Philippine television drama
Philippine television drama, also known as teledrama, Filipino telenovelas or P-drama, is a form of melodramatic, serialized, televised fiction in the Philippines. Teledrama is derived from two Filipino words: "tele", short for "telebisyón" (television) and "drama" (drama series).
Teledramas share characteristics with and have roots similar to soap operas and telenovelas. They have evolved into a genre with unique characteristics, however, and often reflect Filipino social reality. Teledramas are aired in the afternoon and prime time, five days a week. Their audience crosses age and gender lines, and they have the highest advertising rates in the Philippine television industry. Series last from three months to a year or longer, depending on ratings.
Philippine TV dramas also include serials and anthologies, usually shown weekly. These dramas have a finite number of episodes and usually last one season, again depending on ratings.
History
1940s-1980s
Soap operas in the Philippines began with Gulong ng Palad (Wheel of Fortune) on radio in 1949, and the genre expanded into television during the early 1960s. The first Philippine TV soap opera was Hiwaga sa Bahay na Bato (Mystery at the Stone House) in 1963, produced by ABS-CBN. Larawan ng Pag-ibig (Picture of Love), Prinsipe Amante (Prince Amante), and a number of others followed.[1]
Gulong ng Palad, co-written by Loida Virina,
The government closed several networks (including ABS-CBN) during the 1972–1986 martial-law period, leaving RPN and GMA the country's only two commercial television networks. The lack of a diverse media base aided the emergence of nationwide satellite broadcasting, and competition between the two networks spurred afternoon and prime-time sitcoms and serials. Philippine TV schedules resembled those in the U.S., with networks scheduling shows in daily time blocks instead of separate weekday and weekend programming.
RPN produced María Flordeluna, starring Janice de Belén. Its cast also included Dindo Fernando and actress-director Laurice Guillen. GMA produced Anna Liza, starring Julie Vega. Before the introduction of a TV ratings system in the Philippines during the 1990s, the shows were rivals. Anna Liza, canceled in 1985 after Vega's death, had an unfinished storyline and a two-hour special in 1986.
1990s
Until the late 1980s, Philippine television dramas were broadcast during the afternoon. ABS-CBN resumed operations after the end of the
The decade is considered the golden age of Philippine television drama. Most, such as Agila, Anna Luna, Valiente and Mara Clara, were aired on ABS-CBN.
The most popular was the Las Tres Marias trilogy, produced by
One of the country's best-known TV series was Mara Clara, which aired from 1992 to 1997. The longest-running teledrama in the post-martial-law era, it had frequent time-slot changes before settling into the standard 7-8:00 pm prime-time block by late 1995. In mid-1997, Mula sa Puso (another ABS-CBN series) saw the rise of Claudine Barretto. Barretto played the heiress Via in the two-year soap; Rico Yan and Diether Ocampo were her leading men, and Princess Punzalan played Selina (the series' most influential character). Mula Sa Puso was the country's first middle-class primetime series, differing from the telenovelas with protagonists from the lower socioeconomic classes.
GMA retained and popularized its afternoon dramas, such as 1995–1997's Villa Quintana (with Donna Cruz, Keempee de Leon and Isabel Rivas); it was followed by 1997–1998's Ikaw na Sana, with Angelu de Leon and Bobby Andrews. Both were moved to prime time.
2000s
Philippine television dramas evolved into teleserye, a portmanteau of the Filipino words telebisyon ("television") and serye ("series"). The term originated with the ABS-CBN drama
ABS-CBN's 2004's
Sana'y Wala Nang Wakas, aired between 2003 and 2004, was the world's first drama series to allow viewers to choose a story's ending by texting. A contemporary ABS-CBN teleserye, Basta't Kasama Kita, starred Judy Ann Santos and Robin Padilla; notable for its depiction of the National Bureau of Investigation, it was the first Filipino series to broadcast a live series-finale episode in 2004. In 2004, GMA Network overtook ABS-CBN in popularity when it introduced an all-fantaserye prime-time lineup featuring female-lead shows such as Encantadia and Mulawin. GMA gained a ratings foothold with Darna, starring Angel Locsin.
The Philippines emerged as one of the world's largest television-drama-producing nations in the middle of the decade. International hits included ABS-CBN's 2006 Gulong ng Palad, starring Kristine Hermosa and TJ Trinidad, which was carried on TFC. A 2007 remake of Maria Flordeluna, which had aired on RPN-9 during the 1970s and 1980s, starred Eliza Pineda; the 93-episode series received the 2008 PMPC Star Award for Best Television Series.
TV adaptations of films included ABS-CBN's
2005 marked the start of domination of religious-oriented teleseryes, and trend of airing family-oriented drama series produced by ABS-CBN's Dreamscape Entertainment on series based on Fernando Poe Jr.'s movies with Mga Anghel na Walang Langit which lasted for 210 episodes from May 9, 2005, to February 2006. Religious teleseryes continued to dominate on the following years and decades.
Late in the decade, GMA-7 and ABS-CBN became rivals. GMA aired its 2007 remake of the international telenovela MariMar. Three ABS-CBN series became popular: the remake of the 1977–1985 soap opera Gulong ng Palad, the teleserye Sa Piling Mo and the series Maging Sino Ka Man—the most popular teleserye internationally after Pangako Sa'Yo.
ABS-CBN produced its most expensive series, Lobo, in 2008; it starred Piolo Pascual and Angel Locsin—the first Filipino nominated for an International Emmy for a lead role. I Love Betty La Fea, a Filipino remake of the Colombian telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea, was broadcast that same year; it was the most successful Philippine remake of a Latin telenovela since GMA Network's Marimar remake the year before.
2010s
This section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2022) |
ABS-CBN and GMA Network both claimed to be the Philippines' most popular network. GMA Network began appealing to viewers in Mega Manila during the mid-2000s; ABS-CBN's prime-time shows attracted viewers in other parts of the country, particularly Visayas and Mindanao. Philippine media experts attributed the trend to ABS-CBN's return to Filipino programming.
The 2010s featured two successful teleseryes (Dahil May Isang Ikaw and , all of which were aired on ABS-CBN.
With the earlier success of the 2007 remake of Maria Flordeluna and the 2010 remake of
Teleseryes began to include storylines reflecting contemporary Philippine controversy. ABS-CBN's 2012
GMA Network premiered the big-budget historical drama series
ABS-CBN's 2014 series,
The decade marked the renewed popularity of long-running dramas after the early 2000s.
Live teleserye finales returned for the first time since GMA's 2007 remake of Marimar. ABS-CBN's
ABS-CBN's series 2019 military drama The General's Daughter was replaced by The Killer Bride, which has been praised for depicting the Duterte administration.[3]
2020s
Teleserye production was suspended In 2020 due to the
On July 7, 2020, the action drama series Ang Probinsyano surpassed the 1992–1997 series Mara Clara upon airing its 1,173rd episode, with the former now the longest-running drama series on ABS-CBN and on Philippine television since the said date.
Domination of religious-oriented drama series continued throughout the 2020s decade, with teleseryes belonging to this genre that aired in the 2020s are
After almost 7 years of airing, Ang Probinsyano ended on August 12, 2022, with 1,696 episodes and was replaced with the 2022 version of Darna, marking the change in ABS-CBN's primetime slot after its news program TV Patrol that was not seen since the start of airing of the said action drama series on September 28, 2015.
In 2024, the medical drama series Abot-Kamay na Pangarap became the longest-running drama on GMA Network on the 21st century.
Impact
Philippine TV drama became popular during the early 2000s in Asia, Africa and Filipino communities in North America. Teleseryes have evolved from the telenovelas on which they were based. Philippine teleseryes have also attracted audiences in Indonesia, Malaysia and China. Often dubbed into local languages, they are sometimes shown with English and other foreign subtitles.
ABS-CBN and GMA were among the first Asian television producers to export dramas with a universal message, reflecting the reality of Filipino and other Asian societies. Pangako Sa 'Yo is the Philippines' most successful TV series worldwide. Before leading the Chinese television ratings during the mid-2000s, the series was seen by over one billion viewers in Southeast Asia and Africa. ABS-CBN introduced its International Sales website,
GMA Network has the highest-rated pilot episodes with Darna and Encantadia in 2005, and made
Adaptations
Philippine television dramas have spawned adaptations in other Asian countries:[23]
- Impostora (GMA): Impostors, Cambodia, 2012
- Pangako Sa 'Yo (ABS-CBN): The Promise (សន្យាស្នេហ៍), Cambodia, 2013
- Sana'y Wala Nang Wakas (ABS-CBN): Cinta Tiada Ganti, Malaysia, 2018
- Kadenang Ginto (ABS-CBN): Putri Mahkota, Indonesia, 2020
- Love Thy Woman (ABS-CBN): Belenggu Dua Hati, Indonesia, 2020
- Sino ang Maysala?: Mea Culpa (ABS-CBN): Bukan Salah Cinta, Indonesia, 2020
- Tayong Dalawa (ABS-CBN): Angkara Cinta, Malaysia, 2020
- Hanggang Saan (ABS-CBN): Bir Annenin Günahı, Turkey, 2020
- The Legal Wife (ABS-CBN): Isteri Halal, Malaysia, 2023
- Forevermore (ABS-CBN): Vermem Seni Ellere, Turkey, 2023[24]
- My Dear Heart (ABS-CBN): The Beloved (ချစ်လှစွာသော), Myanmar, 2023 [25]
See also
- Television in the Philippines
- List of Philippine drama series
- List of ABS-CBN drama series
- List of programs aired by TV5 (Philippine TV network)
- List of GMA Network original drama series
References
- ^ "60 Years of Philippine Soap Operas". YouTube. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
- OCLC 150473643, retrieved May 12, 2022
- ^ Malasig, Jeline (October 1, 2019). "Some clips of ABS-CBN primetime show 'The Killer Bride' are going viral. Here's why". Interaksyon. Archived from the original on January 24, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- ^ Matthew Escosia (July 9, 2020). "A running list of Filipino BL series you can watch". Film Geek Guy. Archived from the original on July 20, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
- ^ "Bright and Win of '2gether' series coming soon on Kapamilya Channel". ABS-CBN News. June 8, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ^ "abs-cbnglobal.com". Archived from the original on January 3, 2010. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
- ABS-CBN Entertainment. October 4, 2016. Archivedfrom the original on July 11, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ a b "What you need to know about 'FPJ's Ang Probinsyano'". Rappler. November 18, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ABS-CBN News. Archivedfrom the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ABS-CBN News. November 15, 2018. Archivedfrom the original on February 4, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ "Artists' group: PNP, DILG have no right to meddle in 'Ang Probinsyano'". Rappler. November 17, 2018. Archived from the original on February 4, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ABS-CBN News. November 18, 2018. Archivedfrom the original on February 4, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ABS-CBN News. Archivedfrom the original on July 10, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Lo, Ricky (October 19, 2018). "Probinsyano helping Lito Lapid". The Philippine Star. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ABS-CBN News. May 15, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ de Guzman, Luchi (May 14, 2019). "Party-lists backed by Bro. Eddie Villanueva, Coco Martin lead partial election tally". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on July 9, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Torre, Nestor U. (August 8, 2017). "Cool TV action-drama cat has proverbial nine lives". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on July 9, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Cepeda, Cody (July 11, 2018). "Coco Martin's 'death' scene in 'Ang Probinsyano' triggers funny reactions from fans". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on July 11, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ABS-CBN News. July 16, 2019. Archivedfrom the original on July 9, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ABS-CBN News. March 29, 2019. Archivedfrom the original on January 26, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Wang, Nickie (February 11, 2019). "Reviving action genre". Manila Standard. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ^ "You can now binge watch 'Ang Probinsyano' on Netflix". CNN Philippines. May 10, 2019. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ "7 Filipino shows with TV Adaptations in other Countries". MSN. August 1, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- ^ "First Look: 'Vermem Seni Ellere' on ATV (Cast + Plot Summary)". dizilah.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ "PH Embassy Attends Press Launch of Myanmar's Adaptation of Filipino Hit TV Drama "My Dear Heart"". Department of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved November 24, 2023.