KUALA LUMPUR: All good things must come to an end, and veteran film producer Datuk Yusof Haslam's longest-running television drama Gerak Khas is no exception.
His company Skop Productions' action-packed police drama is now in its "last lap" having entered the Malaysia Book Of Records in 2009 as the country's longest-running drama series.
Gerak Khas which began its 21-year run on April 5, 1999 is now airing its last season, the 28-episode Gerak Khas The Finale at 10.30pm on TV3 every Friday and Saturday.
Yusof, 66, said that Gerak Khas The Finale which had begun airing on Dec 4, was directed by Faizal Yusof, C. Kumaresan, Aziz M. Osman, M S Hakimi and Iskandar Kamaludin.
"Gerak Khas has been going strong for two decades, capturing fans from all over the country. It's always been my labour of love to the police who always work hard to keep the country safe from vicious criminals," said Yusof in a recent Zoom interview.
"It's great to note that the police strongly support this series, and have always given their feedback on how to improve certain elements in it."
Yusof said that over the years, fans of the series had given him feedback on crime stories that needed to be highlighted, and they also appreciated the many human interest stories involving the police officers and the challenges they faced.
"The first episode of this final season was widely followed, and it trended well on Twitter. On behalf of Skop, I want to thank all fans of Gerak Khas for their undivided support of the series all these years," he added.
The first episode of the season saw the Special Forces police team thwart a bank robbery and clear the name of Inspector Izzat (Izzat Mushtaq) who had allegedly shot a bystander in a police raid.
Yusof reprises his role as the unit's head Senior Assistant Commissioner (SAC) Datuk Helmi, and his team members include Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Haris (Norman Hakim), Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kumar (Kumaresan), DSP Aleza (Abby Abadi), Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Jeslina (Erra Fazira), ASP Salina (Salina Saibi) and Inspector Sheera (Sheera Iskandar).
Yusof said that filming for the final series had begun in October last year, and went smoothly until the Movement Control Order (MCO) was enforced in March.
"We wrapped up 20 episodes between October and March. Once the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) is relaxed we will resume filming again," he said.
Yusof added that while Gerak Khas had come to an end, he might produce spin-offs which would involve past and present characters of the series.
"Since crime dramas are popular, Skop Productions will still produce them, even if they involved new law enforcement heroes and new storylines."