SPM.

These three letters were the cause of pain, mental stress, emotional issues and many more when we were in school.

And it's not just a matter of passing or failing, most teachers, parents - basically any adult - would usually drill it into our brains that the more As you get, the better your chances of actually succeeding in life.

That's a lot of pressure for hormonal teenagers but it's a hurdle that many of us just have to overcome.

Centred around all these emotions and challenges comes a new Astro Original drama series called 'Projek: Anchor SPM'.

Focusing on the most stressful part of school

The 'Projek: Anchor SPM' is a teen-centred drama set in a fictitious boarding school called Tengku Isa Anuar School (STIA) located in Cameron Highlands.

The students at this school wear sweaters, play rugby and have school jerseys which they don with pride.

While the whole look may be quite different from the usual sekolah menengah, the students there still face the same headache - scoring straight A's for SPM.

And that's the whole premise of the story.

Popular student and captain of the rugby team Aizat (Aedy Ashraf) keeps getting into trouble and is eventually given an ultimatum by his headmaster Awang (Adlin Aman Ramlie) to either score 8 A's in his SPM or be expelled.

Pressured and pushed to a corner, Aizat comes up with a clever plan to get the school brainiac Aaidaa (Daiyan Trisha) to help him and the whole batch score by cheating during the exams.

Together with a host of colourful friends played by actors Sasha Abedul, Nadhir Nasar (Champion of Hero Remaja 2020) Chubb-E (Winner of Most Popular New Artist at the 33rd Anugerah Bintang Popular BH) and more, the students go through all sorts of challenges in an attempt to beat the system.

Also starring in the series are popular actors Hasnul Rahmat (Best Supporting Actor at the 30th Malaysian Film Festival), Tony Eusoff and Susan Lankester.

A visual delight

While the story itself sounds intriguing enough, the two directors and renowned local filmmakers Rozaisyam Rashid ('PUSAKA') and Anwari Ashraf (scriptwriter from local blockbuster hits 'Polis Evo 1&2', 'PUSAKA', 'PASKAL: The Movie and Wira') boast that the visuals are going to be stunning as well.

“With the confidence entrusted to me, I have attempted to present a high-quality production with a unique technique and style. I am also proud for the opportunity to work with Anwari Ashraf again, in directing our first premium drama series together," said Rozaisyam.

Anwari, on the other hand said that 'Projek: Anchor SPM' was his chance to realise a dream of working on a young adult film.

“As a fan of young adult films, I’ve always dreamed of introducing Malaysians to a local production in this rather unique genre. To do this, I tried to tie it in with a topic close to the hearts of Malaysians – examinations, which brought about Projek: Anchor SPM. I hope viewers enjoy this premium series and take the positive values as lessons," he said.


Meanwhile, Raja Jastina Raja Arshad, Vice President, Head of Astro Shaw & Nusantara said that the series was another production by Astro which continues to offer Malaysians high-quality content across storylines and genres.

"This drama series brings forth matters close to many hearts and yet, remains largely unspoken, including psychological struggles as well as peer and family pressure especially amongst adolescents.

"While taking viewers on a nostalgic journey back-to-school, we address these issues and hope to help dispel social stigmas surrounding them. We are also excited to work with renowned local film icons, Razaisyam Rashid and Anwati Ashraf as they present viewers with a fresh new take on local drama series," she said.

Taking you down memory lane

We have to admit that highschool-based series have been hogging our screens (not complaining) for quite sometime now.

Hit series such as 'Glee', 'Riverdale', '13 Reasons Why' and even 'Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina (The Teenage Witch)' all have different storylines but also include lots of juicy teen drama.


While the cheating bit sounds quite similar to Thai blockbuster movie and series 'Bad Genius', the people behind 'Projek: Anchor SPM' have assured that the storyline, characters and backgrounds are quite different.

How different? We guess we will just have to watch and see.

Catch all 8 episodes of 'Projeck: Anchor SPM' starting 15 March, 9pm on Astro Citra (Ch 108 HD/ Ch 128), or stream on Astro GO or On Demand.

You can also follow Astro Shaw’s social media pages for more updates.