AFTER a tumultuous year which saw several of GMA’s shows shelved and postponed because of the pandemic, the country’s largest television network is starting 2021 by announcing a slate of new shows and the return of pandemic-interrupted shows.
Kick-starting the line-up for the GMA Afternoon Prime slot is the return of Magkaagaw with recaps and fresh episodes. The afternoon drama is top-billed by Sunshine Dizon, Klea Pineda, Jeric Gonzales, and Sheryl Cruz. Also in the afternoon time slot are two new shows: Babawiin Ko ang Lahat starring John Estrada and Carmina Villaroel, Ang Dalawang Ikaw starring Rita Daniela and Ken Chan, and Nagbabagang Luha, the TV adaptation of the 1988 film of the same name. The TV adaptation will star Glaiza de Castro and Rayver Cruz.
Other shows to launch in the timeslot are legal drama Artikulo 247 and Las Hermanas.
On GMA Telebabad, the rivalry between friends-turned-mortal-enemies continues in the recap and fresh episodes of Anak ni Waray vs. Anak ni Biday, starring Barbie Forteza and Kate Valdez, together with Migo Adecer and seasoned actresses Snooky Serna and Dina Bonnevie.
Romantic comedy series First Yaya will also be dropping in the evening time slot and will star Gabby Concepcion and Sanya Lopez. It follows the story of the Vice-President of the Philippines who will later assume the presidency and his blooming romance with the nanny of his children.
Legal Wives, a cultural drama series focusing on the story of a Maranaw Muslim royal who has three wives, will also be premiering this year. It stars Dennis Trillo, Alice Dixson, Andrea Torres, and Bianca Umali.
Owe My Love narrates the story of a financially illiterate woman and a miserly but successful doctor and financial advisor whose lives intertwine when the former becomes indebted to the latter. The show, produced by GMA Public Affairs and starring Lovi Poe and Benjamin Alves, will air on GMA 7.
GMA Public Affairs also brings its biggest action-adventure series to date in Lolong. Starring Ruru Madrid, the show is inspired by Lolong, the world’s largest crocodile in captivity. Joining Madrid in the series are Arra San Agustin and Shaira Diaz. Lolong will also air on GMA 7.
Meanwhile, romance drama I Left My Heart in Sorsogon, starring Heart Evangelista-Escudero, follows the story of a young woman whose status as a fashion socialite is shaken up after she returns to her hometown, rediscovers her roots, and rekindling her love for family, community, and an ex-flame.
Making a return to the small screen is the drama anthology I Can See You, featuring some of the network’s biggest stars.
“This ground-breaking program pivots on its common visual storytelling mnemonic device which is the use of a camera as a witness to the tales of love and mystery from everyday people,” said a press release.
Other shows in the 2021 GMA slate are To Have and To Hold, where a man searches for answers about his wife’s secret affair but soon realizes he’s falling for the spouse of his wife’s lover; World Between Us, in which a principled man is wronged by the people he considers family; Love. Die. Repeat, where a woman is stuck reliving the day of her boyfriend’s death over and over again; The Witness, in which a man with high-functioning autism becomes a witness and a secret keeper to a crime; My Fantastic Pag-ibig is a collection of rom-com tales set in the present but infused with fantasy elements; Heartful Cafe, which follows the life of an online romance novelist and her journey towards finding her own match; Love You Stranger, about a film designer whose love for her sick mother drives her to look into the existence of a shadow figure from folklore.
Reality and competition shows such as The Clash Season 4, Centerstage, Catch Me Out Philippines, Flex, Game of Gens and Sing for Hearts will also be premiering on the channel soon.
The network’s news channel, GMA News TV, will also be premiering its first locally produced daily primetime show called The Lost Recipe, a fantasy-romance series.
Asian dramas which will be introduced this year include: Fates and Furies, The Romantic Doctor 2, Backstreet Rookie, Doctor John, Penthouse, and Bad Genius The Series.
The Department of Education’s DepEd TV (its blended learning program) will soon be available on the GMA Affordabox’s Channel 7. Affordabox is the network’s digital TV box, a mobile version of the TV box, GMA Now, which can be used on one’s Android phone.
For more updates on GMA Network’s upcoming programs and offerings, follow its official Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube accounts or visit www.gmanetwork.com. — Z.B. Chua