Charles Teves
More than a year ago, a congressional franchise rejected ABS-CBN’s bid for a franchise renewal, resulting in the retrenchment of employees and billions in losses.
A number of artists have also decided to transfer to other networks due to the lack of opportunities to be a Kapamilya.
However, the shutdown did not stop the network from producing high-quality programs.
Here are the shows ABS-CBN produced after going off the air.
La Vida Lena
The show gave Erich Gonzales a role in a drama series since her appearance in the 2018 program The Blood Sisters.
Huwag Kang Mangamba
The drama series’ pilot episode was aired via TV5 last March. “The Gold Squad” of Kadenang Ginto carried the program—Andrea Brillantes, Francine Diaz, Seth Fedelin, and Kyle Echarri.
Walang Hanggang Paalam
The plan was to have tapings in a number of Southeast Asian countries, and the setting would be in the pre-pandemic era. The series aired from September 2020 to April 2021. It consisted of stars such as Angelica Panganiban, Arci Muñoz, Paulo Avelino, and Zanjoe Marudo.
Paano Kita Mapasasalamatan
Judy Ann Santos hosted the documentary program from June 2020 to June 2021. It featured stories about Filipinos committing to helping other individuals. “Dahil sa mga kwento niyo, hindi mamatay ang pag-asa sa puso nating mga Pilipino na hangga’t may nagmamalasakit at hangga’t may handang tumulong, hindi mapuputol ang chain of kindness,” an emotional Judy Ann said in the last episode.
A Soldier’s Heart
Lead star Gerald Anderson was more than happy to produce such a quality program amid the pandemic.
“What we had to go through, ‘yung mga sacrifices, ‘yung training, naabutan pa kami ng pandemic, lockdown and shutdown – we still found a way para makapagbigay pa rin ng magandang quality ng show para sa lahat ng tao. Three years in the making,” he said during a press conference.
A Soldier’s Heart premiered in January 2020 and ended in September.
Love Thy Woman
Production was forced to stop due to health restrictions after premiering on free television in February 2020. After ABS-CBN went off the air, the program moved to the Kapamilya Channel via cable and satellite TV and Kapamilya Online Live. Kim Chiu, the star of the show, was emotional as the program ended in September.
Iba ‘Yan
The program is similar to Paano Kita Mapasasalamatan, where Angel Locsin shares the stories of average Joes and how they help fellow Filipinos amid the health crisis.
“Sa panahon na walang kasiguraduhan dahil sa pandemya, at dahil na rin po walang kasiguraduhan ang staff ng ABS-CBN, binuksan niyo po ang pintuan niyo para sa amin, kaya maraming salamat po sa inyo.” Locsin said in the final episode as she expressed gratitude.
Ang Sa Iyo Ay Akin
This was the first teleserye that started shooting during the pandemic. Iza Calzado said she felt like the program was what God wanted to happen.
“Parang we have been parang chosen by God to do this, parang ganun, e. Ganun yung pakiramdam. So I am beyond grateful, it’s a mixture of parang we went through so many challenges kaya siguro talagang ramdam na ramdam namin yung magandang feedback.” said the COVID-19 survivor.
Bagong Umaga
The typical teleserye resulted in various cast members getting infected with the coronavirus.
“God is good. We all survived. That was pretty unforgettable,” said Tony Labrusca. The program ran from October 2020 to April 2021.
Init sa Magdamag
The show premiered on April 2021 on A2Z, TV5, and the Kapamilya Channel, which features Yam Concepcion, Gerald Anderson, and JM de Guzman.
Everybody, Sing!
Vice Ganda hosts the weekly singing game show. The program’s debut was delayed too many times until June 2021.
He’s Into Her
The live adaptation series was inspired by the popular Wattpad novel of the same name. It started airing in May 2021 on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, and TFC.
