Bagani: ABS-CBN’s Most Controversial Series Yet

The hype surrounding ‘Bagani’ has been on a high for the past few months.

On the good side, this upcoming ABS-CBN drama series will be led by Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil, one of the Philippines’ most popular love teams today. On the bad side, however, ‘Bagani’ has been beset by controversy from the start.

When the trailer for ‘Bagani’ first popped out, netizens immediately compared it to ‘Encantadia’ due to its similar themes and landscape. The discussion even spread to the writers of the two shows, namely Suzette Doctolero and Mark Duane Angos.

‘Bagani’ also drew flak for its questionable casting choices. While the series was inspired from pre-colonial Philippines, some of the cast were not pure-blooded Filipinos, particularly the LizQuen tandem and co-star Matteo Guidicelli.

Writer Mark Duane Angos defended ‘Bagani”s casting decisions and setting in a series of tweets.

Colorism is real and we as a society must continue to have a nuanced discussion of it. But to use it as a bullet to demonize Filipinos who have mixed heritage is disingenuous, and frankly, disgusting.

— mark duane angos (@markangos) February 10, 2018

Sana like BlackPanther, pinanood mo muna Bagani bago mo hinusgahan. You’ll know it’s not precolonial. Speaking of colonial, do you see the irony of your tweet- na katanggap-tanggap lang ang isang locally produced show kung maihahantulad ito sa gawang banyaga. Very postcolonial. pic.twitter.com/vidjFzkpif

— mark duane angos (@markangos) February 16, 2018

Bagani is set in a fictional world called Sansinukob- isang alternatibong mundo na may mga elemento ng mitolohiyang Pilipino. It is not PRECOLONIAL. It is not HISTORICAL. Hence it is not a portrayal of sinaunang tao or a particular historical period or event.

— mark duane angos (@markangos) February 18, 2018

Notwithstanding the controversy surrounding ‘Bagani’, fans can’t help but be excited over the return of LizQuen to the small screen. This time, however, the duo will be engaged in plenty of action as fight scenes will become the norm in ‘Bagani’.

That doesn’t mean any moment of ‘kilig’ will be nonexistent. There will still be occasional cheesy scenes that make viewers gush, just not much due to the serious physicality involved.

So far, the confirmed lead cast of ‘Bagani’ include Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil, Sofia Andres, Makisig Morales and Matteo Guidicelli. An extended cast is yet to be revealed.

Star Creatives will handle the production duties for ‘Bagani’. It will be directed by Richard Arellano and Lester Pimentel.

With the impending debut of ‘Bagani’, ABS-CBN has entered the world of epicseryes (for which the likes of ‘Encantadia’ were derived). But unlike GMA whose production of ‘Encantadia’ drained much of their finances, ABS-CBN should pose no concern for ‘Bagani’ as far as money as concerned, and if the series rates well, it will not be a big problem.

Still, it remains to be seen if the various controversies will affect ‘Bagani’ in any way. LizQuen may give this series a boost, but it may also cost them some disgruntled viewers in the process.

‘Bagani’ airs weeknights after ‘Ang Probinsyano’ on ABS-CBN Primetime Bida. In the meantime, here is the full trailer for the series.

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Encantadia’s Last Stand (For Now)

The retelling of ‘Encantadia’ is down to its last few episodes, sort of.

For the past 10 months, ‘Encantadia’ gave ‘Ang Probinsyano’ all they could handle. For every gunshot and fist that Cardo (Coco Martin) throws to all criminal masterminds, the Sang’gres respond with mystical powers that could not only repel the forces of evil, but also help revive their allies who have previously died.

The epic story of ‘Encantadia’ will have a total of 218 episodes when it was all said and done. With so many episodes (not to mention recurring characters) made, it should have been a feel-good tale for Kapuso fans around the world.

Instead, ‘Encantadia’ simply could not keep up with the more compelling series that is ‘Ang Probinsyano’. As of May 12, the former’s average rating is 24% per episode, which is not enough to overcome the near-40% marks that ‘Ang Probinsyano’ tallies.

Having spent a lot of money using elaborate production sets and nearly half of GMA’s roster of artists, the below average performance of ‘Encantadia’ should cause a lot of concern for GMA management. After all, the broadcast of the series brought in some high expectations considering the original series’ immense popularity.

Unfortunately, big-budgeted fantaseryes no longer work in this day and age. The focus of Philippine television is on the here, now and future (e.g. digital and high-definition broadcasts), and for whatever reason, GMA simply mortgaged that future in favor of quick fixes that do not go their way.

 

That said, ‘Encantadia”s long run will not be remembered for its mystical tales or its memorable characters. It will only be remembered for three things: ambitious, expensive and underwhelming.

Looking ahead, GMA will have another fantaserye (Mulawin vs. Ravena) that will once again question their financial capabilities. It a shame, but regardless of critical opinion, GMA will continue to risk them all in hopes of finally getting the victory, even if it means draining the last remaining reserves in their back pocket.

No Replacement for MariMar, At Least for Two Weeks

‘MariMar officially concludes tomorrow, but its replacement ‘That’s My Amboy’ will not be seen until January 25.  (Logo courtesy of GMA Network)

GMA is taking a ‘less is more’ approach on Telebabad. at least for the next two weeks.

Tomorrow night marks the final episode of ‘MariMar’, the second Filipino remake of the classic Mexican telenovela. The series, starring Megan Young as the titular character, will officially end with a total of 100 episodes.

High expectations awaited this version of ‘MariMar’ when it first premiered on August 24, 2015. After all, the original starring Thalia and the first remake starring Marian Rivera were each big hits when they were aired here.

Unfortunately for GMA, the new ‘MariMar’ failed to make an impact in the ratings. The series lost regularly to both ‘Nathaniel’ and ‘Ang Probinsyano’, forcing GMA to consider moving ‘MariMar’ to a later timeslot, only to renege on that promise.

Looking back, it is clear that this ‘MariMar’ was a letdown for the Kapuso network. The series was supposed to be a hit, bar none, but with viewers already used to the story, not to mention a shorter wait between remakes and tougher competition from Primetime Bida, it lost its appeal.

In the end, it was a mistake that GMA would like to forget. For Megan Young, the comeback trail following her victory at the Miss World pageant was a rough one to begin with.

So what’s next for GMA after ‘MariMar’? GMA has already confirmed that ‘That’s My Amboy’, the follow-up project of ‘The Half-Sisters’ stars Barbie Forteza and Andre Paras, will replace ‘MariMar’, but the series will not begin until January 25.

This means that for the next two weeks, GMA Telebabad will only have five programs on the menu, with two teleseryes highlighting the lineup. The schedule is as follows:

5:45 p.m. – The Producers

6:30 p.m. – 24 Oras

7:45 p.m. – Little Nanay

8:30 p.m. – Because of You

9:15 p.m. – Kapuso Primetime Cinema

With only two local dramas starting this Monday, GMA Telebabad is at a clear disadvantage against Primetime Bida’s five teleseryes. Both ‘Little Nanay’ and ‘Because of You’ will now face ‘Ang Probinsyano’ and ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’; an obvious mismatch ratings-wise.

That said, the next two weeks will be a difficult one for Telebabad. While waiting for ‘That’s My Amboy’ (‘The Half-Sisters’ ends January 15, hence the delayed premiere), viewers will need to endure watching only two teleseryes on GMA’s primetime lineup.

A New Problem for MariMar as Ang Probinsyano Premieres

The new ‘MariMar’ of Megan Young and Tom Rodriguez has not been able to make an impact.

Whether it’s Kantar or AGB Nielsen’s NUTAM ratings, ‘MariMar’ proved to be no match for ‘Nathaniel’. The latter series will end later tonight, but more problems await the former.

Come this Monday, ‘MariMar”s new opponent will be the long-awaited adaptation of ‘Ang Probinsyano’. The new series is based on the classic late 90s film starring Fernando Poe, Jr., and will star Coco Martin in a dual role of estranged twin law enforcers.

In ‘Ang Probinsyano’, Coco will play the roles of twins Ador and Cardo, whose lives were separated financially. After Ador was killed, Cardo decided to cover up the incident by posing as his brother, but playing a dead brother whose lifestyle is different from his proved to be more difficult than he thought.

Joining Coco in the upcoming series will be Maja Salvador, Arjo Atayde, Albert Martinez, Agot Isidro, Bela Padilla, Joey Marquez, Jaime Fabregas, and Ms. Susan Roces. Maja will replace Angeline Quinto, who left the series due to scheduling conflicts.

Also playing key supporting roles will be Simon Pineda, Dennis Padilla, Ana Roces, Zaijian Jaranilla, Malou Crisologo, Malu De Guzman, Marvin Yap, Pepe Herrera, Lester Llansang, John Medina, Michael Jornales, Gio Alvarez and Tess Antonio. Avel Sunpongco and Malu Sevilla will direct the series.

‘Ang Probinsyano’ will be the second FPJ adaptation to air on ABS-CBN, following ‘Ang Panday’ which was broadcast ten years earlier. All rights to the films of Fernando Poe, Jr. have been with ABS-CBN since 2007, and are currently seen in select ABS-CBN free TV and cable networks.

Now that ‘Ang Probinsyano’ will make its long-awaited premiere, how much more will ‘MariMar’ have to endure? The series has so far not been able to live up to the standards of the original Thalia classic and the DongYan-starred first adaptation, and the entry of ‘Ang Probinsyano’ only makes things worse.

That said, ‘MariMar’ will have its hands full against its new adversary. It’s a big challenge for the embattled series, so let’s see how it pans out.

‘Ang Probinsyano’ airs weeknights starting September 28 after ‘TV Patrol’ on Primetime Bida.