Official at ATF: Tong Yao’s Gu Jia Returns in Only Thirty-Five

Well, this is interesting!! It looks like the Nothing But Thirty sequel, which Tong Yao had previously confirmed was going to start production in 2026 (if nothing else changes), has now received further, official confirmation. This is slated to be a co-production with Singapore's Mediacorp and is currently titled Only Thirty-Five. This is awesome news for Singapore fans, since it's likely that Tong Yao will shoot some scenes here. At least, that is what I hope.

This news comes to us from Variety, which makes the announcement very reliable, as Variety is a respectable and trusted trade magazine for the television industry. As reported, the co-production on Only Thirty-Five was officially announced on 3 December 2025 at the Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) in Singapore.

The summary of the plot given in the Variety article doesn't differ at all from the one earlier released by Linmon, which I covered in a previous article on the blog.

We know for sure that Tong Yao will return as Gu Jia because she has already announced her involvement. The article says the production will involve talent from both countries, which means we will likely see some Mediacorp artistes in the cast. I'm hoping that we'll see some of my favourites like Yahui, Cynthia Koh, Carrie Wong, Jesseca Liu, Paige Chua, Ritchie Koh, and even the relatively unknown Zong Zijie.

Realistically, though, Mediacorp may push artistes they’re currently promoting, such as Chantelle Ng (who hasn’t quite won me over yet) or Rebecca Lim (who’s been less active recently and whom I’m admittedly iffy about). We might also see Ayden Sng and Tyler Ten, whom Mediacorp seems keen to promote internationally. And perhaps some veterans like Qi Yuwu, Xu Bin, or even Hong Huifang, who has already found success internationally in films.

It would be nice too if we could see cameos from Mao Xiaotong, Jiang Shuying, and some of the other characters from Nothing But Thirty, since they were part of what made the original series so enjoyable.

But of course, I’m guessing and speculating a lot. In the end, since I love Tong Yao as an actress and Gu Jia was my favourite character in Nothing But Thirty, I’m simply happy that, if all goes to plan, she’ll most likely be shooting some scenes on my sunny little island home, assuming she’s involved in the Singapore storyline.