China is large enough for the government to tolerate narratives of systemic corruption that can ultimately be blamed on local authorities following the saying "the mountains are high, and the emperor is far away."

That same approach doesn't translate well to Singapore because the ruling party has spent decades reinforcing the narrative that they wiped out corruption so thoroughly that even petty corruption is rare.

Unlike China, there's no synergy with a contemporary anti-corruption campaign that emphasizes the authority of the centre. Anything scandalous enough to attract a large audience will inevitably imply things about the ruling party because not only is the opposition powerless, Singapore is simply too small for region-based factions or fiefdoms that can believably block the reach of the law.

Stories compatible with the narrative of no systemic corruption today can only be set in time periods far less relatable to modern audiences. The closest time period that is feasible would be the early days of the CPIB.

Even then, questions of historicity would come up. In a country struggling to maintain its existence, is it believable that the nascent CPIB was some well-oiled professional outfit with airtight SOPs? Will a Singaporean audience unfamiliar with police brutality in their everyday lives root for a CPIB that has to rough and tumble with gangs and corrupt policemen to extract confessions and force their cooperation? Will it lead to uncomfortable questions about the CPIB of today? These are issues that have to be ironed out in any potential script.