Astro Originals presents its latest premium drama series One Cent Thief, which is inspired by true Malaysian events that once shook the nation and remain talked about today. One Cent Thief tells the story of Iman Shah, a bank officer who is desperate to finance his father’s medical costs as well as pay off his father’s mounting debts. Using his intelligence, skills and wits, he hacks the Bintang Bank system to steal one cent from each bank account. 

The series is crafted into a fresh storyline with added commercial value for audiences’ enjoyment as it is a heist series unlike any other – the first series ever to feature a one-cent heist rather than a robbery of diamonds, gold or cash. 

This 8-episode series will premiere on 8 October, every Saturday, 9pm across four channels; Astro Ria HD channel 104,  PRIMEtime channel 704, Astro Vinmeen HD channel 202, and Astro Shuang Xing HD channel 307 (the pilot will be simulcasted on 8 October at 9pm, with subsequent episodes airing every Saturday at 11pm). Audiences can also stream new episodes one week ahead of linear broadcast every Saturday, 12am on Astro GO or On Demand. 

Despite having heist as its main subject, One Cent Thief carries many positive messages and themes relating to societal struggles across all layers of society such as the wealth of the upperclass, the endeavour of the middleclass in achieving their ambitions, the struggles of the working class, and what pushes people to the brink of crime. 

One Cent Thief also showcases many hacking scenes inspired by actual methods practised by cybercriminal group Carbanak, which is rarely showcased in local shows. The series is also full of exhilirating action scenes performed by a star-studded cast including Syafiq Kyle, Faizal Hussein, Azira Shafinaz, Sofia Jane, Amerul Affendi, Fabian Loo, Aghonderan Sahadevan, Carmen Soo, Sathisvaran Magesvaaran, Rubi Rubini, Amir Nafis, Fadhli Masoot, Zain Hamid, Aleza Shadan, Syed Irfan and Airiezara Jasmin. Tan Sri Nazir Razak makes a cameo appearance in the series as well.

Vice President, Malay Nusantara Business & Head of Astro Shaw, Raja Jastina Raja Arshad said, “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 calibre that makes the nation proud and attracts the attention of international audiences, putting our best creative works on the map.”

This crime thriller premium drama series is the original idea of showrunner (creator) Alfie Palermo, who is also one of Astro Shaw’s head writers and is written together with Natasha Azlan, Ashraf Modee Zain, and Zaim Zakki. Alfie Palermo is the creator of Astro Originals series Dukun Diva and has won several accolades including Best Script at the 2016 International Motivational Film Festival BRIDGE of ARTS (IMFF) in Russia and the Best Screenplay at the 2015 Anugerah Lawak Warna. The series is directed by promising young director Ariff Zulkarnain, who is known for his telemovies Cerai and Rompak Raya, as well as the premium drama series Dukun Diva.

Catch the premium drama series One Cent Thief, which will be simulcast across Astro Ria HD, Astro Vinmeen HD, Astro Shuang Xing HD (the pilot will be simulcasted on 8 October at 9pm, with subsequent episodes airing every Saturday at 11pm), and PRIMEtime at 9pm, every Saturday, starting 8 October, or stream it on Astro GO or On Demand. For more info and clips on the series, follow Astro Gempak and Astro Shaw’s TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts.