The Good Son: One Last Time

‘Who killed Victor?’

For several months, ‘The Good Son’ has been trying to solve the mystery behind the gruesome murder of Victor, played by Albert Martinez. Now it has come down to which one of Victor’s four sons and their immediate family will be proven innocent of the crime.

Since its premiere on September 25, 2017, ABS-CBN’s ‘The Good Son’ became one of the network’s top-rated programs. During its run, the series averaged around 20% in the ratings, besting more light-hearted competition in GMA’s ‘My Korean Jagiya’ and ‘The One That Got Away’.

The return to a more serious formula and the emphasis towards young stars have helped ‘The Good Son’ achieve tremendous success throughout its run. In past years, lighter dramas dominated Primetime Bida’s fourth slot, but after ‘On the Wings of Love’ the approach wore thin.

Reverting back to a darker atmosphere reminiscent of series such as ‘The Legal Wife’ may have been the most daring decision that ABS-CBN ever did, but ‘The Good Son”s unexpected surge has brought new life to Primetime Bida’s fourth slot. However, this was not the only reason behind its popularity.

Continuing ABS-CBN’s commitment towards youth, the series gave rising artists Nash Aguas, Jerome Ponce, Joshua Garcia, McCoy de Leon, Loisa Andallo, Alexa Ilacad and Elisse Joson the green light to show their acting prowess. It was a formula that somehow worked to ‘The Good Son”s favor, helping the series outpace its GMA counterparts who continued to rely on older stars.

More importantly, these artists gained a new legion of followers, both on television and on social media. For Joshua Garcia, starring in a series without frequent on-screen partner Julia Barretto may be a risky choice, but it proved to be a blessing in disguise as he was able to thrive alongside his contemporaries.

In many ways, ‘The Good Son’ became a series that ABS-CBN should be proud of. More than just the young stars that thrived in a starring role, it was the series’ themes of innocence, guilt and doubt that helped ‘The Good Son’ become a top-ten program in the country.

Friday will mark ‘The Good Son”s 143rd and final episode. On its last night, the innocent one will be revealed, but who will be rightfully called ‘The Good Son?’

Getting Serious: ABS-CBN Goes No More Mr. Nice Guy with The Good Son

It will be a new-look and more serious Primetime Bida starting next week.

Gone were the ‘kilig-seryes’ that permeated the fifth slot of ABS-CBN’s ever-popular evening block. With all due respect to JaDine (‘On the Wings of Love’, ‘Till I Met You’) and TonDeng (Ian Veneracion and Bea Alonzo of ‘A Love to Last’), this formula is starting to wear thin.

Instead, ABS-CBN goes back to a more serious approach that made ‘The Legal Wife’ and ‘Two Wives’ runaway successes. The newest drama, ‘The Good Son’, despite its designation as a family drama, leans more on the mature and dark side.

While rival GMA continues to lean too much on aging and at times overexposed veterans for their primetime dramas, ABS-CBN cashes in on their deep roster of young talent for ‘The Good Son’. The series will be led by Jerome Ponce, Nash Aguas, Joshua Garcia and McCoy de Leon, and joining them are fellow rising stars Loisa Andallo, Elisse Joson and Alexa Ilacad.

In ‘The Good Son’, Jerome (as Enzo), Nash (as Calvin), Joshua (as Joseph) and McCoy (as Obet) are four siblings who live a simple and happy life without their father Victor (Albert Martinez), a man whose identity remains a secret. But Victor’s mysterious death led to a series of events that saw the four siblings accused of murder, and the ensuing battle to prove who is innocent from the crime is on.

‘The Good Son’ will also include Mylene Dizon, Eula Valdez, John Estrada, Ronnie Lazaro, Jeric Raval, Alex Medina, and Kathleen Hermoso. The series will be directed by Manny Palo and Andoy Ranay.

Considering ABS-CBN’s reputation for turning rising stars into superstars, the pressure is now on ‘The Good Son”s up-and-coming actors to continue this budding trend. However, it remains to be seen if the series’ untested group of young talent will thrive in the high-stakes block that is primetime.

It will also be interesting to see how the viewers react to a change of formula from a light drama to a more serious one. That said, ‘The Good Son’ should be a series that may either make or break Primetime Bida’s unpredictable fifth slot.

‘The Good Son’ airs weeknights after ‘La Luna Sangre’ on ABS-CBN’s Primetime Bida.

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.

Three Teleseryes Debut on ABS-CBN This Monday

A trio of Kapamilya teleseryes will be launched on the same day.

To kick off its 2015 slate of new programs, ABS-CBN will have its ‘Kapamilya Thank You Day’ on January 19, and as part of the occasion, three teleseryes will have their pilot episodes aired throughout the day. The new teleseryes are:

Flordeliza

Jolina Magdangal and Marvin Agustin will headline this upcoming teleserye, making it their first project together on the Kapamilya side since 2002. They will be joined by Desiree del Valle and child actresses Ashley Sarmiento and Rhey Bustamante.

‘Flordeliza’ will focus on two families whose daughters will become the best of friends, only to be torn apart by a heartbreaking revelation. The title itself will be based on the names of the aforementioned lead cast.

The series will also feature Carlo Aquino, Elizabeth Oropesa, Tetchie Agbayani, and Juan Rodrigo in supporting roles.

Oh My G!

Once a supporting cast member of ‘Be Careful with My Heart’, Janella Salvador will now headline her own teleserye with ‘Oh My G!’

The new series will focus on a teenager’s struggles following the death of her parents, and is said to be inspired by the teachings of St. Teresa of Avila.

Joining Salvador in the light-hearted series will be fellow ‘Be Careful’ castmate Marlo Mortel, ex-‘Pinoy Big Brother’ housemate Manolo Pedrosa, and veteran actors Sunshine Cruz, Dominic Ochoa, John Arcilla, Edgar Allan Guzman, and Janice de Belen.

Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita

‘Pinoy Big Brother’ housemates Jane Oineza, Loisa Andalo and Joshua Garcia will be front and center on the upcoming series ‘Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita’.

The series, which focuses on a daughter’s search for her lost father, will be based on the 1986 film of the same name.

Written by famed scriptwriter Ricky Lee, ‘Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita’ will also feature Vina Morales, Denise Laurel, Christian Vasquez, and Jerome Ponce in supporting roles.

Notwithstanding their dominant performance the previous year, ABS-CBN knows that there are still some improvements to make. The afternoon block Kapamilya Gold, for example, has been left in ruins thanks to the network’s decision to air ‘Kapamilya Blockbusters’ in the midst of rival GMA Afternoon Prime’s string of success.

That said, bringing Kapamilya Gold back to relevance will be ABS-CBN’s priority for the early part of the year. Two of the three new teleseryes will likely be seen in the afternoon, while one will take the place of the seasonal drama ‘Give Love on Christmas’, whose finale will be aired this Friday.

For ABS-CBN, a good start to 2015 is all they need to keep the streak of good fortune going. And three teleseryes premiering on the same day is a great start.