Staying Light: Playhouse to Premiere Monday on ABS-CBN

ABS-CBN is keeping things light and loose every weekday mornings.

While GMA took on a more serious route with ‘Kapag Nahati ang Puso’, ABS-CBN continues its tradition of romantic comedies and child-oriented dramas to the 11:15 a.m. slot. And their newest series ‘Playhouse’ is no exception.

‘Playhouse’ will star Angelica Panganiban and Zanjoe Marudo as Patty and Marlon, two college lovers who will eventually get married only to split up after a series of struggles. The rest of the main plot are as follows.

Via ABS-CBN PR:

After of a long time living separately, the two meet again as Patty files for an annulment to formally separate with Marlon. But just when they think everything is over between them, an unfortunate tragedy will change their lives forever.

Their friends Emily and Brad will get into an accident, leaving their child Robin (Justin James Quilantang) behind. As the kid’s legal guardians, Patty and Marlon will be forced to stay together under one roof to take care of Robin and make sure he gets the love he needs. This gives Marlon the opportunity to patch things up with Patty, despite her constant disapproval.

Will Robin be the key to giving Patty and Marlon a second chance?

Also part of ‘Playhouse’ will be up-and-coming teen stars Donny Pangilinan and Kisses Delavin, who will play enemies-turned-lovers Zeke and Shiela. The rest of the cast will include Kean Cipriano, AC Bonifacio, Ariella Arida, Dexter Doria, Nadia Montenegro, Ingrid Dela Paz, Jomari Angeles, Malou De Guzman, Smokey Manaloto, and Maxene Magalona.

Here is a little spin on the formulas that ABS-CBN uses for its late-morning dramas. While ‘Playhouse’ is for the most part a romantic comedy, it is also a child-oriented series since child actor Justin James Quilantang will play a vital role here as the child that Patty and Marlon are forced to take care of.

That said, it will be interesting to see how this hybrid format will work in this increasingly competitive late-morning slot. In spite of ABS-CBN’s success on that timeslot, ‘Playhouse’ will still have its work cut out here and if they win right away it will boost its confidence.

‘Playhouse’ airs weekdays before ‘It’s Showtime’ on ABS-CBN.

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Tubig at Langis Premieres Today

Zanjoe Marudo and Cristine Reyes are back together, on-screen that is.

Their newest project, ‘Tubig at Langis’, will mark the most serious project for the pair. Airing later today on ABS-CBN’s Kapamilya Gold, the new series will feature a plot that would test not only the limits of marriage, but also devotion to family and loved ones.

In ‘Tubig at Langis’, Irene (Cristine) was a young woman and a family breadwinner, having been abandoned by her mother as a child. At first, she fell in love with Jaime (Victor Silayan), only to find out that he had already been married to another woman.

A few years later, Irene’s childhood friend Natoy (Zanjoe) returned, and the two fell in love and eventually got married. Unknown to Irene, Natoy soon met and fell in love with Clara (Isabelle Daza), after which things became complicated between the three of them.

‘Tubig at Langis’ also stars Vivian Velez, Lito Pimentel, Nadia Montenegro, Marco Gumabao, Ingrid Dela Paz, Dionne Monsanto, Archie Alemania, and Miguel Vergara. It will be directed by FM Reyes, and produced by the drama unit of Ruel S. Bayani.

The new series will take over the timeslot of ‘All of Me’, whose finale aired last Friday. By all accounts, ‘Tubig at Langis’ should perform respectably like its predecessor, considering the recent streak of good fortune for Kapamilya Gold.

Still, with Cristine Reyes’ marriage to Ali Khatibi taking place days before the series premiere, ‘Tubig at Langis’ may only end up as a short-run series. ABS-CBN can only hope that ‘Tubig at Langis’ can last as long as their creative staff desires, and that Cristine Reyes can stick around while adjusting to life as a married mother.

‘Tubig at Langis’ airs weekdays after ‘Doble Kara’ on ABS-CBN’s Kapamilya Gold.

Quick Turnaround for My Mother’s Secret with Pasion de Amor Premiere

A quick turnaround ensues for ‘My Mother’s Secret’.

After premiering against ‘Inday Bote’ this week, the series will enter its second week with a new opponent on the horizon. Taking over ‘Inday Bote”s slot this Monday on ABS-CBN will be ‘Pasion de Amor’, the localized remake of the original telenovela ‘Pasion de Gavilantes’.

The focus of the series will be on a trio of brothers from one family who fell in love with a trio of sisters from another in order to avenge the death of the former’s sister. The sister’s death was the result of her love affair with the latter family’s patriarch, whose wife murdered them as retribution.

Jake Cuenca (as Juan Samonte), Ejay Falcon (as Oscar Samonte) and Joseph Marco (as Franco Samonte) will play the role of the three brothers. Ellen Adarna (as Sari Elizondo), Coleen Garcia (as Jamie Elizondo) and Arci Muñoz (as Norma Elizondo) will play the role of the three sisters.

Supporting roles will be provided by Teresa Loyzaga, Aubrey Miles, Michelle Madrigal, Ahron Villena, Ingrid Dela Paz, Daria Ramirez, Alex Castro, AJ Dee, Ron Morales, Zeppi Borromeo, Ashley Rivera, Benj Bolivar, Nathaniel Britt, Mauro Lumba and June Macasaet. Ronaldo Valdez will appear in a special participation.

The original ‘Pasion de Amor’ (titled ‘Pasion de Gavilantes’ in Latin America) first aired on ABS-CBN in the late 2000s as an afternoon drama, and it starred Mexican telenovela star Mario Cimarro. When the original teaser was first shown, the network intended to air the series on Kapamilya Gold, with the premiere date set in May of this year.

But with ‘Flordeliza’, ‘Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita’ and the Koreanovela ‘Let’s Get Married’ still on the air, the Kapamilya network decided to move the series to the Primetime Bida block instead. As a result, the remake will feature less of the suggestive sultriness that was prevalent in the original series, in order to appeal to younger audiences at the 5:50 p.m. slot.

‘Pasion de Amor”s entrance next week should cause some concern for ‘My Mother’s Secret’, whose first week was off to an inauspicious start. If the first five episodes are any indication, then the latter series is in for a rude awakening.

‘Pasion de Amor’ airs starting this Monday before ‘TV Patrol’ on ABS-CBN’s Primetime Bida.