As we wrap up the year, WhatALife! picks its top twenty teleseryes that captured the hearts of Filipino viewers throughout the decade of 2010.  

2010 | IMORTAL

Were you a team Taong Lobo or team vampira?

Series release: 4 October 2010 – 29 April 2011 Starring John Llyod Cruz and Angel Locsin, Imortal first aired in the Philippine television on October 4, 2010, and with its last episode shown last April 29, 2011. It’s a drama-fantasy series that was a sequel to the 2008 Lobo where Locsin also starred but with Piolo Pascual as her on-screen partner. In its pilot episode, it immediately garnered 34.4% audience shares as it was a much-awaited sequel after the conclusion of Lobo.  

2010 | MARA CLARA (remake)

Remember the Mara who’s always inaapi by Clara?

Series release: 25 October 2010 – 3 June 2011 Mara Clara is a remake based on the 1992 series of the same title, starring Judy Ann Santos and Gladys Reyes. The remake starred Kathryn Bernado and Julia Montes. It follows the lives of two children who were born on the same day and were unfortunately switched by their uncle. Fast-forward into their teens, both girls found their way back into their families—where they belonged to. However, the twists and turns of this complicated family-drama have only just begun. On the day of its premiere, the Mara Clara remake garnered a total audience share of 27.5%, according to Kantar Media International. The remake ran from October 25, 2010 – June 3, 2011, compared to 1992—wherein it lasted for almost five years.  

2011 | 100 DAYS TO HEAVEN

“Kuha mo!?”

Series release: 9 May – 18 November 2011 This fantasy-comedy-drama series followed the redemption of a strict and obnoxious CEO, Anna Manalastas, who was either feared or loathed by her employees and peers. After being killed in a car explosion, Anna (Coney Reyes) meets the gatekeeper St. Peter, who initially sentences her to hell. The gatekeeper, however, gives her a second chance—literally. Anna gets sent back to live again and is tasked to find and make amends to all she had wronged within 100 days. It isn’t as easy as she thought though—she is sent back in her childhood form (Xyriel Manabat). When it premiered on May 9, 2011, the series garnered a total audience share of 32.1%. The ensemble includes Jodi Sta. Maria, Dominic Ochoa, Valerie Concepcion, Smokey Manaloto, and child actor Louise Abuel.  

2011 | MY BINONDO GIRL

Who is that girl I see?

Series release: August 22, 2011 – January 20, 2012 Many have thought that My Binondo Girl would be a rip-off from the Disney animated film, Mulan. But aside from the Chinese and woman-disguised-as-a-man-to-prove-herself plot, these two were far off from their parallelisms. Jade (Kim Chui) has been longing for her father’s approval and love ever since. When pushed by a desperate circumstance, she transforms herself and pretends to be her deceased brother. It was well-accepted and loved by the viewers that on its finale episode, the series trended worldwide on Twitter.  

2012 | PRINCESS AND I

I don’t even know what to envy about Mikay—her being a princess or her having three charming suitors!

Series release: 4 October 2010 – 29 April 2011 This 2012 Philippine teen television drama follows the life of an optimistic girl, Mikay. She grew up with her adoptive family, unaware of her royal blood lineage. It turns out that she’s the long-lost crowned princess of the fictional Kingdom Yangdon, daughter of King Anand and Queen Isabel Wangchuck. As Mikay slowly unfolds the truth of her real identity, she meets three charmers that will try to sweep her off her feet: 1) her childhood best friend Kiko who harbors a crush on her; 2) Gino, an arrogant teen she swears she hates; and 3) Prince Jao, the crowned prince she met during her trip to Yangdon. Since featuring a loveteam that was already harboring very loyal and passionate fans—the KathNiel series’ pilot episode garnered an audience share of 31.7%.  

2012 | BE CAREFUL WITH MY HEART

Ahh… Sir Chief and Maya, how can I forget!

Series release: 9 July 2012 – 28 November 2014 This daytime series revolves around a simple girl named Maya who captured the hearts of viewers for four years—it’s peak rating at 31.3%. The idealistic provincial girl, Maya Dela Rosa, is stuck in the big city of Manila after being swindled by a supposed overseas recruiter. By a chance encounter, she meets the wealthy widower Richard Lim—whom she later on falls in love along with, along with his three children.  

2013 | GOT TO BELIEVE

Another KathNiel series that made passionate fans go wild!

Series release: 26 August 2013 – 7 March 2014 After several successful projects of the tandem, KathNiel once again brought surging ratings over the network’s primetime. This romantic comedy-drama series averaged an audience rating of 36.4 percent—its pilot episode garnered 34 percent, with 38.6 percent on its finale. The series revolves around the lives of Chichay and Joaquin, who first crossed-paths during their childhood. However, their friendship abruptly cut short when he had an almost fatal accident, while she and her family moved out to another province. Ten years later, they meet again, but without any memory of their shared childhood.  

2013 | THE LEGAL WIFE

“Akin lang ang asawa ko!”

Series release: 27 January – 13 June 2014 With the intense and iconic back-and-forth slapping scene between Angel Locsin and Maja Salvador’s characters, the show no doubt-earned its fair share of viewers. Since the release of its first episode, a lot of parodies and memes went viral all over the web. It even trended several times on Twitter worldwide despite its controversial storyline. The viewers followed the life of Monica (Angel Locsin), a girl who grew up receiving little-to-no love from her father and two brothers. In the search for love, she meets Adrian (Jericho Rosales). Nevertheless, their life as a married couple is tested when Nicole (Maja Salvador) steps into the picture. This would then ignite Monica’s fervor to fight tooth-and-nail for her right as the legal wife.  

2014 | FOREVERMORE

“Welcome to La Presa!”

Series release: 27 October 2014 – 22 May 2015 This 2014 romantic drama series is the first-ever project for the tandem LizQuen—Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil. As the show progressed, it earned average viewers of 39.3 percent. The show follows the life of Xander—a rebellious boy and an only child of a hotel tycoon—and Agnes, a humble and hardworking daughter of a strawberry farmer. These two different people from two different worlds come together when Xander crashes into Agnes’ hard-earned strawberry truck. As a way of payment, Xander’s parents force him to stay and work at the strawberry farm without any comfortable amenities. Through this, the Grande couple hopes it will teach their son a sense of responsibility. As Xander progresses into his immersion, he eventually learns to live humbly and becomes closer to the girl he will soon fall for—Agnes.  

2015 | PANGAKO SA’YO (remake)

“Lahat kayo matitikman ninyo ang batas ng isang api!” —Amor Powers 2015

Series release: 25 May 2015 – 12 February 2016 The third KathNiel series on the list, Pangako Sa’yo, is based on 2000 primetime series of the same name. It originally starred Jericho Rosales and Kristine Hermosa. The series succeeded the evening block of Forevermore and garnered a rating of 34 percent for its pilot episode. Although a remake, it was well-received by the audience, peaking at 44.5 percent audience share and averaged on 39.9 percent. The story follows the complicated love story of Yna Macaspac and Angelo Buenavista. They take the repercussions of a 20-year-old heartbreak—caused by Angelo’s father, Eduardo.  

2015 | ON THE WINGS OF LOVE

“Kasi kapag mahal ka, babalikan ka…”

Series release: 10 August 2015 – 26 February 2016 On the Wings of Love did not just heave up the loveteam JaDine into one of the most successful loveteams in the country, it also became the matchmaker for the now-real couple, James and Nadine. This 2015 Philippine romantic comedy series centers around the life of an American Citizen, Clark, and the girl chasing her American dream, Leah. The show earned an audience share of 22.1 percent in its first episode, meanwhile its finale episode 27.8 percent.  

2015 | ANG PROBINSYANO (remake)

Wait, is this show still on?

Series release: 28 September 2015 – present Now in its 7th season, Ang Probinsyano is an action drama series based on the 1997 film with the same name starring Fernando Poe Jr. Currently, it is by far the longest-running series on Philippine television—its peak rating earned 47.2 percent. Every two seasons, it tackles controversial issues in the country, including Syndicate Arc (2015-2017), Rebellion and Terrorism Arc (2017-2018), Political Arc (2018-2019, and Crime and Corruption Arc (2019-present).  

2016 | DOLCE AMORE

Remember when Tenten wrote a song for Serene? And the lyrics goes like this, “kung di magkatagpo mundo natin nasa magkabilang dulo, at kung tayo magkatagpo at muling magkalayo…”

Series release: 15 February – 26 August 2016 After the success of their first series, the next appearance of the tandem was highly anticipated that the first episode earned an audience share of 35.6 percent. Dolce Amore tells us the story of a young Filipina who grew up with her adopted Italian parents. As she transitions into womanhood, she finds herself tangled up into a fixed marriage. With this, she runs away and hops into a plane going to the Philippines. There, she eventually meets her long-time penpal, who also grew up with his adoptive family.  

2016 | ENCANTADIA (remake)

The new generation of the four Sang’gre—Pirena, Amihan, Alena, and Danaya.

Series release: 18 July 2016 – 19 May 2017 Based on the 2005 television series of the same name, Encantadia 2016 served as a reboot and the fourth tv series in the Encantadia franchise. Following the enchanted lives of the four Sang’gre in their quest to protect the powerful gems that maintain peace and harmony in the world of Encantadia. However, the bond of the four sisters is broken after the eldest, Pirena, discovers her mother’s fear of the idea that she would become the queen of the mystical Kingdom. The series earned 26.1 percent rating during its pilot episode, and 13.8 percent on its finale.  

2017 | LA LUNA SANGRE

It is perhaps the decade of KathNiel, agree?

Series release: 19 June 2017 – 2 March 2018 Introducing the new generation of wolves and vampires, La Luna Sangre is the third installment of the 2007 Lobo and sequel of the 2010 Imortal. Topbill artists Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla, and Richard Gutierrez were the newest addition to the ensemble. The series picks up after the battle against Lucas and his vampire allies. The now-powerless Rodriguez family—Mateo, Lia, and their daughter Malia—start living as mortals. However, still seeing Malia’s bloodline as a threat, Supremo, Magnus’ son, orders to hunt and eliminate the Rodriguez family. Although Mateo and Lia unfortunately die, their 7-year-old daughter escapes the ill fate and is carried to safety in a secret base. La Luna Sangre earned an audience rating of 33.9 percent on its first episode and peaked at 40.2 percent on its March 2 episode.  

2017 | DESTINED TO BE YOURS

A kilig-worthy series for the AlDub fans

Series release: 27 February 2017 – 26 May 2017 After the success of the loveteam AlDub, projects for the two came rushing—and one of those was the drama Destined to be Yours. Premiered on February 27, 2017, the first episode earned a 22.3 percent rating.  

2018 | BAGANI

“Mekeni Mekeni dug dug Doremi”

Series release: 5 March – 17 August 2018 Another LizQuen on the list, Bagani had a rough start with the controversy and criticism it received from viewers. Nonetheless, the show still earned top-ratings peaking at 36.2 on their April 12 and 17 episodes. The drama-fantasy series revolves around the struggle and conflict between five tribes: Taga-Patag (farmers), Taga-Kalakal (traders), Taga-Laot (fishermen), Taga-Gubat (hunters) and Taga-Disyerto (warriors) in a fictional world called Sansinukob.  

2018 | KADENANG GINTO

“You do note the liar is my peyk. Is the Cassie in peyk. Hindi siya mukhang dragon. Is this my liar is na make is the peyk in my life! Oo, Cassie…”

Series release: 8 October 2018 – Present Premiering on October 8 for the Kapamilya Gold afternoon block, Kadenang Ginto earned 16.2 percent. But what propelled the show into the center stage were its meme-able scenes and characters. In fact, many of these went viral among Filipinos on social media. Some of these famous memes include ‘Daniela the Explorer’, or more commonly known as Dimples Romana dragging a red suitcase while dressed in red, and the ‘You do note’ girl who channeled her inner-Kadenong Ginto persona in a homemade video. Plot: Romina Andrada is the secretary-turned-wife of the business tycoon Robert Mondragon. Although carrying a child, a repercussion when she was raped, the tycoon still chooses to marry her. On the other hand, Daniela Mondragon is the daughter of Robert who, unbeknownst to Romina, was the woman behind her traumatic abduction so she can seduce her fiance, Carlos Bartolome. Now tangled deep in each other’s lives, their hostility is passed on to their daughters—Cassie and Margaret.  

2019 | GENERAL’S DAUGHTER

Series release: 21 January – 4 October 2019 Following her Spinal injury in 2017, The General’s Daughter was the first TV project of Angel Locsin. In this action-drama series features the life of 2Lt. Rhian Bonifacio. Two main generals are in a feud, the De Leon and Guerrero. And the latter chooses to take it further and abducts the former’s daughter. Growing up, Rhian was raised by the Guerreros and taught to fulfill her ultimate mission—to kill Marcial De Leon, her real father. Upon its release on January 21st, the first episode garnered a 34 percent audience rating and peaked at 36.7 percent during its May 16 episode.  

2019 | THE KILLER BRIDE

Series release: 12 August – Present The last one on the list is a drama series starring Joshua Garcia, Janella Salvador, Geoff Eigenmann, and Maja Salvador. In its pilot episode, the show earned a 23.1 percent rating. The Killer Bride revolves around the superstitious town called Las Espadas, a town known to be haunted by the ghost of The Killer Bride for years. Most of the residents in the area have a story to tell about encountering the ghost of Camila Dela Torre, the woman who was wrongfully sentenced for murder in 1999. Subsequently, Camila gave birth in prison and eventually died after a sudden freak fire encompasses the entire prison facility. But before letting her last breath go, she vows vengeance to every person who falsely accused her.   — What’s your top 20? Let us know in the comment section below!