When you think we’re already three years into the pandemic, and yet no other local series has ever reached what pre-pandemic series like Wildflower or Kadenang Ginto, accomplished, it gets easier to understand how phenomenal a TV series The Broken Marriage Vow has been.
Now down to its last few episodes, the Filipino adaptation of the British TV series, Doctor Foster, is certainly ending its run high and mighty. Throughout its 4-month run, made unprecedented successes on multiple platforms, each serving as a testament to its phenomenal feat.
Cultural significance.
A very unique and important angle of why The Broken Marriage Vow clicked with the audience and critics, is its socio-cultural and ethnic sensibilities. Shot in the picturesque city of Baguio, the series did not only showcase the city’s scenic tourist spots and landmarks, it also served as a platform for local creations to shine.
The handicraft, fashion pieces, and other artistic items featured in the show do not come from the artisans of the city itself; they come from various locations in the country. They get perpetually flaunted by the actors, who carry beautiful local pieces as part of their fashion statement. Most importantly, however, the show’s efforts to highlight native creations allow it assumes a cultural significance that not too many local dramas can accomplish.
Massive online popularity.
Aside from revitalizing the second primetime drama slot on Kapamilya Online Live, with record-breaking concurrent live viewers, The Broken Marriage Vow also regularly tops both iWantTFC and Viu Philippines’ charts. The series notably gets available on these two platforms, at least two days before a new episode premieres on television.
On Viu, The Broken Marriage Vow regularly bests out all other Asian dramas on the platforms, as the most-watched series in the country. Similarly on iWantTFC, the Jodi Sta. Maria-starrer keeps its place as the most-streamed ABS-CBN series.
On YouTube, clips from the show regularly amass hundreds of thousands of views, which is a testament to the overwhelming following that the show has been getting online. Now in the third slot, the series maintains 50,000+ concurrent live viewers on Kapamilya Online Live, which is already a very high figure, considering its time slot.
Social media dominance.
Several social media trends, including viral tweets and memes, spawned online due to the show’s massive popularity.
Perhaps, one of the greatest manifestations of the show’s dominance on social media platforms is when memes and viral clips featuring the show’s dinner scene, trended on Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok. The said featured the iconic “wala pa tayo sa exciting part…” and “your daughter is sleeping with my husband” lines, were said by Jodi Sta. Maria’s character.
A critical factor in this success is arguably the emergence of various social media personalities, including AC Soriano and Christian Antolin, who both made parodies of the sensational dinner scene.
Used as an effective brand promotional tactic.
One of the biggest testaments to the show’s phenomenal success is how its influence transcended to local brands, which adopted some iconic phrases from the show to promote their products.
As the “…exciting part” became an insanely effective attention-catching phrase, many local brands have adopted it to push their promotional campaigns to promote products and events. Even some politicians frequently used the phrase for their election campaigns in the 2022 polls.
Trending and chart-topping soundtracks.
It’s rare for a local TV show, at least recently, to produce a soundtrack that almost everyone would sing and hum along to. The Broken Marriage Vow, however, can do that through Morisette Amon’s vocal chord-tearing rendition of Sheryn Regis’s original, Gusto Ko Nang Bumitaw. On YouTube, the official lyric video of the song reached 5 million views as of this writing. Morisette Amon seemingly found a new OPM hit, after Akin Ka Na Lang.
Winning the free TV rating game despite limited reach.
The Broken Marriage Vow is highly credited for revitalizing the second primetime drama slot of ABS-CBN. The show notably peaked with a 9% people rating, according to AGB Nielsen’s National Urban TV Measurement (NUTAM) data, on May 8, 2022. The average rating was around 7-8%.
When the show moved to a later slot, it performed even better against its rival show, and won the rating game for the first time, which pretty much showed how the show already made loyal viewers who were willing the follow the show from one time slot to another. What makes its win even more amazing is that the series airs on free TV via A2Z and TV5, whose nationwide coverage still pales in comparison with GMA Network.
Exceptionally brilliant ensemble cast.
An ensemble drama rarely allows almost every actor to shine and steal the scene. The Broken Marriage Vow may have just done that, by ensuring each character on the show, aside from the leads, gets their spotlight. That said, it can not be denied how powerful the series’s star and artistic power have become, with Jodi Sta. Maria, Zanjoe Marudo, Sue Ramirez, and Zaijian Jaranilla, as the major players.
Truly, The Broken Marriage Vow is a spectacular achievement for ABS-CBN, as far as teleserye production during the pandemic goes. There are just too many good indicators that prove its compelling and lasting impacts, that transcend multiple platforms and even norms in modern television making.
