In Double Bonus, Yong Xiang BBQ Pork is a century old shop famed for its bak kwa, owned by the Jin’s. Unwilling to see his mother slog so hard for the business, the eldest son, Junjie (Terence Cao) and his wife, Meifeng (Zoe Tay) help out at Yong Xiang. Full of drive and ambition, the second son, Junyang (Zhang Yao Dong), and his wife, Isabella (Michelle Chia), set up their own bak kwa business, using Yong Xiang’s equipments and facilities for their own benefit. In a twist of fates, two gods possess Meifeng and a tenant at her house. With complications and misunderstandings arising due to the pranks of the gods, what will happen to the Jin’s?

Produced by Soh Bee Lian and written by Chen Sew Khoon and Goh Chwee Chwee, the MediaCorp Channel 8 drama serial runs for 23 episodes.

The show focuses on the relationships between family members and friends, with a tinge of supernatural element infused in it. Always working hard for the family, Meifeng undergoes a drastic change in personality after being possessed by the God of Beauty. Instead of working doubly hard like usual, she turns stubborn and unleashes all her unhappiness after being taken for granted over the past few years.

“Because the God of Beauty is a child, he acts like one and we all know children don’t take orders from people. So when Meifeng is tasked to do something, he (possessing her) would refuse to do them, asking why she is the only one doing everything while the rest don’t do anything,” Zoe says.

Due to Meifeng’s inability to conceive, her mother-in-law (Shujiao, played by Zhu Mimi) treats her badly and prefers Isabella to her because the latter is more ambitious and capable. After the possession of the God of Beauty, a lot of misunderstandings about the business are created between Meifeng and Isabella. However, Michelle notes that it’s just in Isabella’s nature to be strong-headed when it comes down to business.

She says, “Isabella is not actually bad. She’s just “bad” because she cares a lot for the business. On top of that, the God of Beauty kept stirring troubles for her, thus forcing her to be “bad””.

Apart from local actors, the show also featured Hong Kong actor Tom Price, as a tenant living with the Jin’s, Romeo Yang. Coming to Singapore because of his love for Chinese culture, the Singaporean-American meets the youngest daughter, Peiling (Tracy Lee), from the Jin family and falls in love with her over time.

Tom says, “Romeo’s a sweet guy and is very innocent when it comes to love. He sees that Peiling is a nice girl and they both get along quite well, thus falling in love with her.”

Photos courtesy of Randall Sim & MediacorpTV.

Having a cast consisting of veterans and child actors, Double Bonus is bound to crack you up with its comedic moments. The show also vaguely reminds you of previous MediaCorp production, With You, because of the spirit possession and the presence of the supernatural element.

Double Bonus debuts Jan 3 and runs every weeknight at 9pm on MediaCorp’s Channel 8.