#thacca

1. KNOCK OUT หมัดน็อกล็อกหัวใจ (produced by Dee Hup House)

Premiered May 16 | Ongoing (5/12 episodes) | Currently airing on WeTV, every Friday

Synopsis: Keen was in the middle of a job interview when he received sudden news of his father's death. He had no choice but to use all his life savings to organize the funeral. Soon harassed by debt collectors, he discovered that his father had left behind a significant debt from an informal loan. Keen was compelled to hide at Petchsak camp, a Muay Thai gym, while figuring out a way to pay off the debt he didn't incur. There, he met Thun, a renowned boxer known as "The Cannon Who Conquers Tigers," the star fighter of the camp. However, no one knew why Thun refused to fight anymore: he built an icy wall between himself and others, which Keen had to find a way to break down in order to reach Than's vulnerable heart and true self. This led the two to grow closer, developing a passionate relationship that blossomed into a beautiful love. Together, they overcame obstacles. Confronting the past, however, comes with an irresistible pull that will lead the pair into a path full of danger.

2. Ai no Kisetsu ฤดูกาลแห่งรัก in Shimane (produced by 9Naa)

Premiered May 18 | Ongoing (4/8 episodes) | Currently airing on Viu, every Sunday

Synopsis: A year after his trip to Tokyo, P moves to Shimane to become a travel blogger. One winter day, P receives a message he had long been waiting for: Pan has returned. However, he hasn't come alone as he's arrived with his manager and another young artist. Will passionate feelings be reawakened as new and old relationships clash amidst the snowy backdrop?

3. RESET การเกิดใหม่ของดวงดาว (produced by Broadcast Thai TV)

Premiered June 2 | Ongoing (2/10 episodes) | Currently airing on iQIYI and Channel 3, every Monday

Synopsis: On the night of his greatest achievement, the actor Armin lost his life after he was betrayed by the one he loved most. But death was not the end. Reborn as his younger self, he is given a second chance: to meet his mysterious fan, T.D. and to take revenge on the one who betrayed him. Is it Armin’s destiny to RESET his life?

4. I'm the Most Beautiful Count ฉันนี่แหละท่านขุนที่สวยที่สุด (produced by Change 2561)

Premieres August 1 | 13 episodes | Airing on iQIYI and One31, every Friday

Synopsis: Not long after famous actor Prince came out as queer and rose to the top of the entertainment industry, he wakes up in the body of a good-looking noble in the Thongburi Kingdom of the past.

5. SHINE ชาย (produced by Be On Cloud)

Premieres August 2 | 8 episodes | Airing on WeTV and Channel 7, every Saturday

Synopsis: A tale of love and ideals unfolds in an era resistant to diversity set against the backdrop of the political turmoil of 1969-1971. Trin, a principled economist, collides with Thanwa, a free-spirited hippie. When they encounter Moira, an extravagant widow who lives far beyond the boundaries of freedom, their lives take an unpredictable turn.

6. 4 เรื่องราวแห่งชะตา (lit. 4 Stories of Destiny) (produced by Make A Picture) - TBA

7. เลือนรางและจางหาย (lit. Fading and Vanishing) (produced by Kantana Group) - TBA

Note on the THACCA Grant Funding, previously explained by @virtualtadpole

I went and looked into the official grant criteria, and the distinction you made here is correct, except that the network and independent categories are entirely separate from the BL/GL group. Of the lakorn/series categories, they had 30 million baht earmarked for at least 3 TV network projects, another 30 milion for at least 5 independent studios, 3 million for at least 2 children's shows (which was redistributed as no one submitted a project), and 32 million baht for BL/GL, which was further divided into two subcategories: 20 million baht for at least 4 BL/GL productions (at least 8 episodes of at least 30 minutes, with a total budget of at least 6 million baht), and 12 million baht for at least 3 BL/GL newcomer productions (at least 6 episodes of at least 20 minutes, with a total budget of at least 4 million baht). Applicants are required to have previously produced a BL/GL or participated in a BL/GL production (respectively for each subcategory, presumably).

Oh, and the grant statement says for projects to be considered, they need to (1) promote works that show variety and internationally competitive quality, OR (2) promote generation of employment and revenue for the industry, OR (3) showcase cultural worth and reflect and publicize the Thai identity to the international stage.

[THACCA] did say they received 894 submissions in total, with 88 final recipients. I do think the selection committee would be more partial to stuff more likely to sell internationally, though.

1. KNOCK OUT หมัดน็อกล็อกหัวใจ (produced by Dee Hup House)

Premiered May 16 | Complete (12 episodes) | WeTV

Synopsis: Keen was in the middle of a job interview when he received sudden news of his father's death. He had no choice but to use all his life savings to organize the funeral. Soon harassed by debt collectors, he discovered that his father had left behind a significant debt from an informal loan. Keen was compelled to hide at Petchsak camp, a Muay Thai gym, while figuring out a way to pay off the debt he didn't incur. There, he met Thun, a renowned boxer known as "The Cannon Who Conquers Tigers," the star fighter of the camp. However, no one knew why Thun refused to fight anymore: he built an icy wall between himself and others, which Keen had to find a way to break down in order to reach Than's vulnerable heart and true self. This led the two to grow closer, developing a passionate relationship that blossomed into a beautiful love. Together, they overcame obstacles. Confronting the past, however, comes with an irresistible pull that will lead the pair into a path full of danger.

2. Ai no Kisetsu ฤดูกาลแห่งรัก in Shimane (produced by 9Naa)

Premiered May 18 | Complete (8 episodes) | Viu

Synopsis: A year after his trip to Tokyo, P moves to Shimane to become a travel blogger. One winter day, P receives a message he had long been waiting for: Pan has returned. However, he hasn't come alone as he's arrived with his manager and another young artist. Will passionate feelings be reawakened as new and old relationships clash amidst the snowy backdrop?

3. RESET การเกิดใหม่ของดวงดาว (produced by Broadcast Thai TV)

Premiered June 2 | Complete (10 episodes) | iQIYI

Synopsis: On the night of his greatest achievement, the actor Armin lost his life after he was betrayed by the one he loved most. But death was not the end. Reborn as his younger self, he is given a second chance: to meet his mysterious fan, T.D. and to take revenge on the one who betrayed him. Is it Armin’s destiny to RESET his life?

4. I'm the Most Beautiful Count ฉันนี่แหละท่านขุนที่สวยที่สุด (produced by Change 2561)

Premiered August 1 | Ongoing (4/13 episodes) | Currently airing on iQIYI and One31, every Friday

Synopsis: Not long after famous actor Prince came out as queer and rose to the top of the entertainment industry, he wakes up in the body of a good-looking noble in the Thongburi Kingdom of the past.

5. SHINE ชาย (produced by Be On Cloud)

Premiered August 2 | Ongoing (4/8 episodes) | Currently airing on WeTV and Channel 7, every Saturday

Synopsis: A tale of love and ideals unfolds in an era resistant to diversity set against the backdrop of the political turmoil of 1969-1971. Trin, a principled economist, collides with Thanwa, a free-spirited hippie. When they encounter Moira, an extravagant widow who lives far beyond the boundaries of freedom, their lives take an unpredictable turn.

6. 4 Destiny Project (4 เรื่องราวแห่งชะตา) (produced by Make A Picture)

Premieres September 18 | 8 episodes | Airing on Viu, every Thursday

A collection of four BL (mini)series (2 episodes each), directed by four visionary directors— get ready for an emotional rollercoaster.

👻 The Last Night คืนสุดท้าย, premieres Sep 18 🍷 Red Moon and Wine คืนจันทร์เลือด, premieres Oct 2 ❤️‍🩹 UN-IN Heart หัวใจหรัญญ์, premieres Oct 16 🥊 Blood Fighter’s สังเวียนที่รัก, premieres Oct 30

7. When Light Fades (แสงดาวแสงศรัทธา) (produced by PS Performance Pro) (NEW ENTRY)

This series did not win the funding in the the BL/GL category but rather the funding for the production budget of dramas/series produced by independent production houses. It was only through its recently announcement poster that I noticed that it's a QL series that also received THACCA funding, just not in the QL category. For more production news, you can follow their social medias (X, IG, Youtube, Tiktok)

Synopsis: "Comrade...we will walk forward together." In 1976, a young student enters the jungle and meets his comrades from Baan Saeng Dao. A bond is formed, giving them strength on the path of their ideals.

8. One Year…เลือนรางและจางหาย (lit. Fading and Vanishing) (produced by Kantana Group) (NEW ENTRY)

Coming soon in 2026 | will be airing on Amarin TV 34

Came across the account for One Year, turns out they rebranded Low Frequency (a previous BL series produced by Kantana) for this 😅

9. 8HOURS by Be On Cloud received Funding for Development: Funding for films, dramas, and series (creating IP)

(disclaimer: this is just my rough translation, may contain slight inaccuracies)

Actress Goy: There's this thing I really want to talk about, because it's not just people in the industry asking me but others as well... Since I do YouTube content, my juniors often ask me like "How can I become an actor?", "How can I get chosen for roles? I want to pass auditions too" and if they need as many followers as I have to be chosen. What do you both think about this issue?

Actor Oom: It’s an undeniable that this is a reality, but we have to look at it from both sides. If you want to be an actor, do acting working then you need to focus on the acting, chase after opportunities, and sometimes wait for them to come to you. As for follower counts, this thing I honestly don't know because mine are very low.

Goy: That's so cute. So cute.

Oom: So I can't really say if it has an effect or not. But I believe if you are serious about what you love, the right timing will come.

Coach Rom: Suppose you go to a casting, you make the final round, and they say they love your acting but your follower count is too low. How would you feel about this, Oom?

Oom: This isn't a hypothetic though; that's like a true story that happened for me.

Goy: Oh, did they really say that?

Oom: Like in the last round [of casting] many, many times it's always like this 🥲😂. I can understand it because, ultimately, the overall picture is up to the final decision-maker right? Because [the decision of] which actor will be best for the project from someone's perspective, is a completely separate issue from acting. I think everyone’s acting has its own beauty, everyone is "good" but sometimes it come down to who is the most "useful" for the project, and to what extent. That every time I've been "heartbroken" by this, I [still] completely understood it [though].

Goy: What if they said, "I like your acting a lot, how you play, but can you go increase your followers for me"?

Oom: Oooh, that's even harder than acting 😂

Goy: No, like I just want to know if you'd give into their condition. Like "I'll give you six months, you can do this however you want, just hit this certain number of followers. If you can hit this, the part is yours."

Oom: Then let me go do my homework on how to run ads to increase my followers. I can't just post and expect [my account] to grow organically, so I'd run ads.

Goy: So you'd do it?

Oom: If I really wanted that project, I’d do it.

Rom: As we are in the group of people in the arts, we won't share the mindset of a "money man" or investors for sure. But I can also see that the people who invest would want some kind of return. And that's part of the factor they'll use in their consideration... when they sit and wonder if they'll get this or not, something like that. I know that it happens. I know that it's realistic. I don't agree with it. But I understand it. Which leads to how we live our lives today, in how some people approach our way of work, our actors... I like what Oom said about seeking and waiting for opportunities. Before there were social media, how did we get work, Goy? Nowadays, you can start a YouTube channel, make funny clips, or do acting clips to get work. You can hate the system, but hating it changes nothing. But I feel like "I hate this. It's so painful. But bring it on". I really like this phrase that my husband often says, "If you cannot beat them, join them".

Goy: I agree 100%. I get criticized a lot for doing too many things, with people asking "What do you actually want to be?". My answer to myself is that acting is what I love most, but I can be other things too. Why can't I just enjoy whatever comes my way and learn something new from the experience and just do it? If it's fun, then it could be a thing, if it's not fun then you don't have to do it. If you set a limit for yourself saying "No, I'm gonna be just this. I'm just gonna do this much." That leads to nothing but pain when things don't go your way. So I'd invite people to be more open [about new things].

Oom: Coach Rom, do you have any problems like this? I feel like it's more of a problem for actors.

Rom: With the social [followers] thing? I'm not happy [about it], but [acting coaches like us] weren't chosen based on follower count. Being an acting coach is about the working method; it goes back to the structure, rather than external factors influencing. I think I'll survive my profession but I really sympathize with the actors. A lot of times when I hear these stories, I'd say that I often get angry on their behalf. I have to admit that I'm fortunate that my profession isn't measured based on followers. But I try to tell a lot of actors, like what Goy said, just being angry, complaining and cursing doesn't change anything. Like when Oom said he’d spend six months running ads, at least that is an attempt to fight an unfair system. We just have to keep practicing our craft.

Oom: Let it be a matter for those who think that way. And as for us, if we love performing, we'll probably just have to keep improving our skills, right?

Goy: Right! In terms of acting, I'm always striving to improve my skills. Speaking as someone who makes money from being an "influencer", they definitely give value to the fact that someone has a lot of followers. What I must admit is that even though I’ve always had acting work consistently every year, but my acting opportunities increased A LOT after I started doing YouTube. If you ask me if I love being a Youtuber that much, I don't. But I found an aspect of it that makes me happy; I get to work with my friends and make money. And what follows that are the opportunities to do what I truly love. So even if I don't like it as much [as acting], I'm not saying that I don't like it and I'll find some aspects about it to enjoy because it paves the way for me to do what I truly like doing so I'd say "Thank you" to [doing Youtube]. It does not mean that if I love acting, I have to do only acting works. I feel like there's a lot of people who can really go this way [hands gesturing a straight line] like you love acting then you go this way, all the way. But [for me], I can see that if this way [hands gesturing in zigzag lines] can lead to more acting opportunities, then I'd take a detour and we'll meet things along the way, which isn't bad at all. I don't want to be stigmatized like "This person has a lot of followers, that's a real actor". But there are a lot of people who have very few followers; they are also "real" actors. Ultimately, it's about whether the audience "buys" your performance or not and if it makes them feel something. At the end of the day, the things used to being measured are the acting performances. But trying to say things like "You're only getting the role because you have high followers," what is the point of that? Who is the person getting hurt? It's only yourself. Because in the end, if they really have more followers than you, then that's just a fact. So you're only hurting yourself; it's pointless.

Oom: I think maybe we need to be kinder/have good faith with those kind of questions. Also to set aside our prejudices sometimes and rather check with ourselves to see if there's also some kind of bias within our own questions.

Rom: Even though that's just how marketing and business people think that way; we shouldn't let that become the actor's own mindset.

Oom: We should leave that matter to other people right?

Rom: Right. Otherwise, it creates prejudice where actors view each other in a certain way and hurt each other (read: industry rivalry). And it exists for real. I mean that there are people that are hurt by this. But we can also understand it from the perspective of "Hurt people hurt people": like I feel hurt so I dislike this person because they got the role because they had more followers even though they're not even a good actor. But then the question comes back to are we also biased [against people who have a lot of followers]? I don't want this thing to harm the friendships or the relationships among fellow actors.

Oom: But I also think that, another thing is that... Hypothetically, I'm brokenhearted because [I lost a role to] Goy who has more followers than me. Could I possibly be directing my anger at the wrong person?

Rom and Goy: Right! That's true.

Oom: We might be heartbroken over something we can't see or we're intentionally choosing not to see. Something like that.

Personal note: This was such a fun listening/translation exercise. I felt like this conversation is kinda apt with all the discourse about Becky Armstrong being cast into the role of highly anticipated role of Nanno in the new reboot of Girl From Nowhere. It's a neverending issue but one not very often openly discussed among Thai actors and I'm happy that there is even a space for people to discuss it. Hopefully TOSAA work continues on even if THACCA initiative is discontinued since they're not that tightly linked though there are close connections between both entities. And let's be for real, I'm sure the only reason why Oom is not booking more 'mainstream' roles is because he doesn't want to book series/TV drama works. I can't believe they're passing up on HIM! be so for real right now producers 😤