Back to the Serious Stuff: Halik Premieres Monday

It is back to the more serious and daring stuff on ABS-CBN’s Primetime Bida this Monday.

After not getting the much-needed results with the light-hearted romantic series ‘Since I Found You’, ABS-CBN will use the fourth slot for an intense and more tantalizing drama. But can ‘Halik’ recapture the magic of prior daring teleseryes?

‘Halik’ stars Jericho Rosales and Yen Santos as Lino and Jacky respectively. Once childhood lovers, they were separated when Jacky’s parents disapprove of Lino who is a son of one of their workers, only to renew acquaintances years later.

At this point, however, Lino is married to Jade (Yam Concepcion), an ambitious and headstrong woman, while Jacky lives together with Ace (Sam Milby), a rich man whose sweetness hides a secret. Neither Jade nor Ace are committed and trusty spouses, so it will be up to Lino and Jacky to rekindle their love that was once lost.

‘Halik’ also stars Amy Austria, Alan Paule, Precious Lara Quigaman, Romnick Sarmenta, Cris Villanueva, Almira Muhlach, Christian Bables, Hero Angeles, Chai Fonacier, JC Alcantara, Jane De Leon, and Gab Lagman. The series will be directed by Cathy Camarillo and Carlo Po Artillaga, and is under the Ruel S. Bayani (RSB) drama unit.

Traditionally speaking, the fourth slot of Primetime Bida has long been the domain of mature and daring dramas. This is the slot where ‘The Legal Wife’ became a huge hit, and more recently, this is where ‘The Good Son’ thrived and kept viewers’ senses awake with each captivating scene.

But as ‘Halik’ enters the fray, it remains to be seen if they will be able to follow the footsteps of its more serious predecessors. The series may have the star power bar none, but a rarely-used commodity like Yen Santos could set viewers back a bit.

That said, it will take some time for ‘Halik’ to make its presence felt. Realistically, the opening few weeks of this series should hover within the 17-19% range as far as ratings go, but if they are lucky enough, they might as well surpass the 20% mark.

‘Halik’ airs weeknights after ‘Bagani’ on ABS-CBN Primetime Bida.

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The Last Week of Langit Lupa

It’s all down to one final week for ‘Langit Lupa’.

This Friday, ABS-CBN will air the 108th and final episode of ‘Langit Lupa’, the late weekday morning drama starring Yesha Camile and Xia Vigor. The series tells the story of two best friends whose origins and issues with their parents test their bond together.

Also starring in ‘Langit Lupa’ are Yam Concepcion, Alessandra de Rossi, Patrick Garcia, Jason Abalos, Ellen Adarna, Tommy Esguerra, Miho Nishida, Jairus Aquino, Sharlene San Pedro, Buboy Garovillo, Viveika Ravanes, and Kitkat. The series is directed by Carlo Po Artillaga and Myla Ajero-Gaite.

‘Langit Lupa’ first premiered on November 28, 2016 and made an immediate impact, earning a rating of 17.5% to rule its timeslot against GMA’s ‘Trops’, which only scored 8.7%. From that point on, ‘Langit Lupa’ continued ABS-CBN’s dominance in the late-morning slot, averaging around 15% compared to ‘Trops” 9% in Kantar.

The series was also a regular trending topic on social media, with viewers praising the acting abilities of child stars Yesha and Xia. The latter’s performances on ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar Kids’ likewise boosted not only her individual popularity, but also of the show with which she stars.

Despite its success, ‘Langit Lupa’ may be considered one of ABS-CBN’s more underrated late-morning series. Unlike another child-starred drama in ‘Ningning’ (starring ‘Dream Dad”s Jana Agoncillo), the two child stars of ‘Langit Lupa’ are essentially rookies in the field of entertainment, thus their performances and recognition still have more room for improvement.

Nevertheless, ‘Langit Lupa’ represents the first big leap in the careers of Yesha and Xia. With ABS-CBN’s growing reputation as a ‘child star factory’, greater things are expected for the two in terms of their career path.

Come this Friday, it will be the cutest finale journey for Princess (Yesha) and Esang (Xia). For viewers who have tuned in to ‘Langit Lupa’ from the beginning, a memorable and wonderful conclusion awaits.

Langit Lupa Premieres Today

The kids are back on ABS-CBN’s Primetanghali.

Starting today, up-and-coming child stars Yesha Camile and Xia Vigor topbill the Kapamilya network’s newest daytime series ‘Langit Lupa’. The program will focus on Yesha and Xia as two best friends with contrasting origins.

In ‘Langit Lupa’, the wealthy young girl Princess (Yesha) befriended a simple but loving lass Esang (Xia). Their friendship grew stronger as time goes by, but along the way, their mothers’ forgotten past was revealed.

Princess’ mother Lala (Yam Concepcion) and Esang’s mother Dey (Alessandra de Rossi) were once the best of friends and business partners. However, when Dey fell ill, Lala and her husband Ian (Patrick Garcia) failed to give Dey’s husband Joey (Jason Abalos) money for medication, leading to Dey’s death and some ill will against Lala and Ian.

‘Langit Lupa’ will also star Ellen Adarna, Tommy Esguerra, Miho Nishida, Jairus Aquino, Sharlene San Pedro, Buboy Garovillo, Viveika Ravanes, and Kitkat. It will be directed by Carlo Po Artillaga and Myla Ajero-Gaite.

For Yesha and Xia, ‘Langit Lupa’ represents their first big break as child stars. Yesha emerged as the grand winner of the Promil-Pre School i-Shine Talent Camp, while Xia came to prominence as the grand winner of ‘It’s Showtime”s Mini Me competition.

While the two have played supporting roles in several ABS-CBN dramas, playing the lead role will be a tremendous challenge. Then again, considering the success that ABS-CBN has had in introducing new child stars, the pressure should not be a problem for Yesha and Xia.

 

Speaking of success, it will also be interesting to see if ‘Langit Lupa’ can continue the momentum generated by ABS-CBN late-morning dramas. With each previous drama having won the hearts of viewers, the onus is on ‘Langit Lupa’ to keep it going.

That said, the first week of ‘Langit Lupa’ will be crucial in establishing its own footprint on Kapamilya lore. For Yesha and Xia, this initial test begins now, as they hope to raise their profiles among Kapamilya network’s child stars of legend.

‘Langit Lupa’ airs weekdays at 11:30 a.m. on ABS-CBN’s Primetanghali.