1940s-1980s Soap operas in the Philippines began with
Gulong ng Palad (
Wheel of Fortune) on radio in 1949 on DZRH. When television began in the Philippines in 1953, teletheater plays were the first drama shows to be broadcast, but soon soap operas began to be broadcast on the young medium. The first true Philippine TV soap opera was
Hiwaga sa Bahay na Bato (
Mystery at the Stone House) in 1963, produced by
ABS-CBN.
Larawan ng Pag-ibig (
Picture of Love),
Prinsipe Amante (
Prince Amante),
Mga Bayani sa Kalawakan (
Heroes in Space) and a number of others followed, not only by ABS-CBN, but also by other channels that came after.
Gulong ng Palad, co-written by Loida Virina, was the longest-running radio serial and ran until the mid-1980s. Its TV version - produced by BBC-2, starred
Marianne Dela Riva and
Ronald Corveau and introduced young actors, including
Romnick Sarmenta. Veteran actress
Caridad Sanchez enhanced the series' popularity. During the 1972–1986
martial-law period, the government closed several networks (including ABS-CBN), leaving
RPN and
GMA the Philippine's only two commercial television networks. The lack of a diverse media base aided the emergence of nationwide satellite broadcasting, and competition between the two networks spurred afternoon and prime-time sitcoms and serials. Philippine TV schedules resembled those in the U.S., with networks scheduling shows in daily time blocks instead of separate weekday and weekend programming. RPN produced
María Flordeluna, starring
Janice de Belén. Its cast included Dindo Fernando and actress-director
Laurice Guillen. In response to its popularity, GMA in turn produced
Anna Liza, starring the young movie star
Julie Vega. Before the introduction of a
TV ratings system in the Philippines during the 1990s, the two drama series were rivals in the primetime timeslots as lead-ins to the news.
Anna Liza, cancelled in spring 1985 after Vega's death, had an unfinished storyline and a two-hour special in 1986, while the series itself was replaced in the early fall of 1985 by the short-lived
Mirasol del Cielo, starting Sugar Benedicto and including veteran actress
Anita Linda. Alongside the rise of primetime dramas, afternoon drama programming, which
TAPE Productions pioneered for new audiences, soon broke out with the first modern afternoon drama in 1984, RPN's
Heredero.
1990s Until the late 1980s, Philippine television dramas were broadcast during the afternoon. In 1986, ABS-CBN resumed operations after the end of the
Marcos dictatorship and regained its audience lead by the end of the decade. In the early and mid-1990s, local sitcoms dominated Philippine television with the rise of ABS-CBN's
Palibhasa Lalake,
Home Along Da Riles,
Oki Doki Doc and the political satire
Abangan Ang Susunod Na Kabanata and GMA Network's
Bubble Gang. International television swept the Philippines, beginning with Mexican
telenovelas. The 1990s are considered a golden age of Philippine television drama. Most, such as
Agila,
Anna Luna,
Valiente and
Mara Clara, were aired on
ABS-CBN. The most popular was the
Las Tres Marias trilogy, produced by
Televisa and starring
Thalía.
Marimar and
Maria la del Barrio were broadcast in prime time on RPN.
Maria Mercedes was broadcast on ABS-CBN. Major networks began to reschedule Filipino telenovelas in prime time to attract increased advertising revenue. By the mid-1990s, teledramas surpassed sitcoms in Filipino prime-time television. One of the country's best-known TV series was
Mara Clara, which aired from 1992 to 1997. The longest-running teledrama in the post-martial-law era, it had frequent time-slot changes before settling into the standard 7-8:00 pm prime-time block by late 1995. In mid-1997,
Mula sa Puso, another ABS-CBN series, saw the rise of
Claudine Barretto. Barretto played the heiress Via in the two-year soap;
Rico Yan and
Diether Ocampo were her leading men, and
Princess Punzalan played Selina, the series' most influential character.
Mula Sa Puso was the Philippine's first middle-class primetime series, differing from the telenovelas with protagonists from the lower socioeconomic classes. GMA retained and popularized its afternoon dramas, such as 1995–1997's
Villa Quintana, with
Donna Cruz,
Keempee de Leon and
Isabel Rivas. It was followed by 1997–1998's
Ikaw na Sana, with
Angelu de Leon and
Bobby Andrews. Both were later moved to prime time. ABC retained and popularized its afternoon drama, such as the 1999-2000
Paraiso. IBC's
Ula ang Batang Gubat - the debut drama of Judy Ann Santos, was one of the network's hit primetime dramas of the early 1990s.
2000s Philippine television dramas evolved into
teleserye, a portmanteau of the Filipino words
telebisyon ("television") and
serye ("series"). The term originated with the ABS-CBN drama ''
Pangako Sa 'Yo, airing from 2000 to 2002 and starring Jericho Rosales and Kristine Hermosa, and the rivalry between actresses Eula Valdez and Jean Garcia. Pangako Sa'Yo'', the Philippines' first
teleserye, was considered a turning point in Philippine television because of its production and fast-paced, multiple-arc plotlines which distinguished it from telenovelas. Broadcast in the Americas, Africa and Asia, it remains the most successful Philippine television series worldwide. At the end of its run in 2002, ''Pangako Sa 'Yo
had the highest-rated series-finale episode of a Philippine show. Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay'', which ended in 2003, was the Philippines' first series as a finalist in the Best Drama Series category of the 2003
International Emmy Awards.
ABC retained and popularized its primetime drama, such as 2000-2001,
Gintong Pangarap. ABS-CBN's 2004
Marina popularized the
fantasy of most Filipino
teleseryes. GMA Network's political drama
Kung Mawawala Ka examined corruption, starring
Eddie Garcia; it ran from 2002 to 2003 and received an award from the Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC). ''
Sana'y Wala Nang Wakas'', aired between 2003 and 2004, was the world's first drama series to allow viewers to choose a story's ending by texting. A contemporary ABS-CBN
teleserye, ''
Basta't Kasama Kita, starred Judy Ann Santos and Robin Padilla; notable for its depiction of the National Bureau of Investigation, it was the first Filipino series to broadcast a live series-finale episode in 2004. In 2004, GMA Network overtook ABS-CBN in popularity when it introduced an all-fantaserye
prime-time lineup featuring female-lead shows such as Encantadia and Mulawin. GMA gained a ratings foothold with Darna'', starring
Angel Locsin. The Philippines emerged as one of the world's largest television-drama-producing nations in the middle of the decade. International hits included ABS-CBN's 2006
Gulong ng Palad, starring
Kristine Hermosa and
TJ Trinidad, which was carried on
TFC. A 2007 remake of
Maria Flordeluna, which aired on RPN-9 in the 1970s and 1980s, starred
Eliza Pineda. The 93-episode series received the 2008 PMPC Star Award for Best Television Series. TV adaptations of films included ABS-CBN's
Panday (starring
Jericho Rosales and
Heart Evangelista),
Mga Anghel na Walang Langit and
Kampanerang Kuba, starring
Anne Curtis. The "
sineserye" genre was introduced with
Bituing Walang Ningning, starring
Sarah Geronimo and
Angelika de la Cruz. 2005 marked the start of domination of religious-oriented teleseryes, and trend of airing family-oriented drama series produced by ABS-CBN's
Dreamscape Entertainment with
Mga Anghel na Walang Langit which greenlighted on March 2005 and aired from May 2005 to February 2006, and lasted for 210 episodes. Religious and family teleseryes continued to dominate in the following years and decades. Late in the decade, GMA-7 and ABS-CBN became rivals. GMA aired its 2007 remake of the international telenovela
MariMar. Three ABS-CBN series became popular: the remake of the 1977–1985 soap opera
Gulong ng Palad, the teleserye
Sa Piling Mo and the series
Maging Sino Ka Man—the most popular teleserye internationally after ''Pangako Sa'Yo''. In 2008 and 2011, the drama anthology series
Star Magic Presents and
Your Song became the longest-running drama anthology on
ABS-CBN with a total of 100 and 239 episodes respectively. In 2008, ABS-CBN produced its most expensive series,
Lobo. It starred
Piolo Pascual and
Angel Locsin—the first Filipino nominated for an
International Emmy for a lead role.
I Love Betty La Fea, a Filipino remake of the Colombian telenovela
Yo soy Betty, la fea, was broadcast in 2008. It was the most successful Philippine remake of a Latin telenovela since GMA Network's
Marimar remake in 2007. TV5 series became popular: the remake of the 1995 live-action drama
Batang X: The Next Generation.
2010s ABS-CBN and GMA Network both claimed to be the Philippines' most popular network. GMA Network began appealing to viewers in
Mega Manila during the mid-2000s. ABS-CBN's prime-time shows attracted viewers in other parts of the country, particularly
Visayas and
Mindanao. Philippine media experts attributed the trend to ABS-CBN's return to Filipino programming. The 2010s featured two successful
teleseryes (
Dahil May Isang Ikaw and
May Bukas Pa).
Dahil May Isang Ikaw began in the 2000s and ended in January 2010.
May Bukas Pa that also started in the previous decade, however, underwent two versions which are the original
ABS-CBN until February 5, 2010 without a deleted scene of the show's finale episode 263 was not aired, and extended and clean feed version without the network logo and
MTRCB rating from July 2012 to December 5, 2013 initially online on
TFC and continued on ABS-CBN's sister channel
Jeepney TV, announced on February 28, 2013, from March 11, 2013 where the said scene is now aired, making it the first series to do so before the 2023–2024's
Linlang, also by ABS-CBN, in the 2020s, and has a total of 263 episodes and 1 deleted scene, surpassing the 2005–2006's
Mga Anghel na Walang Langit 210 episode count and 9-month run for being the most number of episodes and longest-running along the lineup of family-oriented shows of
Dreamscape Entertainment on November 25 and December 2009 respectively, and remains the record nowadays. Religious and family
teleseryes continued dominating television from the late 2000s, since the greenlight of
Mga Anghel na Walang Langit on March 2005. Among these religious and family teleseryes aired in the 2010s include
May Bukas Pa,
Agua Bendita,
Momay,
Noah,
Mutya,
100 Days to Heaven,
Budoy,
Ikaw ay Pag-Ibig,
Dahil sa Pag-ibig, ''
Lorenzo's Time, Juan dela Cruz, My Little Juan, Honesto, Oh My G!, Nathaniel, My Super D, My Dear Heart, and Starla, all of which were aired on ABS-CBN, with May Bukas Pa'' later aired its extended version on Jeepney TV in 2013. With the earlier success of the 2007 remake of
Maria Flordeluna and the 2010 remake of
Mara Clara, which introduced
Julia Montes and
Kathryn Bernardo, ABS-CBN popularized the revival of teen-themed telenovelas.
Mara Clara success inspired a
remake of 1997's
Mula sa Puso. In 2011, a number of actors moved between ABS-CBN and GMA Network. Both networks' hold on prime-time television was challenged by
TV5's
teleserye Babaeng Hampaslupa.
Teleseryes began to include storylines reflecting contemporary Philippine controversy. ABS-CBN's 2012
Walang Hanggan addressed adultery. The network's 2012–2013 series
Ina, Kapatid, Anak explored
surrogate motherhood. GMA Network premiered the big-budget historical drama series
Amaya, starring
Marian Rivera. Rivera also appeared in
Temptation Of Wife, the Filipino version of a popular Korean series, with
Dennis Trillo. Trillo later appeared in the 2013
teleserye ''
My Husband's Lover'', the Philippines' first
gay-themed prime-time series. ABS-CBN's 2014 series,
The Legal Wife, was followed by the
2015 remake of ''Pangako Sa 'Yo
, starring Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla. The 2015 teleseryes Bridges of Love was broadcast as Puentes de Amor
. The first Philippine drama aired in Latin America, it premiered in April 2016, on Panamericana Televisión in Peru. The 2017–2018 series Wildflower was the first Philippine prime-time teleserye'' to explore
nepotism,
human rights abuses and mental illness. The 2010s marked the renewed popularity of long-running dramas after the early 2000s.
May Bukas Pa underwent two versions which are the 2009–2010 cut on ABS-CBN and 2013 extended Jeepney TV.
Be Careful With My Heart aired from 2012 to 2014. From 2014 to 2016, GMA broadcast
The Half Sisters. ABS-CBN's afternoon
teleserye Doble Kara ran between 2015 and 2017.
Ang Probinsyano, starring
Coco Martin, attracted national attention for depicting the
Philippine drug war and the
Philippine National Police, despite renewed
MTRCB censorship. It ran for 7 years, from September 2015 to August 2022. It holds the title as the Philippine's longest-running drama series since July 2020, surpassing the five-year run 1992–1997's of
Mara Clara. Between 2016 and 2018, GMA Network dominated the late afternoon with its
teleserye Ika-6 na Utos.
Kadenang Ginto, also aired on ABS-CBN, premiered in October 2018, and ended in February 2020. Live
teleserye finales returned for the first time since GMA's 2007 remake of
Marimar. ABS-CBN's
On the Wings of Love starred
James Reid and
Nadine Lustre.
Born for You was the first musical
teleserye since ABS-CBN's 2006 TV version of
Bituing Walang Ningning. ABS-CBN's series 2019 military drama ''
The General's Daughter was replaced by The Killer Bride'', which has been praised for depicting the
Duterte administration.
2020s Teleserye production was suspended In 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Interest in
boys' love series developed after the Thai series
2gether: The series aired on ABS-CBN's
Kapamilya Channel and blocktime agreement with
ZOE Broadcasting Network through
A2Z. In February 2020, the action drama series ''
FPJ's Ang Probinsyano surpassed the 1992–1997 series Mara Clara'' upon airing its 1,131st episode, with the former now the longest-running drama series on ABS-CBN and on Philippine television since the said date, thus breaking the record. Domination of family and religious-oriented drama series continued in the 2020s, with teleseryes belonging to this genre including
Huwag Kang Mangamba, top-billed by The Gold Squad (
Andrea Brillantes,
Seth Fedelin,
Kyle Echarri, and
Francine Diaz of
Kadenang Ginto and ''
ASAP Natin' To), Love in 40 Days, and Maria Clara at Ibarra''. After almost 7 years of airing, ''
FPJ's Ang Probinsyano ended in August 2022, after 1,696 episodes. It was replaced with the 2022 version of Darna'', marking the temporary restoration of pre-September 28, 2015 ABS-CBN's primetime slot after its news program
TV Patrol that was not seen since the start of airing of the said action drama series until it was replaced by ''
FPJ's Batang Quiapo'' on February 13, 2023. In 2024 and 2025, the drama series
Abot-Kamay na Pangarap and
Lilet Matias: Attorney-at-Law became the longest-running dramas on
GMA Network with 659 and 258 episodes respectively. ==Impact==