Koreanovela Overload Continues on GMA

Add a sixth Koreanovela to GMA’s weekday lineup.

In what seems like a new record in Philippine television history, GMA will air six Koreanovelas every weekday beginning this Tuesday, August 4. The latest addition is ‘Reply 1997’, a Koreanovela that reminisces on the good times of teenage life.

The story focuses on six high school buddies who reunite for a dinner after 15 years apart, two of whom would announce their marriage. Throughout the story, flashbacks of their teenage lives will resurface throughout the conversation, switching back and forth between their 18-year-old selves in 1997, and their present selves 15 years later.

‘Reply 1997’ stars Jung Eun-ji, Seo In-guk, Hoya, Shin So-yul, Eun Ji-won, and Lee Si-eon. The series was one of the most popular dramas in Korean television.

The entry of ‘Reply 1997’ continues a downward trend for GMA in terms of programming quality and creativity. As mentioned earlier, GMA will air six Koreanovelas starting this Tuesday, the list of which are as follows:

1. The Master’s Sun (re-run; airing at 9:40 a.m., replacing Secret Garden)
2. Two Mothers (airing at 10:10 a.m.)
3. The King’s Doctor (airing at 10:50 a.m.)
4. Birth of a Beauty (airing at 5:15 p.m.)
5. Reply 1997 (airing at 5:50 p.m. starting this Tuesday)
6. Pinocchio (airing at 9:55 p.m. on Mondays-Thursdays)

With six Koreanovelas at their disposal, it is clear that GMA’s creative nadir is now at its worst point. The inability to produce formidable local programming and their overreliance on importing other countries’ programs are taking its toll on the creative staff.

Worse, ‘Reply 1997’ will face a tough opponent in ABS-CBN’s ‘Pasion de Amor’. The local adaptation of the original Colombian telenovela has been on a ratings tear, and it left its soon-to-be-departing opponent ‘My Mother’s Secret’ in the dust.

The breaking point is now near for GMA. Six Koreanovelas on a weekday won’t help their cause.

Note: ‘My Mother’s Secret’ was scheduled to end tomorrow, July 31. But due to a preemption that was caused by the State of the Nation Address last Monday, the series is now scheduled to finish on Monday, August 3. ‘Reply 1997”s premiere will be moved to Tuesday, August 4.

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Upcoming Asianovelas on ABS-CBN and GMA

Expect new Asianovelas to air on both ABS-CBN and GMA.

GMA’s newest Koreanovela ‘I Hear Your Voice’ makes its debut later tonight on the Telebabad block. The new series will air after ‘Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real’ and before fellow Koreanovela ‘Secret Love’.

In a surprise twist, GMA decided to add a second teleserye on the Telebabad block instead of waiting for one of them to end. As a result, Telebabad now has a total of six drama series, two of which are from Korea, compared to only four on the currently all-local ABS-CBN Primetime Bida.

And when was the last time two Asianovelas were on primetime on the Kapuso network? That was several years ago, when GMA was at the peak of its powers thanks to its mix of fantaseryes and Koreanovelas. Now GMA hopes to replicate that with a double serving of Asianovelas on Telebabad.

Pretty Man and Miss Ripley on ABS-CBN

Over at ABS-CBN, the re-run on ‘My Girl’ is entering its final week. The Koreanovela ends its run on Friday afternoon, to be replaced by a new Koreanovela titled ‘Pretty Man’ beginning August 18.

Then on August 25, ‘Miss Ripley’ will make its way into the ABS-CBN lineup, with its timeslot yet to be determined.

After several months of re-airing old Asianovelas, ABS-CBN has decided to start fresh. Thus, two new series from Korea were imported by the Kapamilya network in order to appease its legion of Asianovela fanatics.

But perhaps the biggest question mark for the Kapamilya network now is to whether or not bring back the Asianovela to Primetime Bida. Before ‘The Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition: Doubles’ and ‘Pinoy Big Brother: All In’ occupied the final slot of the said block, the last time an Asianovela aired on Primetime Bida was ‘When a Man Falls in Love’, and its finale was nearly eight months ago.

Kapamilya fans should hope for the best. After all, Asianovelas on ABS-CBN deserve a piece of the primetime spotlight.

To both stations, good luck in giving Asianovela fans a series to remember.