The pilot episode of the highly anticipated series made an impressive show of force online, as it pulled off a massive concurrent viewership and was on top of the local trending charts.
The ABS-CBN’s TV adaptation of Darna shot to the top of the charts on Monday, August 15, the day it debuted on the small screen. Replacing the phenomenal series, FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, on its 8 PM time slot, pressure has been on a very high for the whole production of Darna. Will it be able to duplicate the same sensational success the Coco Martin-starrer on Kapamilya Online, but importantly, will it have a shot in claiming leadership of its time slot in the TV ratings race.
FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano ended [notably] its run on Friday, August 12, as the overall number one program in the country.
Judging its concurrent viewers on Kapamilya Online Live, it looked as if the Jane de Leon-starrer–is following Coco Martin’s path. Nearly 300,000 combined live viewers on YouTube and Facebook, watched the series. It is worth noting such figures–it has already hitting the weekly average of FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano‘s. Though, it may still take a while before it can surpass the Kapamilya action-series’ all-time high record of 584,000 concurrent live viewers.
On Twitter, the series quickly shot up to the top of the local charts, with many viewers expressing their awe for the series’ exquisite level of production.
The pilot episode saw the beginning of Darna’s tale.
It revealed that Leonor (Iza Calzado), the first protector of the ‘white sentient stone’ escaped her home planet to escape a brutal end in the hands of Planet Marte’s attackers. The episode featured her training Narda (Jane de Leon), for reasons that remained unbeknownst to her daughter, until the day the aliens finally traced her on Earth.
One of the highlights of the 50-min episode is Iza Calzado’s donning of the red velvet costume. Her masterfully choreographed action scenes are also good points the series can take pride in.
The CGI effects wowed most netizens, yet some improvements needed to polish them. It is still fascinating to see this production for a local series. The succeeding episodes will surely bring more surprises.
