Make that eight.
The long-running ABS-CBN action series ‘Ang Probinsyano’ claims its latest victim as ‘Sherlock Jr.’ will air its final episode this Friday. And unlike the previous seven GMA series that took on ‘Ang Probinsyano’, this latest encounter became a mismatch right from the start.
First aired on January 29, 2018, ‘Sherlock Jr.’ was originally headlined by Gabbi Garcia and Ruru Madrid, with a special participation from Janine Gutierrez. Unfortunately, the series failed to match the standards of its predecessors due to questionable storytelling and poor viewership.
‘Sherlock Jr.’ averaged a paltry 17% in the Kantar ratings, which is nearly 30% less than ‘Ang Probinsyano”s typical numbers. While previous opponents were able to air for a longer period of time in spite of their inferior ratings, ‘Sherlock Jr.”s poorer-than-expected performance forced GMA to cut the series short.
It also didn’t help that Janine Gutierrez (as Irene) and Gabbi Garcia (as Lily) were killed off during the series’ run. The departure of Gabbi, in particular, came amid rumors of her transfer to ABS-CBN (which was later refuted).
When it was all said and done, ‘Sherlock Jr.’ will only have a total of 63 episodes. That number alone is the fewest for a series that took on ‘Ang Probinsyano’ on a regular basis (not counting ‘Poor Señorita’, ‘Little Nanay’, ‘Mulawin vs. Ravena’ and ‘Alyas Robin Hood’ season 2 which faced other teleseryes besides ‘Ang Probinsyano’).
Suffice to say, ‘Sherlock Jr.’ was considered a tremendous failure for GMA. Facing ‘Ang Probinsyano’ proved to be an exercise in futility, especially with the former’s endless supply of star power compared to ‘Sherlock Jr.’
Its mediocre run was also an indication of GMA’s continued indifference towards its younger stars, especially when it comes to the shocking death of Gabbi Garcia’s character. To cut short a series due to poor ratings and to kill off a young lead star midway through is a clear way of saying how desperate GMA is in winning.
On Friday, ‘Sherlock Jr.’ will bid farewell. But for a series that ran so short, don’t expect a blooper reel or a congratulatory message to its viewers towards the end because GMA is not in a mood for ‘thank yous’.
From the Tube 
Savage burn to end an article right there. Well, not surprising for failing to kill Cardo Dalisay off the screen. The Cure will replace next week (which you’ll write by Thursday, Friday or Monday depending on your slot).
And then there’s more series ending and returning in Mother Ignacia to be written this week — Hanggang Saan ending and Precious Hearts Romances returning.
GMA is known to cut short poorly performing series and Sherlock Jr. was one of those examples so don’t expect any of these compliments from them because they were utterly humiliated.
Sayang talaga, it seemed they had high hopes, but it seemed that GabRu just doesn’t appeal to the masses. And it seems like killing of Gabbi’s character was not an act of desperation to save the series, but more like an admission of defeat: they knew the series was going to end anyway, so they thought “might as well”. But seriously though, killing off Gabbi was probably a bad idea from the start: I know GMA barely promotes its loveteams that are not named AlDub, but they still have loyal fanbases, and such a move probably not only hurt fans, but also put off other viewers as well.
Also, while I never watched the series, the impression I get based on the trailers and promotions is that it wasn’t supposed to be that dark, as it was supposed to be more of a romance series. Perhaps those sudden turns ended up hurting the show more than helping. Maybe it was just a case of “okay concept but flawed execution”.
Let’s wish GMA good luck with The Cure, but considering it too has already been accused of being a rip-off, they have an uphill battle to climb.
Knowing they can’t beat AP, they should’ve used that timeslot for Kapuso Movie Night instead and wait until AP ends. They must realize that as long as Cardo is around they have no chance of winning. Sherlock Jr. should’ve been the last straw, yet GMA insists that AP is beatable. Too bad they don’t know what they’re talking about.
I think GMA still has a chance: after all, FPJAP has been going on for so long that a segment of the population is getting tired of it. The “upper class” demographic (like the people on /r/Philippines) aren’t too fond of FPJAP and ABS either. Perhaps if GMA could make a series that appeals to that segment, maybe they could make a show that could at least put up a good fight. GMA can still beat FPJAP, they just need the right concept for it.
I don’t think so. Not when those anti-AP loyalists and viewers who grew tired of it are in the minority. Besides, AP’s 40% ratings in Kantar despite all that backlash still seems insurmountable for GMA to overcome. Those so-called upper class audience that you’re talking about doesn’t mean they watch GMA shows as well. I’d say, go with KMN instead of another teleserye, then wait for AP to end before they can challenge again. That’s it.
Looks like GMA still can’t give up on their numerous attempts to beat Cardo Dalisay and the gang. Their upcoming ninth attempt will not even last, ewan ko na lang kung ano ang mangyayari once they tried again with their tenth attempt.
The last two attempts for GMA will decide their fate on beating Cardo Dalisay once and for all. Baka sa susunod, we might see a movie block on primetime again on GMA. Beating Cardo Dalisay is a hard task and GMA never learned their lesson since 2015.
They’re essentially desperate at this point. Whatever stars and shows they put in will not help. That’s why a movie block is a last resort for as long as AP’s around, they don’t have a chance.
It really does seem like killing off Gabbi was a bad decision from the start and was essentially the final nail in the coffin. GMA should have known better: I mean just look how pissed Kapamilyas got at ABS for killong off Sofia Andres’ character in Bagani. That’s ABS, a channel known for having faith in their younger artists, and yet even them killing off a young actress’ role, especially so early into the series, left a bad taste in people’s mouths. What more for GMA?
Gabbi is not bad but she’s stuck on the wrong network who doesn’t care about giving young people a chance. Perhaps that cryptic tweet should convince her that GMA is not the perfect fit for her talents. Going to another talent group such as Viva, if not Star Magic, might help her.
The only possible show that could potentially replace AP is Angel’s new but there’s no guarantee that her show will be able to retain AP’s male audience. Heck there’s no guarantee that her new show could even get a consistent 40s in that slot. Not to mention the possible domino effect it could cause shows that follow.
I believe if Angel’s show ended up on the 2nd slot then AP might get extended again.
Much like Contessa when it followed IANU, it is not going to be easy following a series that was successful and long. We saw that when Contessa struggled in the ratings to begin with. There is plenty of time for ABS to decide which timeslot suits Angel’s new drama since Bagani and SIFY were fairly new and ABS has no plans to end AP at the moment.
But if ABS were to replace AP, it has to be another action drama. After all, AP made that popular and something similar is needed to sustain momentum. If that happens, GMA should be ready for it.
Meanwhile, Kambal Karibal has been extended already. I thought The Cure would replace KK.
A rule of thumb: GMA airs less and less teasers of a series with a plot over time, unless it’s a smash hit.
Shame on them. It’s like they’re giving up so quickly. No wonder their artists and shows aren’t well-received.
Kung may balak mag-poach ng talent ang ABS, pwedeng tong lalaking ito. Ibigay lahat ng bansot na female actress/child star sa GMA.
Potential wasted kung baga. Pero kung lilipat sa ABS baka mawalan rin siya ng pwesto dahil sobrang siksik na sila.
Something tells me KK getting extended has less to do with its “high” ratings but more about saving face. KK has been the butt of jokes for most of its run and GMA knows it’s losing badly (heck, SIFY is turning out to be a surprise hit even on GMA’s beloved AGB). Knowing KK has been able to “beat” Bagani on a handful of occasions, they feel that this is their way to keep up the impression that they’re doing well, despite the fact that Sherlock Jr. was a spectacular failure. It seems that GMA is pushing whatever small victory it can get in the vain hope of bolstering its #1 claim, and KK’s (arguably undeserving extension) is their way to do this.
Let’s just hope that’s the last extension they’ll ever give. They’re simply denying the notion that when a series fails to make an impact they simply shorten it. At least Sherlock Jr. had a valid reason but the same cannot be said for KK. Sorry but Bianca and Kyline are not that good to attract an audience.
And now the Kapusos are making up excuses that the real reason Sherlock Jr. ended quickly was “to give chances to other shows” or so that “people won’t watch stale shows”. And yet these same people go quiet when the replies bring up IANU, The Stepdaughters, or Encantadia.
Always the denying type. Ignore them.
Also, I never realized just how poor Sherlock Jr.’s ratings were nationwide: 40+ for Cardo vs. as low as 11 for Sherlock Jr. At least Cardo’s previous opponents put up a fight and even had the occasional win, but Sherlock Jr. not only lost, but it wasn’t even close. I guess it really does deserve its nickname “SherFLOP Jr.”.
Is this GMA’s worst rating Primetime series in recent years?
We’re not sure, but Sherlock Jr. isn’t even the shortest-tenured GMA primetime series in recent memory. Aljur’s last series Once Again and Carla and Tom’s I Heart Davao ran much shorter than Sherlock Jr.
Not primetime, but I guess AFKI has now broken that record. Even with the show’s poor performance, I suppose the quick cancellation still comes as a shock to even GMA critics.
Blame GMA for not taking this series seriously. They’re just too complacent in my book.
Today’s the day, what GMA calls the “PETmalu Finale”. Sadly the only petmalu thing here is FPJAP’s ratings lead over Sherlock Jr. Let’s see if GMA will end the series on a high note, or if the ending of the series will just be as disappointing as the series’ run as a whole.
Like I said, don’t expect GMA to air bloopers or thank you messages at the end of the show. Sherlock Jr.’s utter humiliation does not deserve such tributes.
Currently watching the last episode, and I noticed that their acting feels stiff or lifeless… even Ang Probinsyano has better acting. That and it seemed GMA hasn’t learned from their old mistakes and is still doing their teleserye countdowns.
Those teleserye countdowns mean desperate times for GMA at this point. They are starving for attention, but with the way the management is pushing the wrong buttons, that will not work.
…and you were right: no blooper reel, no thank you message. Just an extended credits and a *very brief* montage at the end. And honestly, as someone who never watched any previous episodes, the episode itself felt weak. Even ABS’s weaker shows had better acting and writing.
Sherlock Jr. was simply the worst teleserye GMA ever made bar none. Nothing else to say.