This New Malaysian Mystery Series Sets a New Standard For Local Entertainment

Murder By Moonlight is a fresh Malaysian story set in the whodunnit murder mystery genre, pioneered by legendary writers such as Agatha Christie and Edgar Allen Poe. In modern pop culture, celebrated whodunnit works include movies like Knives Out and Murder on the Orient Express based on the novel by Agatha herself.

Created by Mien.ly and Bani Hamid. Murder By Moonlight features a talented cast with Sara Ali taking centerstage as newly-promoted hotel manager Ameera, who’s passionate about writing murder mysteries herself. Tragedy struck when her mentor, Tuan Osman, was found dead and presumed killed at the hotel.

Set during the first MCO, Ameera, her colleagues and the other hotel guests are forced to stay on the island and survive through the lockdown period while possibly living among murderers.

Aside from the talented Sara Ali, the series stars a combination of known and new faces. Veteran actor Wan Hanafi Su (Polis Evo, Bunohan) plays the role of the enigmatic Tuan Osman, a known author and regular at the Hotel Cahaya Bulan. Sharifah Amani (Sepet, Mualaf) adds more flavour to the series as Bella, a hotel guest with a hidden agenda while Riz Amin (Polis Evo 2, 29 Februari) acts as Jit, an ex-convict turned chef yearning for a second chance.

Other notable mentions include Hana Nadirah and Tiara Anchant, two upcoming stars with multiple theatre experiences between them. To add to that, former Miss World Malaysia Thanuja Ananthan takes the role of Dr Sangeetha, a diva doctor on the outside but a kind-hearted softie on the inside.

What adds to the uniqueness is the show creators’ decision to share the director’s chair with three others. Mien.ly got the likes of Khairil M Bahar (15 Malaysia), Gavin Yap (KL 24 Zombies) and Tony Pietra Arjuna (Shadowplay) to reimagine her vision through their own lens - so you can expect a lot of vibrance and flair from each episode. This concept has benefited a lot of popular series in the past, with Breaking Bad and Dr Who being the prime examples.

After watching the first episode, we can tell that this series is going for a bolder direction. Multi-layered conflicts and character tropes played by an outstanding line of cast? Set during the MCO at a hotel near Mersing? With light mentions of supernatural activity? We don’t just smell murder, we smell mayhem too.

Get your thinking hat on and join other murder enthusiasts on the 1st August for the premiere of Murder By Moonlight at 9.00 pm, on Astro Citra, channel 108 and will also be available to stream on Astro GO and On Demand.