The Comeback Bossing: Vic Sotto and Maine Mendoza Star in Daddy’s Gurl

Remember when Vic Sotto used to star in various sitcoms almost every week for an eternity?

For over 30 years, the Philippines’ favorite ‘Bossing’ did just that. In fact, From the Tube chronicled the history of sitcoms starring Vic Sotto in a two-part series, beginning with ‘Okay Ka Fairy Ko’ all the way to ‘Hay, Bahay!’.

Unfortunately his last sitcom, ‘Hay, Bahay!’ proved to be a forgettable one as it did not last for more than a year and was essentially considered a flop. As a result, ‘Bossing’ decided to change course and hosted the late-night talk show ‘Bossing & Ai’ with Ai-Ai delas Alas which was also short-lived.

Now Vic Sotto is back at it again, this time with a new partner. Does Maine Mendoza still ring a bell to viewers?

The last time Maine was seen on a non-‘Eat Bulaga’ project was 2017’s ‘Destined to Be Yours’ alongside on-screen partner Alden Richards (this does not include a guest part in ‘Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko’). Fast forward to now and Maine is looking to redeem herself, this time in the world of comedy.

The project that Maine and ‘Bossing’ will take part of is ‘Daddy’s Gurl’ which will premiere this Saturday. And unlike Vic Sotto’s past sitcoms which were studio-based, ‘Daddy’s Gurl’ was shot on location in Manila and Batangas.

‘Daddy’s Gurl’ will tell the story of Barak (Vic) and Stacy (Maine). In the sitcom, Stacy, a modern-day millennial living in a plush condominium unit, is visited by her father Barak, a promdi widower who decides to join her in Manila.

From there, the two will find themselves at odds over their contrasting styles of living. As Barak grapples with the reality of living in the city’s high-rise district, Stacy will look to feed her father into the social media age.

Confirmed to be a part of the sitcom are Wally Bayola, Oyo Sotto, Angelika dela Cruz, Kevin Santos, Jelson Bay, Jessa Chichirita, Chamyto and Benjie Paras. Chris Martinez will be the director and like all of Vic Sotto’s past sitcoms, his production company M-ZET Productions will co-produce the program alongside APT Entertainment and GMA Network.

‘Daddy’s Gurl’ should offer a different spin unlike previous Vic Sotto sitcoms. But it remains to be seen if this program will put ‘Bossing’ and Maine back on track.

For what it’s worth, ‘Daddy’s Gurl’ could be the last stand for Vic Sotto in the sitcom genre. One can only hope that it will be the beginning of a renaissance for this seemingly archaic comedy veteran.

And as for Maine Mendoza, good luck in silencing the doubters. Maybe comedy will suit her better.

‘Daddy’s Gurl’ airs every Saturday after ‘Pepito Manaloto’ on GMA.

GMA Tries Again with Bossing & Ai + The Lolas’ Beautiful Show

‘Never stop trying!’

It has been the motto for GMA these past several years. The odds have not always been great for the network, but give them credit for continuing to compete despite these insurmountable obstacles.

Remember the time when ‘Gandang Gabi Vice’ was so unbeatable that GMA had no choice but to stop competing against it? For years, the ABS-CBN late-night variety show proved to be GMA’s Achilles heel, and each time GMA tried to answer with a show of their own, ‘Gandang Gabi Vice’ always shoves them out of the door.

But it seems like ‘Gandang Gabi Vice’ has seen better days of late due to the presence of ABS-CBN’s reality and talent shows (e.g. ‘Pinoy Big Brother’). Sensing that the show’s ratings is on a downward trend, GMA decided to create a new show in ‘Bossing & Ai’ in an attempt to finally bring down ‘Gandang Gabi Vice’ from its perch.

‘Bossing & Ai’ premiered last night and is a game show starring Vic Sotto and Ai-ai delas Alas as leaders of two groups of contestants. They are joined by Jose Manalo, Tart Carlos and game master Oyo Sotto.

In essence, ‘Bossing & Ai”s competition with ‘Gandang Gabi Vice’ is an extension of the ‘Eat Bulaga’-‘It’s Showtime’ rivalry, of which Vic Sotto and Vice Ganda are the respective hosts. Still, it remains to be seen if ‘Bossing & Ai’ will live up to its promise of taking down ‘Gandang Gabi Vice’ for good.

Speaking of ‘Eat Bulaga’, the d’Explorer sisters of ‘Kalyeserye’ will have a talk show of their own. Beginning today at 11:30 a.m., Jose Manalo (as Lola Tinidora), Paolo Ballesteros (as Lola Tidora) and Wally Bayola (as Lola Nidora) will host ‘The Lolas’ Beautiful Show’.

The new talk show will replace ‘TROPS’, the coming-of-age drama series starring ‘Eat Bulaga”s ‘BAES’ (Kenneth Medrano, Kim Last, Jon Timmons, Tommy Penaflor, Miggy Tolentino, and Joel Palencia). ‘The Lolas’ Beautiful Show’ will mark TAPE’s first venture into the talk show genre since ‘The Ryzza Mae Show’ from 2013-15.

But unlike ‘The Ryzza Mae Show’, ‘The Lolas’ Beautiful Show’ will be pre-taped as Jose, Paolo and Wally also serve as on-location hosts of ‘Eat Bulaga”s ‘Juan for All, All for Juan’ segment. This means there will be no live transition from one show to the next.

‘The Lolas’ Beautiful Show’ would have been a perfect show to compete against the ABS-CBN morning talk show ‘Magandang Buhay’, especially now that GMA’s slate of animes are declining in popularity. Instead, the talk show will be placed as part of TAPE’s mandated 11:30-2:30 p.m. block and will go up against ‘Ikaw Lang ang Iibigin’.

Whether or not ‘The Lolas’ Beautiful Show’ will be a factor in the game remains to be seen. But as far as GMA, M-ZET and TAPE are concerned, there’s nothing wrong about continuing to try despite the odds.

A History of Vic Sotto Sitcoms (Part 1)

The cast of ‘Okay Ka, Fairy Ko’ nearly 30 years after it first aired. Tweetie de Leon was the second actress to play the role of Faye. (Photo credit: Allan K Official Instagram)

It has been nearly 30 years since Vic Sotto left the shadows of TVJ and became a star himself.

On Sunday, June 19, his newest sitcom ‘Hay, Bahay!’ will officially premiere on GMA. This will mark Vic Sotto’s eighth sitcom as a solo artist, and ninth overall.

While he was better known as 1/3 of the fabled trio TVJ alongside Tito Sotto and Joey de Leon, and the host of ‘Eat Bulaga’, it was his individual comedic brilliance on television and film that cemented his legacy. Without further ado, let’s look back at his solo sitcoms over the years (in chronological order), starting with the first four on the list.

1. Okay Ka, Fairy Ko! (1987-97)

Aired on: IBC-13 (1987-89), ABS-CBN (1989-95), GMA (1995-97)

Notable co-stars: Aiza Seguerra, Alice Dixson, Tweetie de Leon, Dawn Zulueta, Charito Solis, Jinky Oda, Ruby Rodriguez, Larry Silva

The sitcom that started it all, ‘Okay Ka, Fairy Ko’ introduced viewers to Enteng Kabisote, the mechanic-turned-husband of the fairy Faye. The character then went on to star in nine box-office hit movies based on the sitcom.

2. 1 For 3 (1997-2001)

Aired on: GMA

Notable co-stars: Ai-ai delas Alas, Charlene Gonzales, Rosanna Roces, Nanette Inventor, Imee Marcos, Allan K, Mickey Ferriols

Believe it or not, ‘Hay, Bahay’ is not the first sitcom to star both Vic Sotto and Ai-ai delas Alas. When Charlene Gonzales left ‘1 For 3’ to host ABS-CBN’s ‘Keep on Dancing’, Ai-ai was introduced in the sitcom as one of Gene’s (Vic) housemates.

3. Daddy Di Do Du (2001-07)

Aired on: GMA

Notable co-stars: Danica Sotto, Maxene Magalona, Isabelle de Leon, Cindy Kurleto, Redford White, Ruby Rodriguez, Joonee Gamboa, Jose Manalo, Paolo Ballesteros, Nida Blanca

The first sitcom to feature Vic and daughter Danica, ‘Daddy Di Do Du’ was the second in Vic’s sitcom filmography to feature a mystical theme. Unfortunately, just a few months into the sitcom’s run, Nida Blanca was murdered, and her character was written off afterwards.

4. Ful Haus (2007-09)

Aired on: GMA

Notable co-stars: Pia Guanio, Jose Manalo, BJ Forbes, Joonee Gamboa, Marissa Delgado, Mitoy Yonting, Sugar Mercado

Based on the Koreanovela ‘Full House’, ‘Ful Haus’ marked the debut of child star BJ Forbes, whose claim to fame was via the Tide detergent commercials as ‘Tolits’. This was also the first project for Mitoy Yonting prior to winning season 1 of ‘The Voice of the Philippines’ several years later.

For Part 2 of A History of Vic Sotto sitcoms, click here.

Note: ‘Hay, Bahay!’ will air every Sunday after ’24 Oras Weekend’ on GMA. All of his sitcoms are property of M-Zet Productions.

A History of Vic Sotto Sitcoms (Part 2)

Vic Sotto’s eighth solo sitcom, ‘Hay, Bahay!’, will mark his second collaboration with Ai-ai delas Alas. (Photo credit: GMA Network/Hay, Bahay! Official Facebook)

It has been nearly 30 years since Vic Sotto left the shadows of TVJ and became a star himself.

On Sunday, June 19, his newest sitcom ‘Hay, Bahay’ will officially premiere on GMA. This will mark Vic Sotto’s eighth sitcom as a solo artist, and ninth overall.

While he was better known as 1/3 of the fabled trio TVJ alongside Tito Sotto and Joey de Leon, and the host of ‘Eat Bulaga’, it was his individual comedic brilliance on television and film that cemented his legacy. Without further ado, let’s look back at his solo sitcoms over the years (in chronological order), concluding with the final four on the list.

5. My Darling Aswang (2010-11)

Aired on: TV5

Notable co-stars: Daiana Menezes, Tetchie Agbayani, Ces Quesada, Sugar Mercado, Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola, Ritchie d’Horsie, Miguel Faustmann, Kakai Bautista, Rhea Nakpil

Based on the movie ‘Ang Darling Kong Aswang’, ‘My Darling Aswang’ was the first Vic Sotto-starred sitcom in 15 years to not air on GMA. Instead, it aired on TV5, where Vic also happened to be the host of the game show ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’.

6. The Jose and Wally Show Starring Vic Sotto (2011-12)

Aired on: TV5

Notable co-stars: Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola, Jimmy Santos, Mcoy Fundales, Erika Padilla, Dianne Medina, Buboy Garovillo, Miriam Quiambao, Niña Jose

While Jose and Wally were the headliners of this variety show within a sitcom, Vic was also added to the mix as its ‘director’. Like ‘My Darling Aswang’, ‘The Jose and Wally Show’ was aired concurrently with Vic’s other show on TV5, ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’.

7. Vampire ang Daddy Ko (2013-16)

Aired on: GMA

Notable co-stars: Oyo Boy Sotto, Pilita Corrales, Jackie Lou Blanco, Anjo Yllana, Jimmy Santos, Ryzza Mae Dizon, Bea Binene, Derrick Monasterio, Glaiza de Castro, Jin-ri Park, Allan K, Jinky Oda

‘Vampire ang Daddy Ko’ was the third Vic Sotto-starred sitcom to feature a mystical theme. It was also his first project alongside son Oyo Boy, and the first comedic role for young child star Ryzza Mae Dizon.

8. Hay, Bahay! (2016-present)

Aired on: GMA

Notable co-stars: Oyo Boy Sotto, Kristine Hermosa, Ai-ai delas Alas, Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola, Ruby Rodriguez

The premise of ‘Hay, Bahay’ is similar to ‘1 For 3’, in which the characters share the same house owned by a landlord. The sitcom marks the television comeback of Kristine Hermosa, and it will be her first show outside of ABS-CBN.

Indeed, Vic Sotto has come a long way since he was introduced as the iconic Enteng Kabisote in ‘Okay Ka, Fairy Ko’. After nearly 30 years as the ‘Bossing’ of Philippine sitcoms, he is still going strong.

For Part 1 of A History of Vic Sotto sitcoms, click here.

Note: ‘Hay, Bahay!’ will air every Sunday after ’24 Oras Weekend’ on GMA. All of his sitcoms are property of M-Zet Productions.