Doble Kara Turns One; Tubig at Langis to End This Week

The ‘one-year teleserye club’ has just inducted another member.

Last week, ‘Doble Kara’ celebrated its first anniversary with an Instagram post from lead star Julia Montes. The said post can be seen below.

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This day is the day nagsimula ang lahat sa teleserye sa hapon sa buhay naming mga DK family…. would like to grab this opportunity na magpasalamat sa lahat ng bumubuo ng DK…. First sa Abs-Cbn/ Dreamscape … sa taong laging naniniwala sa kakayanan ko simula't simula kay sir Deo @montie08 ….sa adprom na kasama namin sa pagpromote … sa buong Creative @rondellindayag , at sa writers @danix8 and the whole team kanila kuya dave and the rest na nagpapagod and nagiisip ng napakagandang kwento ng kambal …sa editing /scoring para sa mga eksena …sa mothership na nageedit ng kambal kanila kuya Carlo … Sa directors (direk Manny /Direk Trina) pati sila Direk spoonky … sa mga A.D namin …#ram stylist na isa peg ko sa kambal 😂 @nericbeltran Sa mga staff from original up to now PM @ericksalud … sa mga crew (ang aming love na mga boys sa set) sa bigrock/lights mga cameraman &utility men … mga talent na nainvolve at nakaeksena namin sa show … Mga cast from @mina_villarroel to tatay ariel @allentdizon tita Glo , Tita alicia @patriciajavier1 @korekkajohn @anjodamiles @zackwey @samuelmilby @ea_guzman @rayvercruz @maxenemagalona @missmylenedizon @unitednationsofalora And sa aking mga naging kakambal ss show …most specially i wanna say thank you @cjacleus my twin!! Ndi magiging possible ang twin without you …. MARAMING SALAMAT sa lahat na patuloy na nanunuod ng Doble Kara … 1 taon po ang pinagsamahan natin patuloy pang magsasama sama kaya marami pa po kayong dapat abangan …. #DobleKara1taon

A post shared by Julia Montes (@montesjulia08) on Aug 23, 2016 at 9:37am PDT

Produced by Dreamscape, ‘Doble Kara’ first hit the small screen on August 24, 2015. The series, which starred Julia Montes as twin sisters Sara and Kara, became an immediate hit, and soon after, it overtook the equally long-running GMA series ‘The Half-Sisters’ as afternoon’s must-watch teleserye.

‘Doble Kara’ maintained its dominant status even as GMA rolled out ‘Wish I May’, ‘Hanggang Makita Kang Muli’ and ‘Sinungaling Mong Puso’ to combat the said threat. And on Wednesday, August 24, ‘Doble Kara’ celebrated its first anniversary on television with this riveting confrontation between Sara and Kara.

‘Doble Kara’ joins ‘Be Careful with My Heart’ as the only ABS-CBN dramas of the current decade to last at least a year. Other ‘one-year teleserye club’ members from ABS-CBN include ‘May Bukas Pa’, ‘Only You’, Kaytagal Kang Hinintay’, ‘Sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan’ and the original ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’, among others.

Meanwhile, Kapamilya Gold’s other teleserye is wrapping up this week.

‘Tubig at Langis’, the series starring Cristine Reyes, Zanjoe Marudo and Isabelle Daza, will air its final episode this Friday, September 2. The immediate conclusion of ‘Tubig at Langis’ had been planned in advance, as Isabelle Daza’s wedding with Adrien Semblat is set to take place eight days after the show’s finale.

First airing on February 1, ‘Tubig at Langis will have aired for a total of 152 episodes. The series was not without controversy, however, as it had to deal with the acrimonious departure of Vivian Velez one month into its run.

Despite that, ‘Tubig at Langis’ was able to win consistently in the national ratings. Along the way, it dominated past GMA rivals ‘Buena Familia’, ‘Hanggang Makita Kang Muli’, ‘The Millionaire’s Wife’ and ‘Sa Piling ni Nanay’ during its long eight-month run.

The series was also a constant trending topic on social media. Viewers all over the world remain hooked to ‘Tubig at Langis’ thanks to some heart-wrenching confrontations involving Irene (Cristine) and Clara (Isabelle).

Now that ‘Tubig at Langis’ will end this week, ABS-CBN can only hope that a memorable finale is in store. For the viewers, production staff and the cast, this is going to be an ending to remember.

Pangako Sa ‘Yo Down to Final Week

One of the country’s top-rated drama series on primetime is about to bid farewell.

On Friday, February 12, the final episode of ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’ will air on ABS-CBN’s Primetime Bida. The series, which first aired on May 25, 2015, will have a total of 190 episodes in all by the end of its run.

‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’, a remake of the 2000 series starring Jericho Rosales and Kristine Hermosa, again told the love story of Angelo and Yna, now portrayed by Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo, respectively. Throughout the series, Angelo and Yna were faced with several obstacles, but their love for each other still prevailed against all odds.

But as ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’ reaches its conclusion, a pair of shocking truths will await the duo. That said, Angelo and Yna will need to face this final test before they can finally fulfill their promise of love and happiness to each other.

‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’ was a ratings juggernaut throughout its run, as it consistently ranked among the top-rated programs in the country, based on Kantar’s figures. It even hit the 40% mark on a few occasions.

What made its domination even more impressive was that earlier this year, ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’ managed to beat all three ongoing GMA Telebabad series in one calendar month. During the month of January, ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’ faced ‘Little Nanay’, ‘Because of You’ and ‘That’s My Amboy’ in succession, and the former defeated them all.

It also made a huge impression on Twitter, particularly in an episode where the future Amor Powers (Jodi Sta. Maria) vowed for revenge against the Buenavistas, portrayed by Angelica Panganiban (as Claudia) and Ian Veneracion (as Eduardo). The series, particularly the KathNiel tandem, earned numerous awards, sold out merchandise, and even attracted jam-packed crowds to its promotional events.

‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’ also made history by holding a talent search for the character of Bea Bianca. That contest was won by Sarah Carlos, and her brief but memorable portrayal of Vanessa del Bianco’s original character paved the way for Sarah to become a MYX VJ at the start of this year.

Overall, ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’ lived up to the expectations of the original. The series proved that the KathNiel tandem can indeed play more mature roles, while at the same time, it gave Jodi, Angelica and Ian a new lease in their showbiz careers.

This week’s final few episodes should be intense. Don’t miss the much-awaited finale of ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’, after ‘Ang Probinsyano’ on ABS-CBN’s Primetime Bida.

Unable to Beat Kathniel and Pangako Sa ‘Yo, GMA Resorts to Its Old Reliables

‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’ took its toll on GMA once again.

Fifteen years after the original series took the then-Rainbow Network by surprise, the newly-revised version of ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’ again proved its lasting power in the era of social media. It showed that even with new actors, new technology and a tweaked script, the results will still be the same.

For rival ‘Let the Love Begin’, it was a total disappointment. GMA tried to concoct a new and promising love team with Gabbi Garcia and Ruru Madrid, but it never clicked with the viewers at all.

Whether it’s the ‘Forevermore’ duo of Enrique Gil and Liza Soberano, or ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo”s Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, the GabRu duo failed to match the chemistry and mass appeal of its rivals. And after 70 episodes by the end of Friday’s finale, their future as an on-screen duo is now in doubt.

Now GMA is going back to its old reliables in hopes of curtailing the momentum of ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’. Enter Lovi Poe and Heart Evangelista of the upcoming series ‘Beautiful Strangers’.

In ‘Beautiful Strangers’, Heart and Lovi are billed as rivals, in contrast to their off-screen friendship. Heart plays the role of a kind-hearted plastic surgeon, while Lovi portrays the role of an interior designer with a dark past.

The two lead stars will be joined by Christopher de Leon, Benjamin Alves, Rocco Nacino, Dina Bonnevie, Ayen Munji-Laurel, Renz Valerio, Kier Legaspi, Dianne Medina, Djanin Cruz, Gab de Leon, Nar Cabico, Mariel Pamintuan and Lovely Rivero. ‘Beautiful Strangers’ will be directed by Albert Langitan.

Once ‘Beautiful Strangers’ premieres this Monday, it will be the second of three new dramas that GMA will introduce on the same day, as part of a month-long overhaul of Telebabad. But it remains to be seen if the new series will pose a more interesting challenge to ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’.

One thing’s for sure: GMA still can’t make the most out of their younger talents and now resort to old-timers in hopes of gaining some relevance.

‘Beautiful Strangers’ airs starting August 10 at 8:30 p.m. after ‘Pari ‘Koy’ on GMA Telebabad.

The Impact of Pangako Sa ‘Yo on Philippine TV

The original ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’, starring Jericho Rosales and Kristine Hermosa, will always be remembered in Philippine television lore.

Airing from 2000 to 2002, the series was considered the first teleserye in Philippine television. The popularity of ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’ forever changed the landscape of primetime television viewing in the country.

Before ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’, primetime on Philippine television was at its most diverse, ranging from local and foreign sitcoms, action, variety and suspense programs to even animes and cartoons. However, the mid-90s foreshadowed the eventual dominance of dramas in the primetime slot, beginning with RPN-9’s ‘MariMar’ and later with ABS-CBN’s ‘Mara Clara’.

Then on November 13, 2000, ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’ premiered on what would later become the Primetime Bida slot (ABS-CBN did not dub the primetime block as such until 2002). The series quickly made an impact, and by 2001 it was the hottest program in the country viewership-wise.

The success of ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’ proved to be the last straw for GMA as a niche-oriented upscale network. Midway through 2001, GMA cancelled its Anime Assault (later known as Astig Authority) anime block from its primetime lineup and replaced them with their own teleseryes, a precursor of what later became GMA Telebabad.

However, GMA’s own lineup of teleseryes were no match for ABS-CBN’s, and eventually forced the network to introduce the fantaserye genre, which turned the tables in the mid-to-late 2000s. ABS-CBN stuck to their tried and tested formula of traditional teleseryes, even though they briefly flirted with fantaseryes, and later introduced sexual, social, political, value-oriented and culture-oriented themes to their teleseryes.

By the time ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’ finished its run on September 20, 2002, much of the primetime scene on weeknights, if not entirely, were dominated by teleseryes. Today, with the exception of the early evening newscasts, teleseryes are aplenty in the 5:50-11:00 p.m. window, with each episode lasting for 40-45 minutes.

Fast forward to 2015, and the remake of ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’ will make its way onto Primetime Bida this coming Monday. The premise is virtually similar to the original, with the love story of Yna Macaspac (Kathryn Bernardo) and Angelo Buenavista (Daniel Padilla) dominating the series along with the love triangle between Amor Powers (Jodi Sta. Maria), Claudia Buenavista (Angelica Panganiban) and Eduardo Buenavista (Ian Veneracion).

But like all recent remakes, the story of ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’ will be shortened, revised and compressed to today’s teleserye standards, with a timetable of at least four to eight months depending on the ratings. Still, fans of the original series cannot wait to revisit the tale that first captivated the nation in the early 2000s.

The original ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo”s place in Philippine television history has been secured. Now it’s up to the new version to make a similar impact.

The remake of ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’ airs this Monday after ‘Nathaniel’ on ABS-CBN’s Primetime Bida.

The Last Three Weeks of ‘Forevermore’; ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’ Coming Up

Tonight will be the premiere of ‘Let the Love Begin’, but the Road to ‘Forevermore’ is about to get underway.

ABS-CBN announced that ‘Forevermore’, the top-rated primetime series starring Enrique Gil and Liza Soberano, is now down to its final three weeks. The series is scheduled to end on May 22 after 158 episodes.

The announcement of its impending conclusion came soon after its thanksgiving concert, supposed to be held May 10 at Sitio Pungayan in Sto. Tomas, Benguet, was cancelled due to environmental concerns.

ABS-CBN also confirmed that the replacement of ‘Forevermore’ will be none other than the remake of the classic 2000 teleserye ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’, starring Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla. While the teaser below gave no specific premiere date, ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’ is slated to premiere on May 25, based on the timetable set on ‘Forevermore”s conclusion.

‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’ was heavily hyped by the network since the end of last year. The teaser introduced viewers to the four main characters, which will be played by Kathryn Bernardo (Yna Macaspac, originally by Kristine Hermosa), Daniel Padilla (Angelo Buenavista, originally by Jericho Rosales), Jodi Sta. Maria (Amor Powers, originally by Eula Valdes) and Angelica Panganiban (Claudia Buenavista, originally by Jean Garcia).

The impending teleserye return of the KathNiel tandem should pose some concern to GMA’s debuting teleserye ‘Let the Love Begin’. Gabbi Garcia and Ruru Madrid are considered greenhorns in a lead role at this point, so it remains to be seen if their performance on the latter series will give them a boost to their budding careers.

With everything set, expect a smooth transition from the unexpectedly successful LizQuen pairing to the well-established KathNiel duo. Three weeks from now, a changing of the guard is in order on Primetime Bida’s third slot.