One Week In, A New Opponent for D’Originals

‘D’Originals’ faces a new challenge starting next week.

The recently-premiered GMA comedy-drama series got its baptism of fire when it aired opposite ABS-CBN’s ‘The Greatest Love’. Sadly, the debut week of ‘D’Originals’ coincided with the gripping final episodes of ‘The Greatest Love’, and as a result, the series did not have enough time to prove themselves against one of ABS-CBN’s top-raters.

As ‘D’Originals’ enters its second week, they find themselves with a different animal. In contrast to ‘The Greatest Love”s family and health-oriented storyline, this new Kapamilya series should be familiar to many critics and viewers alike.

Once again, ABS-CBN is producing a ‘kabitserye’ in the afternoon slot. Enter ‘Pusong Ligaw’.

The latest in a series of infidelity-laced dramas, ‘Pusong Ligaw’ will be led by Kapamilya stars Diego Loyzaga, Sofia Andres, Enzo Pineda, Beauty Gonzales, Bianca King, Joem Bascon and Raymund Bagatsing. The complicated story of ‘Pusong Ligaw’ is as follows:

• Fashion designer Tessa (Beauty) and beauty queen Marga (Bianca) were best friends with big aspirations, until Marga betrays Tessa after sleeping with her boyfriend Caloy (Joem)
• Tessa gives birth and raises her son Rafael until he is stolen by an unknown woman. She then meets Jaime (Raymund) whom he helped along with her struggles and they adopt a son named Rafa (Enz0)
• Rafael was adopted by the Policarpio family and pursued his studies as Potpot (Diego). He met Vida (Sofia), Marga’s daughter who opted to pursue a career as a fashion designer like Tessa, by then known as Terry.

‘Pusong Ligaw’ will be under the production of Star Creatives. The series is directed by GB Sampedro, Elfren Vibar and Henry King Quitain.

If another afternoon ‘kabitserye’ in ‘The Better Half’ is not enough, now comes ‘Pusong Ligaw’ which should test the patience of viewers. While ABS-CBN has had plenty of success with these dramas, the impending premiere of ‘Pusong Ligaw’ may come to a point that they are taking this familiar storyline too far.

Then again, ‘D’Originals’ also borders within the ‘kabitserye’ genre so it’s still a matter of choosing between a serious drama and a more light-hearted one. In any case, good luck to the viewers with regards to their choices.

‘Pusong Ligaw’ airs weekdays after ‘The Better Half’ on ABS-CBN’s Kapamilya Gold.

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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.

Nasaan Ka Ends Tomorrow; Walang Iwanan to Premiere This Monday

‘Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita’ officially bids farewell.

The series will come to a close tomorrow afternoon following its 193rd episode. Starring Jane Oineza, Loisa Andalo and Joshua Garcia, alongside Vina Morales, Denise Laurel, Christian Vasquez, and Jerome Ponce, ‘Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita’ told the story of a daughter who searched for her lost father, and was based from the 1986 film of the same name.

‘Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita’ premiered on January 19 alongside ‘Flordeliza’, as part of ABS-CBN’s attempt to rejuvenate Kapamilya Gold. The series initially had a slow start, but soon gained momentum and won the ratings battle consistently against GMA’s ‘Yagit’, ‘Healing Hearts’ and ‘Buena Familia’.

Come this Friday, expect the finale of ‘Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita’ to be as intense and as epic, not to mention inspiring. It will be the viewers’ last chance to see how love conquers all regardless of the challenges.

In the meantime, a replacement for ‘Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita’ has been confirmed. Titled ‘Walang Iwanan’, the series will take over the former’s timeslot.

‘Walang Iwanan’ features the network’s five rising child stars: Louise Abuel, Micko Laurente, Jon Michael, Raikko Mateo and Karla Cruz. They will be joined by Roxanne Guinoo, Jhong Hilario, John Estrada, Beauty Gonzales, and Nicco Manalo.

The series is based from a real-life survival story of Jose Bautista and his seven siblings, which was retold on ‘Maalaala Mo Kaya’. The story focuses on five siblings who will try to survive on their own after the disappearance of their parents.

With momentum on Kapamilya Gold’s side, it will be a huge task for ‘Walang Iwanan’ to make an immediate impact. But based on ABS-CBN’s recent success with child talent, it should not be a problem.

‘Walang Iwanan’ should be a very inspiring series, much like its predecessor, and viewers should look forward to it. The series airs weekdays after ‘All for Me’ starting this Monday.

Ningning Premiere Kicks Off the Battle of the Child Stars

Jana Agoncillo (center) will star in an upcoming series ‘Ningning’, which will be placed in the pre-noontime slot opposite fellow child star Ryzza Mae Dizon. (Photo credit: ABS-CBN)

Two of the country’s most recognizable child stars today will face off this Monday.

In the red corner is GMA/TAPE’s own Ryzza Mae Dizon, formerly the 2012 Little Miss Philippines grand winner. ‘The Ryzza Mae Show’ is her first television project outside of ‘Eat Bulaga’, and it ushered Ryzza into the role of the country’s youngest talk show host.

In the blue corner is ABS-CBN’s own Jana Agoncillo, formerly known as ‘Baby’ in the hit primetime series ‘Dream Dad’. ‘Ningning’ will be her second starring role in a drama series, and her first in the pre-noontime slot.

‘The Ryzza Mae Show’ may be considered a ‘show within a show’ as part of ‘Eat Bulaga’, but on its own right, it was a decent and entertaining talk show, with the titular 10-year-old host proving to be a kid of many talents. Now Ryzza’s standing as one of the country’s top child stars will be put to the test as Jana Agoncillo comes into play.

In ‘Ningning’, Jana plays the titular character who is cheerful, hopeful and lovely. Set in San Vicente, Palawan, ‘Ningning”s jovial nature will be put to the test through a variety of obstacles that her family and her community faces.

Joining Jana in breathing life out of ‘Ningning’ will be Beauty Gonzales, Ketchup Eusebio, Sylvia Sanchez, Vandolph Quizon, Nyoy Volante, Rommel Padilla, Mercedes Cabral, Pooh, and John Steven de Guzman. Nonie Buencamino and Franco Daza will appear in a special participation.

Before ‘Ningning’ was officially announced as the replacement for the departing ‘Oh My G’, two other upcoming dramas were also considered. There is ‘On the Wings of Love’, starring the love team of James Reid and Nadine Lustre, and there is ‘Be My Lady’, starring Erich Gonzales and Daniel Matsunaga.

However, when news of an upcoming GMA/TAPE drama series starring Ryzza Mae Dizon and Aiza Seguerra came to light, ABS-CBN chose ‘Ningning’ instead. And it couldn’t have come at a better time, since ‘The Ryzza Mae Show”s days are being numbered.

By all indications, this should be an interesting battle. While Ryzza has more mileage in terms of exposure, Jana is not far behind, and based on her success in ‘Dream Dad’, expect her to be as effective in ‘Ningning’.

‘Ningning’ premieres this Monday, July 27, before ‘It’s Showtime’ on ABS-CBN’s Primetanghali.

‘Dream Dad’ Extended, Continues to Win Despite New Rival

Not even the return of Dingdong Dantes on ‘Pari Ko’y’ can slow down the momentum of ‘Dream Dad’, whose consistently high ratings led to an extended run. (Photo credit: ABS-CBN)

The hottest teleserye in the country is now rewarded with an extension.

‘Dream Dad’, the ABS-CBN drama series starring Zanjoe Marudo and Jana Agoncillo, has been extended for an unspecified period of time. The news of an extension came shortly after ‘Dream Dad’ posted its highest rating yet.

According to the Kapamilya network’s trusted source Kantar Media, the March 12 episode of ‘Dream Dad’ posted a 34.9% rating, even though it had to contend with a new rival. ‘Pari Ko’y’, the newest GMA teleserye starring Dingdong Dantes, only earned a paltry 17.8% on that day.

Overall, the week of March 9 saw ‘Dream Dad’ average almost 35% in the Kantar ratings. Meanwhile, ‘Pari Ko’y’ was unable to even crack the 20% mark until the March 14 episode, and for the week, they were 16% at best.

The extension of ‘Dream Dad’ is definitely a reward for the series’ impressive performance. The tandem of Zanjoe Marudo and Jana Agoncillo continues to charm viewers, while at the same time Zanjoe’s blossoming on-screen relationship with Beauty Gonzales begins to earn rave reviews.

Airing since November 24, 2014, ‘Dream Dad’ will now enter its fifth month on air. Normally teleseryes have a life span of about four months, but with impressive ratings returns such as that of ‘Dream Dad’, there is no question why it deserves an extension.

That said, GMA may be hard-pressed to deliver a more impressive performance for ‘Pari Ko’y’, especially after the beating it received in its pilot week. Sure, Dingdong Dantes can still deliver, but not in the way he used to.

As for ‘Dream Dad’, the high ratings may be impressive, but the story only heats up from there.

No Sibling Rivalry in Premieres of Dream Dad and More Than Words

There will be no rivalry between the children of the late ‘Master Rapper’ Francis Magalona on Philippine television.

Fresh from re-signing with ABS-CBN, Maxene Magalona will co-star alongside Zanjoe Marudo and child actress Jana Agoncillo in ‘Dream Dad’. The series will also star Beauty Gonzales, Yen Santos, Ana Feleo, Katya Santos, Ketchup Eusebio, Ariel Ureta and Gloria Diaz.

‘Dream Dad’ will focus on an orphan who searches for a loving family, and a bachelor who tries to mend a broken heart by focusing on his family’s welfare. Ultimately, their lives would change after they cross paths with one another.

(Due to unforeseen circumstances, the full trailer of ‘Dream Dad’ on ABS-CBN Entertainment’s official YouTube was taken down as of November 14).

Over at GMA, younger brother Elmo Magalona will reunite with ‘Villa Quintana’ co-star Janine Gutierrez in ‘More Than Words’. Also starring in this series are Rey ‘PJ’ Abellana, Leni Santos, Jaclyn Jose, Gardo Versoza, Yayo Aguila, Enzo Pineda, Stephanie Sol, Mayton Eugenio, Mikoy Morales and Coleen Perez.

The story of ‘More Than Words’ will revolve around two individuals: a teenage boy whose memory was lost following an accident, and a daydreaming female student who created an imaginary ‘dream boy’ in one of her blogs. After finding the supposed boy of her dreams, they would grow fond of each other, while the boy begins a new life with his adoptive parents.

While ‘Dream Dad’ will premiere in its expected timeslot, the same cannot be said for ‘More Than Words’. It was supposed to premiere November 3, replacing both ‘Seasons of Love’ and ‘Elemento’, but GMA management wanted none of the possible sibling rivalry between the Magalonas, and as a result, they hastily re-aired ‘Coffee Prince’ on the timeslot that was supposed to be filled by ‘More Than Words’.

Then in a somewhat surprising decision, they moved the premiere date of ‘Second Chances’, which was supposed to replace ‘Ilustrado’, to the first quarter of 2015. And to top things off, both ‘Strawberry Lane’ and ‘Hiram na Alaala’ will now be moved to later timeslots, paving the way for ‘More Than Words’ to occupy the slot after ’24 Oras’.

Thus, ‘More Than Words’ will go up against the soon-to-conclude ‘Hawak Kamay’ while ‘Dream Dad’ will face the re-airing ‘Coffee Prince’ on their respective networks.

It will be interesting to see how both Magalonas fare in their respective new series, but even in different networks, they will always be family off-screen. Good luck.