Astro Unveils New Original Drama

Astro in Malaysia has launched its latest premium drama series, One Cent Thief, which is based on a true story.

The eight-episode One Cent Thief, which tells the story of a bank officer who hacks the Bintang Bank system to steal one cent from each account, premiered October 8. It airs Saturday nights on Astro Ria HD, PRIMEtime, Astro Vinmeen HD and Astro Shuang Xing HD. Subscribers can catch episodes ahead of the linear broadcast on Astro GO or On Demand.

Raja Jastina Raja Arshad, VP of the Malay Nusantara business and head of Astro Shaw, commented, “Through Astro Originals, we remain committed to presenting high-quality shows that can provide a differentiated experience to audiences while elevating local drama series to an international level. This time around, Astro is proud to present a premium drama series inspired by true Malaysian events, as well as the first Malaysian show to center on a cyber hacker who steals just one cent from every bank account. We believe that the fresh storyline presented through One Cent Thief will appeal to audiences of all backgrounds, and it will air across Malay, English, Tamil and Chinese channels. We hope that One Cent Thief can be seen as a show of international caliber that makes the nation proud and attracts the attention of international audiences, putting our best creative works on the map.”

The crime thriller was created by Alfie Palermo, who serves as showrunner, and written by Natasha Azlan, Ashraf Modee Zain and Zaim Zakki. Palermo noted, “The idea to make this premium drama series came after I read about the ‘one cent thief,’ and it inspired me to create a brand new story. Through One Cent Thief, I wanted to highlight the issues of data security and banking systems, which could be easily hacked by criminals, as well as a point of conflict that is highly relatable—money. Can money resolve all our problems and promise happiness? My hope is that this series could bring awareness on these issues, especially on the rising issue of data security. At the same time, I hope that audiences would enjoy and benefit from this show.”