Long-Running Doble Kara Enters Final Week

After 382 episodes, ‘Doble Kara’ is finally bowing out.

The ABS-CBN afternoon drama series will officially conclude its stellar run as daytime’s top drama this coming Friday. And for fans of Julia Montes, ‘Doble Kara’ will forever be remembered as the series that catapulted her to the top of the afternoon circuit.

‘Doble Kara’ first came on the air on August 24, 2015. At first, the series was originally planned to replace ‘Flordeliza’, but at the last second, ABS-CBN hastily premiered ‘Doble Kara’ amid the dominance of another long-running drama, GMA’s ‘The Half-Sisters’.

One week later, ‘Doble Kara’ was placed opposite ‘The Half-Sisters’, and following a slow start, the former gradually displaced the latter as the Philippines’ top afternoon drama. Along the way, rivals such as ‘Wish I May’, ‘Hanggang Makita Kang Muli’, ‘Sinungaling Mong Puso’ and ‘Hahamakin ang Lahat’ came along, but none were able to topple ‘Doble Kara’.

It was during the run of ‘Doble Kara’ that ABS-CBN’s Kapamilya Gold block eventually overtook GMA’s Afternoon Prime as the most-watched daytime drama block in the country. The overwhelming success of ‘Doble Kara’ was later felt on succeeding dramas such as ‘All of Me’, ‘Tubig at Langis’ and ‘The Greatest Love’ .

But perhaps the most important legacy of ‘Doble Kara’ is the growth of Julia Montes as an actress. Portraying twin characters Sara and Kara, Julia’s dual role proved to be the most challenging of her career, but through it all, she managed to pull it off effectively.

To sum it all up, Julia owed her success with ‘Doble Kara’ to the many viewers that have stuck with her for the past year. In a statement during the show’s final press conference, she said,

Every day, you warmly welcome me into your homes. I am beyond thankful for the memories and the people I met throughout this journey. Thank you because you made me feel that I am not alone, that I am part of one family.

Come this Friday, ‘Doble Kara’ will have its curtain call. And when it’s all said and done, this series should earn its well-deserved round of applause.

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Destiny Rose, And I Love You So End Tomorrow

Another ‘Battle of the Finales’ takes place tomorrow afternoon.

ABS-CBN’s ‘And I Love You So’ and GMA’s ‘Destiny Rose’ will officially conclude after their respective runs of 70 and 130 episodes. The two series have been on a collision course since December of last year, with both shows exchanging ratings victories on numerous occasions.

‘Destiny Rose’ premiered on September 14, 2015, and was the latest GMA series to tackle LGBT issues (similar to ‘My Husband’s Lover’ and ‘The Rich Man’s Daughter’). The series starred Ken Chan as a transwoman, and was joined by Fabio Ide, Katrina Halili, Manilyn Reynes, Michael de Mesa and Joko Diaz, among others.

Replacing ‘Healing Hearts’ on Afternoon Prime, ‘Destiny Rose’ initially struggled in the ratings when it premiered, but soon managed to win the hearts of viewers with the transformation of Ken’s character into a woman. Like the two prior LGBT-themed GMA series, its story received numerous praise from critics.

‘And I Love You So’, on the other hand, premiered on December 7, 2015, and it starred Julia Barretto and Miles Ocampo as rivals turned stepsisters. They were joined by Dimples Romana, Tonton Gutierrez and Angel Aquino, among others.

Premiering as a replacement to the short-lived Kapamilya series ‘Walang Iwanan’, ‘And I Love You So’ proved that it can keep up with ‘Destiny Rose’ in the ratings. But unlike their fellow Kapamilya Gold dramas ‘Doble Kara’, ‘All of Me’ and ‘Tubig at Langis’, ‘And I Love You So’ was unable to dominate, which should bother the cast given the potential of both Julia and Miles.

In any event, this should be an exciting ‘Battle of the Finales’. For ‘And I Love You So’ and ‘Destiny Rose’, it’s all about finishing on a right note, and tomorrow afternoon, viewers will find out how their stories conclude.

Meanwhile, ABS-CBN and GMA have announced replacements for the two series. The Kapamilya network will go back to airing Koreanovelas with ‘My Love Donna’, while the Kapuso network will counter with ‘The Millionaire’s Wife’.

More on that in upcoming articles.

Tubig at Langis Premieres Today

Zanjoe Marudo and Cristine Reyes are back together, on-screen that is.

Their newest project, ‘Tubig at Langis’, will mark the most serious project for the pair. Airing later today on ABS-CBN’s Kapamilya Gold, the new series will feature a plot that would test not only the limits of marriage, but also devotion to family and loved ones.

In ‘Tubig at Langis’, Irene (Cristine) was a young woman and a family breadwinner, having been abandoned by her mother as a child. At first, she fell in love with Jaime (Victor Silayan), only to find out that he had already been married to another woman.

A few years later, Irene’s childhood friend Natoy (Zanjoe) returned, and the two fell in love and eventually got married. Unknown to Irene, Natoy soon met and fell in love with Clara (Isabelle Daza), after which things became complicated between the three of them.

‘Tubig at Langis’ also stars Vivian Velez, Lito Pimentel, Nadia Montenegro, Marco Gumabao, Ingrid Dela Paz, Dionne Monsanto, Archie Alemania, and Miguel Vergara. It will be directed by FM Reyes, and produced by the drama unit of Ruel S. Bayani.

The new series will take over the timeslot of ‘All of Me’, whose finale aired last Friday. By all accounts, ‘Tubig at Langis’ should perform respectably like its predecessor, considering the recent streak of good fortune for Kapamilya Gold.

Still, with Cristine Reyes’ marriage to Ali Khatibi taking place days before the series premiere, ‘Tubig at Langis’ may only end up as a short-run series. ABS-CBN can only hope that ‘Tubig at Langis’ can last as long as their creative staff desires, and that Cristine Reyes can stick around while adjusting to life as a married mother.

‘Tubig at Langis’ airs weekdays after ‘Doble Kara’ on ABS-CBN’s Kapamilya Gold.

FTT Year 2015 in Review: Television’s Best

Another year is about to end. But before the calendar flips to 2016, here is a look back at the year that was in television and radio. This article looks back at the 10 best moments in Philippine television this year.

AlDub Invades Eat Bulaga and the World

The now-popular Kalyeserye segment of ‘Eat Bulaga’ began on July 16, as a then-unknown Maine Mendoza (under the Yaya Dub character) caught the eye of rising Kapuso star Alden Richards. Since then, AlDub grew into a social media phenomenon, and it culminated into a slew of advertisements, magazine covers, a supporting role in ‘My Bebe Love: #KiligPaMore’, and a sold-out ‘Sa Tamang Panahon’ live episode at the Philippine Arena.

While the popularity of AlDub had some negative effects on GMA and its rivals, there is no denying that the duo became the key ingredient that introduced ‘Eat Bulaga’ into a new generation. The 36-year-old variety show is now enjoying its best ratings in years, thanks largely to AlDub.

LizQuen, KathNiel and JaDine Dominate Primetime Ratings

While AlDub dominated noontime, primetime belonged to ABS-CBN’s three hottest love teams.  The year began with LizQuen (Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil) of ‘Forevermore’ continuing their winning run, before handing it over to KathNiel (Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla) of ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’, and JaDine (James Reid and Nadine Lustre) of ‘On the Wings of Love’.

The success of LizQuen, KathNiel and JaDine were crucial in Primetime Bida’s thorough domination of Telebabad in the national ratings. Although GMA responded with BiGuel (Bianca Umali and Miguel Tanfelix) in ‘Once Upon a Kiss’, and GabRu (Gabbi Garcia and Ruru Madrid) of ‘Let the Love Begin’, they were unable to make an impact.

A New Sunday Afternoon Habit

August 9 saw a new rival for the 20-year-old ‘ASAP’, but they did not expect it to be different. In came ‘Sunday PinaSaya’, GMA’s newest variety show that emphasized more on comedy than musical performances.

The presence of ‘Eat Bulaga’ hosts Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola and Alden RicRhards (with Maine Mendoza later added) helped ‘Sunday PinaSaya’ defeat ‘ASAP’ on a consistent basis. In response, ABS-CBN moved ‘Banana Split: Extra Scoop’ to Sunday afternoons as ‘Banana Sundae’, but it still failed to reverse the trend.

Willie Revillame Returns 

Speaking of Sunday afternoons, May 10 saw the return of Willie Revillame to the small screen with ‘Wowowin’. Initially airing every mid-Sunday afternoons, it later moved to an earlier timeslot after ‘Sunday PinaSaya’, where it has since flourished.

Even though Willie faced an arrest warrant over the ‘Willing Willie’ macho dancer kid case, this didn’t stop him from receiving accolades for ‘Wowowin’. The rebirth of the controversial host was capped off with a pair of awards for best game show and host in the PMPC Star Awards.

Wattpad Presents Turns 1

The teleserye dominance of ABS-CBN and GMA did not deter TV5. Following the cancellation of ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’ in early November, ‘Wattpad Presents’ became the network’s longest-running active entertainment program, having been on the air for over a year.

Under-appreciated by most television viewers, ‘Wattpad Presents’ was able to make it over a year thanks to an endless supply of new stories and a dedicated fanbase. It is considered a perfect alternative to the long and dragging storylines that a teleserye usually provides.

ABS-CBN Goes Digital and HD

February 11 saw the much-awaited launch of ABS-CBN TVPlus, the first-ever digital terrestrial television service in the country. The so-called ‘mahiwagang black box’ quickly became popular, selling nearly a million units.

Then on October 3, ABS-CBN HD was launched, bringing virtually every program on Channel 2 into crystal clear high definition. And finally, ABS-CBN announced that they will replace Balls HD with ABS-CBN Sports+Action HD starting January 1, ending a six-year run for the network’s first-ever HD channel.

Kapamilya Gold Reloaded

Teleseryes made their return to Kapamilya Gold on January 13, as ‘Flordeliza’ and ‘Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita’ premiered on the afternoon block. This was followed by four other series: ‘Doble Kara’, ‘All of Me’, ‘Walang Iwanan’ and ‘And I Love You So’.

Since then, the battle between Kapamilya Gold and Afternoon Prime dramas became a tight one, both in ratings and momentum. However, it didn’t stop ‘The Half-Sisters’ from achieving the one-year milestone in June.

NCAA Returns to Channel 23; UAAP Extended

After a fruitless three-year tenure with Sports5, the NCAA returned to ABS-CBN Sports in late June. The renewed partnership featured new innovations, such as social media interaction and high-definition broadcasts.

ABS-CBN Sports also signed a fresh five-year deal with the UAAP, following another successful season. The network now plans to extend its coverage to other UAAP tournaments, in addition to full coverage of men’s basketball and women’s volleyball.

The Big Two-0

November 27 saw ‘Bubble Gang’ celebrate its 20th anniversary with a documentary special. The 20-year-old gag show continues to defy time, maintaining its status as a Friday night habit despite an evolving cast of talents and advancements in technology.

Also reaching its 20th year is ‘Saksi’, the second longest-running active free TV newscast in the country. So is ‘ASAP’, who despite fading ratings with the entry of ‘Sunday PinaSaya’, remains a fixture on Sunday noontime.

Janella, Jana Shine on Lunchtime

Following up the success of ‘Be Careful with My Heart’ was a difficult task, but Janella Salvador and Jana Agoncillo proved that they were able to thrive with this challenge. Janella’s ‘Oh My G’ and Jana’s ‘Ningning’ flourished as one the country’s top-rated programs on weekdays, despite a stiff competitor in ‘The Ryzza Mae Show’.

In response, the TAPE-produced talk show starring Ryzza Mae Dizon was rebooted into a drama series as ‘Princess in the Palace’. However, the reformat did not produce the desired results.

2015 was another year to remember for television viewers. Although ABS-CBN continued to reign this year, GMA and TV5 enjoyed their own share of moments as well, and with digitization now underway, the preparation for a full-digitized television signal in the Philippines is on.

So what is in store for 2016? Find out as From the Tube continues to look at events and changes that shape Philippine media.

Revamp for Kapamilya Gold

‘Kapamilya Deal or No Deal’ may be affected in the regional networks as Kapamilya Gold revamps its lineup with the move of the NCA block to late nights. (Logo courtesy of ABS-CBN)

A brand-new Kapamilya Gold awaits viewers later today.

As previously announced, ‘And I Love You So’ will take over the slot once occupied by the recently concluded (albeit short-lived) series ‘Walang Iwanan’. The new series, starring Julia Barretto, Miles Ocampo, Angel Aquino and Dimples Romana, will air after ‘All of Me’.

The revamp does not end there, however. Starting today, the News and Current Affairs block will no longer air on Kapamilya Gold, and will instead move back to its original timeslot following ‘Bandila’.

The NCA block lineup will remain the same following the timeslot change. ‘Mission Possible’ airs on Mondays, followed by ‘My Puhunan’ on Tuesdays, ‘Red Alert’ on Wednesdays, ‘Sports U’ on Thursdays, and ‘Tapatan ni Tunying’ on Fridays.

Now that the NCA block has moved to late nights, how will this affect the Kapamilya Gold lineup in the regions? As it stands, this is how the Kapamilya Gold block will look like starting today, as far as Metro Manila viewers are concerned.

2:45 p.m. – Doble Kara

3:30 p.m. – All of Me

4:15 p.m. – And I Love You So

5:00 p.m. – Kapamilya Deal or No Deal

One program likely to be affected with the change in the regions will be ‘Kapamilya Deal or No Deal’. With the regional networks’ own broadcast of ‘TV Patrol’, they may be forced to preempt ‘Kapamilya Deal or No Deal’ in their area.

As such, the ‘available in select areas’ advisory may apply during episode previews for ‘Kapamilya Deal or No Deal’, in order to inform viewers of a possible preemption. Here’s how it may potentially look like in the regional networks.

2:45 p.m. – Doble Kara

3:30 p.m. – All of Me

4:15 p.m. – And I Love You So

5:00 p.m. – Kapamilya Deal or No Deal/TV Patrol regionals

That said, ABS-CBN has a decision to make regarding Kapamilya Gold in the regions. After all, they don’t want to risk shedding some viewers outside Metro Manila with this move.

Walang Iwanan Ends Friday; And I Love You So to Take Over

This Friday marks a rather short conclusion to ‘Walang Iwanan’.

Premiering on October 19, ‘Walang Iwanan’ managed to air just 35 episodes, which is shorter than a typical ABS-CBN teleserye. No one expected this to happen, considering the Kapamilya network’s high standards when it comes to their teleseryes.

But there are some reasons why ‘Walang Iwanan’ had to end sooner. Beauty Gonzales is due to give birth either within this month or early next year, while Jhong Hilario will be busy running for public office next year.

As for ‘Walang Iwanan”s ratings, the series averaged a 10% rating throughout its run. On the other hand, GMA’s ‘Destiny Rose’ managed a 14% rating per episode according to the Kantar national ratings.

The same goes to AGB Nielsen’s Mega Manila ratings, where ‘Destiny Rose’ performed better than ‘Walang Iwanan’. Overall, ‘Walang Iwanan”s ratings was a letdown from its predecessor ‘Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita’.

Still, it was not an excuse for them to have a short run. After all, there are other circumstances that led to its tenure of over two months.

Next up for ABS-CBN will be Julia Barretto’s first teleserye since 2013’s ‘Mirabella’. Julia’s new series, ‘And I Love You So’, will feature her and Miles Ocampo as stepsisters turned archrivals, all for the love of one man, portrayed by Inigo Pascual.

The story of ‘And I Love You So’ will revolve around the rivalry between the characters of Julia and Miles, who soon found out they were stepsisters. Their lives would change, however, when their parents, portrayed by Dimples Romana and Tonton Gutierrez, reunite and become engaged.

But just as they begin living a normal life, the latter’s first wife, portrayed by Angel Aquino, returns after years of estrangement and seek revenge on his new fiancée. With it comes a series of events that will test the family’s determination to stay together and mend some old wounds.

‘And I Love You So’ will be the latest collaboration between ABS-CBN and Dreamscape Entertainment, whose track record of producing successful teleseryes has been well-documented. But for Julia Barretto, it is about redemption, especially after an inauspicious debut as a lead star in ‘Mirabella’.

That said, ABS-CBN hopes that ‘And I Love You So’ will help bring the best out of Julia. But whether or not it will translate to better ratings remains to be seen, so good luck.

‘And I Love You So’ premieres this Monday after ‘All of Me’ on ABS-CBN’s Kapamilya Gold.