When two of the major TV studios in the country–ABS-CBN and GMA networks began producing local adaptations of hit ‘90s Latinovelas, it became apparent that Koreanovela remakes would be the next trend, too.
A few years after Meteor Garden began the Asianovela craze–the major TV networks invested in doing more K-Drama remakes
While ABS-CBN is widely credited to have brought the Asianovela craze in the country in 2003 via the airing of the original Meteor Garden, it is undeniable that the GMA network is primarily responsible for the Korean drama invasion in the Philippines.
It’s evident by the number of big Korean dramas aired in the country and by producing practically the same success they made in Korea.
GMA Network aired its first Korean drama remake in 2008, a year ahead before ABS-CBN aired its first K-Drama adaptation.
Ako Si Sam Soon, which starred Regine Velasquez as the titular Sam-soon, is based on the Korean drama, My Name is Kim Sam-soon, which also got aired by the network in 2005.
In the series, Velasquez starred with Mark Anthony Fernandez and Wendell Ramos.
The following year, GMA Network produced the Filipino version of the 2000 Korean classic All About Eve.
It featured the Network’s talented female stars Iza Calzado and Sunshine Dizon. The series also starred Eula Valdez, Jean Garcia, Alfred Vargas, Richard Gomez, and Mark Anthony Fernandez.
According to AGB Nielsen, the series was a commercial success as it topped the rating game with 26.1% and 31.8% pilot and finale ratings, respectively.
Marking GMA Network’s third venture in producing K-Drama remakes, Stairway to Heaven, also premiered in 2009.
Dingdong Dantes and Rhian Ramos starred in the series and adapted from the 2003 drama of the same title. It was only the second of the three remakes produced by GMA Network that year.
In the fourth quarter of that same year, it also produced the local adaptation of the global hit, Full House.
The original series starred Korean superstars Song Hye Kyo and Rain, while the Filipino remake had Heart Evangelista and Richard Gutierrez as leads.
In 2010, the Kapuso Network premiered the highly-anticipated remake of Autumn in My Heart, the first installment in the Korean series, Endless Love.
The local version, adapted Endless Love as its title, starred Kapuso superstars Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera. The show was a massive success as reflected in its high TV rating.
GMA Network skipped 2011 and produced ts seventh and eighth K-Drama remakes in 2012–Coffee Prince based on the Korean drama of the same title, premiered on the network’s Telebabad block on October 8, 2012.
The romcom starred then up-and-coming stars, Kris Bernal and Aljur Abrenica. A week later after Coffee Prince’s debut, the local adaptation of the hit Korean series, Temptation of Wife, premiered. The top-rating adaptation was headlined by Marian Rivera with Dennis Trillo, Glaiza de Castro, and Rafael Rossell.
GMA Network would take a five-year hiatus from producing Asianovela remakes.
In 2017, it aired its most recent K-Drama remake, My Love From the Star. Starring Jennilyn Mercado and Gil Cuerva, the series is based on the 2014 massive Korean hit of the same name, which followed the story of an extra-terrestrial being who fell in love with a human.
As the Korean wave continues to sustain its popularity among Filipino audiences, new adaptations are also expected to be created on the heels of the success of the original Korean series.
This year alone, adaptations of global Korean hits, The World of the Married (based on British drama, Dr. Foster) and Flower of Evil, are already in the works, with their airing expected to take place early next year. However, GMA Network is yet to announce which ones of its currently airing Korean dramas will have their own adaptation, but given the massive popularity of the likes of The Penthouse, a local version coming to the Network’s Telebabad block is not at all a remote possibility.
Which of the aforementioned Korean drama adaptations is your ultimate favorite? What are your thoughts about GMA Network’s current Korean dramas and which ones do you think will have a remake in the future?
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