We continue our special countdown for the best Filipino content of the year.
Trendrod’s ‘Best Shows’ special feature is back to give recognition to the best Filipino stories and content of 2024 in television.
For this year, the Top 40 of the nation’s productions in both linear television and streaming media have been ranked and listed in this special series spanning four installments.
To qualify, these must be original shows produced by Filipino production companies, TV networks, or streaming services.
Additionally, their respective series or season premiere dates must have taken place from January 1 until December 22, 2024.
For the second of this four-part series, we are dishing out the programs that made it to the 21st to 30th spot in our ‘Best Shows of 2024’ list.
30. Face To Face Harapan (TV5)
The ‘OG talakserye’ got a makeover this year.
Last November 11, TV5 debuted the refreshed tabloid talk show ‘Face To Face Harapan,’ which saw the introduction of veteran broadcaster Korina Sanchez as its newest host.
The format remained largerly untouched, though, with Sanchez-Roxas, along with co-host Donita Nose, still aiming to settle disputes between opposing parties.
The ‘trio tagapayo’ was also rebranded as the ‘harapang tagapayo,’ although the panel is still composed by Dr. Camille Garcia, Bro. Jun Banaag, and Atty. Lorna Kapunan — all carried over from the previous iteration as ‘Face 2 Face’ with Karla Estrada and Alex Calleja.
Honest take: While many challenge the need for programs in the same vein as ‘Face To Face,’ no one can deny the low-brow entertainment value that allures audiences into watching the show.
While the ‘Harapan’ format kept visually most of what its predecessors had, having Korina Sanchez-Roxas at helm of the show elevates it into the sensationalized public service category from an entertainment show that meddles with or settles (depending on how viewers look at it) issues coming largely from the society’s lower income class.
29. Safe House (One News)
A new segment of the Cignal TV news channel’s ‘Long Conversations’ block.
In this unconventional talk show, anchors and personalities from One News and News5 discuss the latest happenings and anything under the sun inside the ‘Safe House.’
True to its nature, the program employs a rotating set of presenters, with the likes of Ed Lingao and Ronald Llamas being the most visible having been seen in four out of the five current episodes.
Honest take: ‘Safe House’ is both bold and laidback at the same time.
These traits were also what made the vibe for former One PH primetime flagship nightly chat show, ‘Wag Po!’, that ended its run in 2023.
Contrasting as they might seem on the outside, given that the new show airs on the main news channel and is not available on radio like its spiritual predcessor, elements of the previous primetime talk show can be seen in the current ‘Long Conversations’ segment.
But the main difference being that the flow of the episode have more direction in ‘Safe House’ — thanks to the pre-recorded format of the One News show versus the live broadcast of the old One PH program.
28. Forever Young (GMA)
How does society view a man trapped physically in a child’s body?
In this GMA Afternoon Prime series starring award-winning child actor Euwenn Mikaell, a person named ‘Rambo Agapito’ is forced to live a different life due to his condition.
Rambo has been diagnosed with panhypopituitarism, which slows down his body’s physical aging and growth and maintains his childlike features in terms of height, voice, among others. Although, the brain’s functions can develop as normal as they can be.
In the story, Rambo has been subjected to many challenges early on his life on top of his medical condition.
From being adopted by a couple as a baby after his parents gone missing, and later on, as he reached the age of 25, he finds himself locking horns with influential politicians in his fictional town of Corazon.
The show is still currently airing every weekday afternoon at 4:00 pm.
Honest take: From outside looking in, ‘Forever Young’ seems to be a mix of multiple ideas that were blended to make a unique show.
For a young star like Euwenn, the series can be described as “very mature” for his age, especially with the core theme being grounded in the politics of the fictional town and him having to act and speak like a 25-year-old guy.
But surely, this one is indeed a standout in a sea of shows that GMA has produced this year.
27. Kuan On One (ABS-CBN Studios)
The title came from the host’s expression that got popular.
Last July, ABS-CBN debuted the new digital talk show presented by Melai Cantiveros-Francisco on its YouTube channel and iWantTFC platform.
Breathing a different life into the already familiar genre is the fact that, for the first time at this scale, the network produced a Bisaya talk program.
Thanks to the high viewership it got online, the Kapamilya Channel and A2Z later carried the show as part of the stations’ respective Sunday afternoon blocks.
Honest take: In an age when representation in media matters more than ever, having ‘Kuan On One’ in the mainstream gives personalities a platform to be heard and seen by their fellowmen in their mother tongue.
Additionally, the light nature of the show can be felt and even understood without reading the subtitles provided.
Overall, ‘Kuan On One’ is an enjoyable program to watch no matter the device being used.
26. Pinoy Big Brother Gen 11 (ABS-CBN Studios)
The most-popular house in the country made its comeback after two years.
Last July, Kuya opened his doors again for the new season of ‘Pinoy Big Brother,’ which carried the subtitle ‘Gen 11’ for its eleventh regular season.
After slightly over 100 days, Sofia ‘Fyang’ Smith was later named as the batch’s ‘Big Winner’ to a record viewership both on TV and online.
Due to its popularity, a spin-off program ‘Big4Ever’ was later commissioned and made its launch on the ABS-CBN’s primetime block last December 9.
Honest take: The newest season proved that ‘PBB’ remains to be a hit among the viewing public.
Its strong showing is not only based on statistical numbers, but in the physical attendance and support of fans to their favorite housemates — reminiscent of the many pre-pandemic batches that were produced by the program.
However, it was also this season that had (pardon for the lack of better term) the most boring challenges, which is quite understandable given the lack of a proper activity area inside the house.
With this success, it should not be a surprise that ABS-CBN might still be keen in renewing the franchise despite of the company’s push for more original formats for its non-narrative programming.
25. Dami Mong Alam, Kuya Kim! (GMA)
Four years after his previous infotainment show.
Last November 30, GMA premiered the weekly educational public affairs show ‘Dami Mong Alam, Kuya Kim,’ which is hosted by Kim Atienza.
In this program, the ‘trivia guy’ of the Kapuso network checks on the viral video clips online and explains the science or other factual details behind them.
This program also effectively replaced Atienza’s defunct weekday afternoon show ‘Dapat Alam Mo!’ and Drew Arellano’s long-running ‘AHA’.
‘DMA’ also marked its host’s return to the genre, more than four years after the cancelation of ‘Matanglawin’ following the COVID-19 pandemic and ABS-CBN shutdown.
Honest take: The show is informative, and it differs from Atienza’s old program as the most-noticeable change is with how it is presented.
Rather than becoming ‘Matanglawin’ 2.0, ‘Dami Mong Alam’ feels more like sister GMA show ‘Amazing Earth’ and ‘Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho’ combined, but with more varied content and trivias in between.
24. Agenda (Bilyonaryo News Channel)
The fledgling news channel has a flagship primetime newscast of its own.
Last September 9, the Bilyonaryo News Channel officially launched after months of trial broadcasts.
During its pilot day, BNC bared its full slate of programs from morning ’til night, with the news outlet having their own nightly newscast.
Titled ‘Agenda,’ the Bilyonaryo newscast brings back Korina Sanchez-Roxas and Pinky Webb, who teamed-up for the first time for a show, to the daily grind.
It airs each weeknight at 6:00 pm and is simulcast on Abante Teletabloid, DWAR Abante Radyo 1494 AM, and Mellow 94.7 on FM radio.
Honest take: Early on, BNC showed that they are serious about joining the game by signing the Philippine news icon that is Korina Sanchez-Roxas and CNN Philippines alum Pinky Webb.
Many aspects of the show, notably the presentation, could be described as similar to ABS-CBN’s newscasts — especially both Sanchez and Webb were previously workmates at the Kapamilya network.
However, there are changes to be desired for ‘Agenda’.
Along with the rest of the channel, it needs a better theme tune and an overhaul in the graphics of the one currently in use.
Overall, it is a good program and with improvements along the way, it can surely be at par with its primetime news peers.
23. Lutong Bahay (GTV)
A talk show and cooking show merged into one.
That is how Mikee Quintos’ weekday afternoon program that launched last October on GMA’s secondary channel, GTV, looks like.
Apart from making scrumptious dishes, the show also highlights the “recipes for success” of its celebrity guests, who are also not immune to the intriguing questions about their professional and personal lives.
It airs every weekday at 5:45 pm, before the simulcast of “24 Oras.”
Honest take: The very premise of ‘Lutong Bahay’ is similar to the one by defunct weekly show ‘Sarap ‘Di Ba?’ that bowed out last September.
The main variation is that the GTV show goes out of the studio and brings itself around the metro or inside the very homes of the stars, in contrast to the set-up of the former GMA Saturday morning program.
‘Lutong Bahay’ is a good entertainment show while on your way home or while preparing for dinner, but is often overshadowed by the behemoth that is the game show ‘Family Feud’ airing on the main channel.
22. Maka (GMA)
A youth-oriented musical series that brings together some of the most-promising teen and young adult stars of the Kapuso network.
According to the official GMA website, “MAKA follows the lives of high school students enrolled in the Arts & Performance (A&P) section of public school, Douglas Mac Arthur High School for the Arts or MAKA.”
“The story begins with an accomplished yet infamous artist, Sir V (Romnick), returning to his despised hometown to become an Arts and Performance teacher,” it continued.
In the succeeding episodes, the show tackled various personal issues of the characters with the people around them, like their family and friends, and most-especially, themselves.
It stars Romnick Sarmenta, Zephanie, Dylan Menor, Marco Masa, Ashley Sarmiento, John Clifford, and Olive May.
It recently concluded its first season, with its next already due to begin in January 2025.
Honest take: Through ‘Maka,’ GMA has brought back a long-dead genre that was the youth-oriented shows every weekend.
While there were numerous attempts to bring it back through various programs in the past, ‘Maka’ succeeded in breathing life back to that genre by having a much more dramatic storyline that can resonate more even with older audience.
Whether it is by design or not, the intense scoring and fight scenes tend to be overused, so much so that it can feel like watching other Saturday anthologies like ‘Tadhana’ and ‘Wish Ko Lang’.
In spite of that, it still has good storyline that largely tells about reaching for one’s dreams, no matter the age or background.
21. The Voice Kids (GMA)
The biggest reality-singing competition for kids, has found a new home.
More than seven months after teasing the transfer of ‘The Voice Kids’ franchise to GMA, it finally made its way to television last September.
Hosted by Dingdong Dantes, who also did the same for the ‘The Voice Generations,’ he reunited with his fellow ‘TVG’ castmates — coaches Billy Crawford, Julie Anne San Jose, and SB19’s Stell Ajero.
The new face that joined them in this season was Stell’s bandmate, Pablo Nase.
It aired on a weekly basis every Sunday evening, and after three months of competition, Nevin Adam Garceniego of Tropa ni Pablo won the competition.
Honest take: The talents surely did not disappoint in the first season of the reality show on the Kapuso network. Each of the participants showcased their different skillset not only to the judges, but also for those watching at home.
The stage design was also highly-commendable — a notable strength of GMA when it comes to shows like this.
If there is anything needed to be improved, it should be the show’s time slot, as everything had to be crammed in a single episode, when it usually had two nights during its time on ABS-CBN.
Another point that needs to be addressed is the network’s decision to place it concurrent to the sixth season of ‘The Clash,’ which is an appalling one despite the high TV viewership.
Having two distinct shows of the same genre over a single weekend can end up being a tiresome affair, so this experiment of sorts must not to be repeated again.
Still, the chemistry between the coaches — while not as strong as the original set composed of Lea Salonga, Bamboo, Apl de Ap, and Sarah Geronimo — offers a unique experience, especially with the antics of the SB19 duo, Crawford’s decades-long hosting, and San Jose’s quirks of her own meld together.
Those were the programs that took the Top 21 to 30 spots in this year’s special ‘Best Shows’ feature.
The remaining parts will be released in the coming days. Please stay tuned to Trendrod.
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