More Pressure for ‘Pari Koy’ With ‘Nathaniel’ Debut

So far, not so good for ‘Pari Koy’ as far as performance goes. They now await a new challenger in ‘Nathaniel’. (Photo credit: GMA Network)

The first six weeks of ‘Pari Koy’ proved to be a dud for GMA.

The Dingdong Dantes-led series seldom hit the 20% mark in the Kantar ratings, compared to the recently concluded ‘Dream Dad”s 30% or better numbers. While it did manage to break in decent numbers in AGB Nielsen, there is no denying that Zanjoe Marudo and Jana Agoncillo were a better hit with the masses than GMA’s so-called ‘Primetime King’.

And as they begin week seven of their run, an even more imposing challenge await the cast of ‘Pari Koy’.

Enter ‘Nathaniel’, the newest ABS-CBN teleserye that debuts later tonight. The series will be led by Gerald Anderson, Shaina Magdayao, and the latest Kapamilya child discovery, Marco Masa.

‘Nathaniel”s plot will feature the titular angel who was sent back to earth in order to restore man’s belief in God and remind people of the goodness that can be found in their hearts. The series is the latest in a line of divine-centric teleseryes produced by ABS-CBN and Dreamscape Entertainment, makers of classics such as ‘May Bukas Pa’, ‘100 Days to Heaven’ and ‘Honesto’.

Joining ‘Nathaniel’ in his quest for faith and devotion to mankind are Pokwang, Isabelle Daza, Benjie Paras, Jayson Gainza, Ogie Diaz, Sharlene San Pedro, Jairus Aquino, Yesha Camile, David Chua, Young JV, Fourth and Fifth Pagotan, and Coney Reyes. The series will be directed by Darnel Joy Villaflor and Francis Pasion.

Based on ABS-CBN’s track record of creating successful teleseryes with themes of inspiration and faith, it will be a very tough task for ‘Pari Koy’ to overcome ‘Nathaniel’. Not even the entry of Carla Abellana to the series as a supporting character will help matters.

If their inability to make a dent on ‘Dream Dad’ is not enough, what more if an untested child star in Marco Masa gives a veteran in Dingdong Dantes a run for his money? This is definitely one dilemma that GMA has to solve in facing ABS-CBN’s newest child star.

‘Nathaniel’ premieres later tonight after ‘TV Patrol’. As for ‘Pari Koy’, well, good luck in facing this new opponent.

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Kambal Sirena, Dyesebel Won’t Begin Simultaneously

GMA’s Kambal Sirena begins its run a week ahead of ABS-CBN’s Dyesebel. (Photo courtesy of Bida Kapamilya)

The so-called ‘Sirena Wars’ on Philippine television will have to wait for another two weeks, as both GMA and ABS-CBN set their final episode dates for ‘Adarna’ and ‘Honesto’.

‘Adarna’, the fantaserye starring Kylie Padilla, airs its final episode tomorrow. Airing since November 18, 2013, ‘Adarna’ was supposed to revive GMA’s tried and tested fantaserye genre that has worked for them in the mid-2000s. Unfortunately, the show failed to surpass expectations, due to the fact that a rival teleserye is superbly dominant in its timeslot.

That teleserye happened to be ‘Honesto’, which has been consistently atop the primetime ratings since its debut. Its superior ratings also translated into high trending figures in social media, with hashtags related to the show leading Twitter’s trending topics. The Raikko Mateo-starred series first aired on October 28, and will air its final episode on March 14.

The two series will be replaced by ‘Kambal Sirena’ and ‘Dyesebel’ respectively. The former, an original concept of the Kapuso network, will star Louise delos Reyes, while the latter, acquired by the Kapamilya network from Mars Ravelo’s estate, will star Anne Curtis.

Hype between the two series began last December, as both networks revealed the initial teasers for their respective mermaids. But while GMA began to heavily promote ‘Kambal Sirena’ during the months of January and February, ABS-CBN was slow to promote ‘Dyesebel’ as it continued to focus on its highly-rated programs ‘Honesto’ and ‘Got to Believe’. Nevertheless, viewers were salivating at the prospect of two mermaid-based series facing each other on primetime.

Both ‘Kambal Sirena’ and ‘Dyesebel’ will feature an equally stellar supporting cast. In ‘Kambal Sirena’, Aljur Abrenica will star as the leading man, while Wynwyn Marquez serves as the main villain. The series will also star Mickey Ferriols, Angelika dela Cruz, Gladys Reyes, Tessie Tomas, Mike Tan, Pancho Magno, Polo Ravales, Lotlot de Leon, Rich Asuncion, and Chanda Romero.

In ‘Dyesebel’, Sam Milby and Gerald Anderson will play the leading men, while Andi Eigenmann takes on a villainous role. Portraying supporting roles in the series will be Dawn Zulueta, Eula Valdes, Gabby Concepcion, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Bangs Garcia, David Chua, Ai Ai delas Alas, Neil Coleta, Young JV and Ogie Diaz.

While ‘Kambal Sirena’ and ‘Dyesebel’ won’t begin at the same time, the rivalry between the two mermaid-based series will be something to look forward to. And it should add spice to what has been an already heated rivalry between the two major networks.