Schedule Suggestions is featuring the network for the first time.
For its debut on Schedule Suggestions, the new programming grid of the main GMA Network will be discussed. Recently, the Kapuso network made some major changes to its line-up.
That, among others, includes the transfer of ‘Bubble Gang,’ which had been in the Friday night slot for 28 years, to the earlier time of 6:00 pm every Sunday. Coinciding with the move of ‘Bubble Gang,’ GMA also relaunched its weekend programming grid as the ‘Best Weekend Ever’ block.
But, with this article being a GMA’s “premiere” in this series, let’s extend the discussion to the network’s entire seven-day line-up. So, let’s head over to the weekday schedule first.
Weekdays
- 5:30 am – Unang Hirit
- 8:00 am – Astig Authority
- 8:30 am – Fantaseries
- 9:00 am – Revenge Note
- 9:30 am – Kapuso Movie Festival
- 11:00 am – TikToclock
- 12:00 nn – Eat Bulaga!
- 2:30 pm – Fast Talk With Boy Abunda
- 3:00 pm – Abot-Kamay Na Pangarap
- 3:45 pm – Magandang Dilag
- 4:30 pm – The Seed of Love
- 5:15 pm – Bad Romeo
- 5:45 pm – Luv Is: Love at First Read
- 6:30 pm – 24 Oras
- 8:00 pm – Voltes V: Legacy
- 8:50 pm – Royal Blood
- 9:35 pm – Unbreak My Heart
- 10:20 pm – Now We’re Breaking Up
- 10:50 pm – Saksi
- 11:30 pm – Queen Seondeok
- 12:00 mn – The 700 Club Asia
Foremost, in the morning block, there should be some minor adjustments that have to made. One is the move of the Fantaseries slot from 8:25 am to 8:30 am, allowing the Astig Authority program, as well as Regional TV shows to air for a full 30 minutes.
Countdown variety show ‘Tiktoclock’ should also be expanded to an hour. This is to allow the program to better compete with other programs that begin at 11:00 am sharp. By effect, this could also form a four-hour noontime variety block on the network. To make that possible, afternoon talk program ‘Fast Talk with Boy Abunda’ should be shifted to the post-Eat Bulaga time of 2:30 pm and permanently expand to 30 minutes.
Afternoon Prime’s top-rating drama ‘Abot-Kamay na Pangarap’ should also move its time slot at 3:00 pm. The primary reason being is to let those who watch ‘It’s Showtime’ on GTV to watch the show in full — considering the weekday edition of IS ends at 3:00 pm. Additionally, it is also for Afternoon Prime series to compete properly with the upcoming co-productions of ABS-CBN and TV5 on the Kapamilya Gold (Kapamilya Channel), Zuper Hapon (A2Z), and Hapon Champion (TV5) blocks.
Throughout the rest of the daytime block, minor adjustments would have to be made to accommodate the suggested changes.
Anyway, on primetime, the 9:35 pm show, which is currently ‘Unbreak My Heart,’ should be expanded to also air on Friday nights, effectively replacing ‘Bubble Gang’. While ‘Amazing Earth’ has been chosen to be the successor, a Monday to Friday Telebabad block would be ideal, as this would finally align GMA with other major TV networks out there.
Saturdays
- 5:00 am – Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko
- 5:30 am – Agripreneur
- 6:00 am – Pinoy M.D.
- 7:00 am – Turbo Zone
- 7:30 am – Dino Dan
- 8:00 am – Oggy and the Cockroaches
- 8:30 am – Daimos (rerun)
- 9:00 am – Kamen Rider Zero-One
- 9:30 am – IBilib
- 10:00 am – Amazing Earth
- 10:45 am – Pera Paraan
- 11:30 am – Eat Bulaga!
- 2:30 pm – Abot-Kamay Na Pangarap
- 3:15 pm – Tadhana
- 4:00 pm – Imbestigador
- 4:45 pm – Resibo
- 5:30 pm – 24 Oras Weekend
- 6:00 pm – Pepito Manaloto
- 7:00 pm – Battle of the Judges
- 8:00 pm – Magpakailanman
- 9:15 pm – Open 24/7
- 10:15 pm – Walang Matigas Na Pulis…
- 11:00 pm – I Witness
- 11:30 pm – Reporter’s Notebook
A reshuffling in the Saturday Kapuso line-up would have to be in order, as well. That would also have to start in the morning block first. Science-oriented show IBilib should be brought to Saturdays, and must go back-to-back with ‘Amazing Earth’. These two shows align thematically, as they belong to the same category (science and nature).
In the afternoon, ‘Wish Ko Lang’ should exchange slots with ‘Resibo,’ which currently airs every Sunday. While there is still ‘Imbestigador,’ the current format of ‘IMB’ as a docu-drama should not be a worry when it is placed back-to-back with ‘Resibo’. The move is not superficial though, as placing four dramatized shows next to one another every Saturday has become dragging, as of late. Hence, to reenergize the Saturday afternoon block, a shift in the dynamics must be explored.
Evenings, GMA could also do some minor tweaks. One of which is by bringing back the two-episode-a-week format of its weekend talent/reality shows. This practice could be revived in the upcoming ‘Battle of the Judges’ or ‘The Voice Generations’. To allow that, though, the current show every Sunday at 7:50 pm, could be shifted to Saturday nights at 10:15 pm.
With that, GMA could also remove the reruns of ‘Road Trip’ that airs right after ‘Reporter’s Notebook’. Now, over to Sundays.
Sundays
- 5:30 am – Beyond Today
- 6:00 am – Angry Birds Toons
- 6:30 am – Where’s Chicky
- 7:00 am – Dino Dan
- 7:30 am – Daimos (rerun)
- 8:00 am – Ultraman Z (rerun)
- 8:30 am – AHA
- 9:15 am – Born To Be Wild
- 9:45 am – Kapuso Movie Festival
- 11:15 am – Sarap Di ‘Ba?
- 12:00 nn – All-Out Sundays
- 2:00 pm – GMA Blockbusters
- 4:00 pm – Regal Studio Presents
- 4:45 pm – Wish Ko Lang!
- 5:30 pm – 24 Oras Weekend
- 6:00 pm – Bubble Gang
- 7:00 pm – Happy Together
- 8:00 pm – Battle of the Judges
- 9:00 pm – Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho
- 10:45 pm – TBATS
- 11:30 pm – CIA with BA
Sunday mornings should be the new home for ‘Sarap ‘Di Ba?,’ the talk show that is currently aired every Saturday and was affected in this suggested line-up by the pair of science-oriented shows. A pre-‘All-Out Sundays’ slot would also allow ‘Sarap’ to put variety in an otherwise dull Sunday brunch slot.
Meanwhile, in the afternoon, as it was proposed above, ‘Wish Ko Lang’ could be moved to the timeslot before ’24 Oras Weekend’. In this slot, they will be paired with ‘Regal Studio Presents’. Despite both being dramatic in nature, their pairing would still be manageable, as they will be the only two drama shows every Sunday anyway.
In the primetime block, the only change would be a slot for ‘Battle of the Judges’, which can be added in before ‘Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho’. Other than that, there should only be minor time slot adjustments.
The recent revamp of GMA across its weekend programming is a proof that the network is trying to offer something new to their audience this time around. However, they should also explore implementing widescale changes across the board. While minimal in some areas, there are possible positive effects that they can gain in the process.
2 replies on “Schedule Suggestions: GMA (July 2023)”
GMA anime give the separate sub digital channel no. 7 on GMA affordabox please… namely astig authority channel.