show sets itself differently by having people with the ability to see spirits examine each episode. An ominous red-eye icon as well as an explanation on what the spirits are doing appear on the screen every time they supposedly turn up.

Watching the first episode alone close to midnight led me to a couple of revelations: one, the human imagination can spook itself silly just fine without any jump scares or Sadako-esque entities crawling around. My heartbeat accelerates every time the red eye appears, even though there really could be nothing there.

Second, I now have newfound appreciation for the long advertisements that pop up ever so often in my free Viu subscription. Thirty minutes of consecutive ghost-hunting is too much for this old heart to bear.

Where: Viu; Episode 1 - 4 is available now

bryanlim@asiaone.com 

kwokkarpeng@asiaone.com