The Last Week of Langit Lupa

It’s all down to one final week for ‘Langit Lupa’.

This Friday, ABS-CBN will air the 108th and final episode of ‘Langit Lupa’, the late weekday morning drama starring Yesha Camile and Xia Vigor. The series tells the story of two best friends whose origins and issues with their parents test their bond together.

Also starring in ‘Langit Lupa’ are Yam Concepcion, Alessandra de Rossi, Patrick Garcia, Jason Abalos, Ellen Adarna, Tommy Esguerra, Miho Nishida, Jairus Aquino, Sharlene San Pedro, Buboy Garovillo, Viveika Ravanes, and Kitkat. The series is directed by Carlo Po Artillaga and Myla Ajero-Gaite.

‘Langit Lupa’ first premiered on November 28, 2016 and made an immediate impact, earning a rating of 17.5% to rule its timeslot against GMA’s ‘Trops’, which only scored 8.7%. From that point on, ‘Langit Lupa’ continued ABS-CBN’s dominance in the late-morning slot, averaging around 15% compared to ‘Trops” 9% in Kantar.

The series was also a regular trending topic on social media, with viewers praising the acting abilities of child stars Yesha and Xia. The latter’s performances on ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar Kids’ likewise boosted not only her individual popularity, but also of the show with which she stars.

Despite its success, ‘Langit Lupa’ may be considered one of ABS-CBN’s more underrated late-morning series. Unlike another child-starred drama in ‘Ningning’ (starring ‘Dream Dad”s Jana Agoncillo), the two child stars of ‘Langit Lupa’ are essentially rookies in the field of entertainment, thus their performances and recognition still have more room for improvement.

Nevertheless, ‘Langit Lupa’ represents the first big leap in the careers of Yesha and Xia. With ABS-CBN’s growing reputation as a ‘child star factory’, greater things are expected for the two in terms of their career path.

Come this Friday, it will be the cutest finale journey for Princess (Yesha) and Esang (Xia). For viewers who have tuned in to ‘Langit Lupa’ from the beginning, a memorable and wonderful conclusion awaits.

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Langit Lupa Premieres Today

The kids are back on ABS-CBN’s Primetanghali.

Starting today, up-and-coming child stars Yesha Camile and Xia Vigor topbill the Kapamilya network’s newest daytime series ‘Langit Lupa’. The program will focus on Yesha and Xia as two best friends with contrasting origins.

In ‘Langit Lupa’, the wealthy young girl Princess (Yesha) befriended a simple but loving lass Esang (Xia). Their friendship grew stronger as time goes by, but along the way, their mothers’ forgotten past was revealed.

Princess’ mother Lala (Yam Concepcion) and Esang’s mother Dey (Alessandra de Rossi) were once the best of friends and business partners. However, when Dey fell ill, Lala and her husband Ian (Patrick Garcia) failed to give Dey’s husband Joey (Jason Abalos) money for medication, leading to Dey’s death and some ill will against Lala and Ian.

‘Langit Lupa’ will also star Ellen Adarna, Tommy Esguerra, Miho Nishida, Jairus Aquino, Sharlene San Pedro, Buboy Garovillo, Viveika Ravanes, and Kitkat. It will be directed by Carlo Po Artillaga and Myla Ajero-Gaite.

For Yesha and Xia, ‘Langit Lupa’ represents their first big break as child stars. Yesha emerged as the grand winner of the Promil-Pre School i-Shine Talent Camp, while Xia came to prominence as the grand winner of ‘It’s Showtime”s Mini Me competition.

While the two have played supporting roles in several ABS-CBN dramas, playing the lead role will be a tremendous challenge. Then again, considering the success that ABS-CBN has had in introducing new child stars, the pressure should not be a problem for Yesha and Xia.

 

Speaking of success, it will also be interesting to see if ‘Langit Lupa’ can continue the momentum generated by ABS-CBN late-morning dramas. With each previous drama having won the hearts of viewers, the onus is on ‘Langit Lupa’ to keep it going.

That said, the first week of ‘Langit Lupa’ will be crucial in establishing its own footprint on Kapamilya lore. For Yesha and Xia, this initial test begins now, as they hope to raise their profiles among Kapamilya network’s child stars of legend.

‘Langit Lupa’ airs weekdays at 11:30 a.m. on ABS-CBN’s Primetanghali.

The Impact of Annaliza on GMA’s Programs

Annaliza’s 10-month run included a near-30% ratings average, and a total of 215 episodes which doubled that of the four different rivals in its timeslot.

For 10 months, the ABS-CBN drama series ‘Annaliza’ was the ratings leader in its timeslot, outplaying its GMA counterparts by a wide margin. As the series concludes this week, let’s look back at how ‘Annaliza’ was able to force GMA to regroup.

Annaliza vs. Home Sweet Home

‘Home Sweet Home’ debuted on GMA’s Telebabad block on April 22, 2013. Meanwhile, ‘Annaliza’ debuted over a month later, on May 27. In its pilot episode, ‘Annaliza’ managed a promising 16.7 % over ‘Home Sweet Home”s 8.8%, setting the stage for its lengthy 10-month run.

While ‘Home Sweet Home’ had a decently good story and a cast led by Raymart Santiago, Bea Binene and Jake Vargas, they were unable to overcome the surprisingly strong acting chemistry between young actress Andrea Brilliantes and co-stars Patrick Garcia, Kaye Abad and Denise Laurel. ‘Home Sweet Home’s final episode on July 19 managed only an 11.4% rating, while ‘Annaliza’ earned 20.4%. ‘Home Sweet Home’ had a total of 64 episodes during its run.

Annaliza vs. Binoy Henyo

‘Annaliza”s next opponent was ‘Binoy Henyo’, featuring another young Kapuso talent in David Remo. ‘Binoy Henyo’ debuted on July 22, but only managed a 12.8% against ‘Annaliza”s 22.1%. Unlike ‘Home Sweet Home’, ‘Binoy Henyo’ enjoyed a rather brief run, lasting for only two months and 45 episodes, with its finale on September 20 managing a paltry 14.4% against ‘Annaliza”s 27%.

Unfortunately for Remo, he was never seen again after ‘Binoy Henyo’, while the showbiz career of Andrea Brilliantes continues to soar with each episode. As a result, GMA decided to create a new series, this time casting a popular love team in hopes of changing their fortunes.

Annaliza vs. Prinsesa ng Buhay Ko

Up next for ‘Annaliza’ was ‘Prinsesa ng Buhay Ko’, starring the tandem of Kris Bernal and Aljur Abrenica. But despite the obvious age and experience gap between Andrea Brilliantes and the so-called ‘Alkris’ love team, ‘Annaliza’ still topped ‘Prinsesa ng Buhay Ko’ on its September 23 pilot, registering a 27.3% over the latter’s 15.1%.

Nevertheless, ‘Prinsesa ng Buhay Ko’ proved to be a more formidable opponent in its five-month run. But formidable was not enough, and it showed by its performance in the ratings. ‘Prinsesa”s final episode on January 24 managed only a 10.5% rating to ‘Annaliza”s 20.6%. After the series, Aljur Abrenica was paired with Louise delos Reyes in ‘Kambal Sirena’, temporarily putting ‘Alkris’ on the shelf.

Annaliza vs. Paraiso Ko’y Ikaw

‘Annaliza”s 10-month run would conclude against ‘Paraiso Ko’y Ikaw’. The series, starring Kim Rodriguez and Kristoffer Martin, debuted on January 27, but only mustered an unimpressive 9.6% against ‘Annaliza”s 23.7%. Like ‘Binoy Henyo’, ‘Paraiso Ko’y Ikaw’ failed because of poor marketing and storytelling, and as a result, it only lasted 45 episodes, with its finale scheduled to air on March 28, which at this point the Julia Barretto-starred ‘Mirabella’ was on its first week.

When it’s all said and done, ‘Annaliza’ had topped them all. In its 10 months on the air, ‘Annaliza’ proved to be a more dramatic, more passionate, and more well-written series than anyone had ever imagined. And its successful run should give Andrea Brilliantes something to look forward to as she moves on to bigger and better things.

As for GMA, it was a harsh lesson to learn. Fortunately for them, ‘Annaliza’ will no longer be the least of their problems come next week. However, the impact that ‘Annaliza”s had on GMA’s programs will continue to reverberate on the Kapuso network in the months to come.