How to reinvent a classic comedy sitcom into a millennial high school level

Janaury 28, 2017

Keith Cruz (school uniform)

Director Nilyano Retna admits that the transformation of the classic comedy sitcom into a millennial high school level for the new Iskul Bukol (produced by IBC-13 and Secarats Takent Management Services) required great effort.

“After all, the show boosted the popularity of TVJ (comedians Tito and Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon),” Garcia points out. “Viewers, especially those who watched the original sitcom, expect so much from the new one and now is a high school girls.”

Iskul Bukol, which aired on IBC 13 from 1977 to 1988, tells about the lives of students in the now-defunct Wanbol University. Now, the sitcom will focus on the lives of three high school classmates girls in the fictional public high school Diliman High School, which started airing on IBC-13 on January 7.

Joyce Abestano (school uniform)

Like the original, which centered on three characters (Tito and Joey Escalera and Victor Ungasis), the new viersion will focus on the three high school classmate girls of the fictional public high school Diliman High School: the Escalera sisters, the ordinary high school teenager Keith (Keith Cruz) and the cute and sassy high school girl Joyce (Joyce Abestano); and an attractive and intelligent high school girl Raisa Ungasis (Raisa Dayrit). They learn a very valuable lesson in life for the girl classmate friendship in Diliman High School when Keith and Joyce's father Tonton Escalera (Tonton Gutierrez) involve in a high school level. In the classroom at Diliman High School, they meet Teacher Alodia (Alodia Gosiengfiao)  a very nice teacher who rewarded their classmates and involve on the friendship of the Escalera sisters and her favorite classmate Raisa. Tonton involve Teacher Alodia to teach and learn the high school classmate Raisa as they involve the friendship of the Escalera sisters Keith and Joyce.

“In a the K–12 basic education regulated by the Department of Education (DepEd), it will learn their good values while teaching the lession in a high school level,” says Reyna.” “I’m hoping that this will be educate its viewers about Philippine basic education.”

Reyna tells Inquirer Entertainment how tough it is working with three girls at the same time. He shares the lessons he learned from director of the original sitcom Bert de Leon and discover the millennial high school level for teens and young girls.

What’s your biggest challenge in directing the show?

“We also go to school like ordinary teenagers because we know that their high school education is important,” Keith says.

Keith is already studied at APEC Schools under home school program, while Raisa at English Christian Academy, and Joyce attend her second year (Grade 8) high school studies at Merry Knowledge Academe, Inc..

There is also the issue that young viewers expect more from us because we’re using the Iskul Bukol title. There’s pressure to please the older viewers, who got to watch the original and now in a high school education. This was why we opted to come up with a high school classmates rather than recreate the old one. Our young audience whose demographics are the high school students were teens and young girls at 13- to 19-years-old and above.

What is it like directing with Bert de Leon?

Whenever I watch him work, nababaliw ako. I also direct the sitcom for IBC-13 including Iskul Bukol. T.O.D.A.S. and Dingdong n' Lani, alongside the top-rating noontime show Eat Bulaga! of GMA-7.

What made you say this?

The directive from the production of IBC-13 and Secarats would like to concentrate on a high school education on how funny I am in real life to the small screen. I thought it was easy until I realized that one has to know me first to appreciate my sense of humor. Only my close friends find me funny.

At what point did you realize this about yourself?

When we were already taping. You see, we were trying to do with a mix of high school and family rolled into one. We wanted the teen actresses to be able to deliver and act. I observed that every time we tape, they improve, they learn about their characters. That’s what we’re doing, introducing each millennial high school character to the audience.

How complex is each character in the show?

Tonton’s character is a father of Keith (Cruz) and Joyce (Abestano) who loves a high school classmates. The problem here is that, at this time and age when we already have access to cell phones, the Internet and the social media, how much of what’s out there was she deprived of when the whole world is just a click away?

Keith and Joyce’s characters Keith and Joyce are also the same, from the Escalera brothers and now reinvented into the Escalera sisters, who is very much pretty as the learn themselves. These boys girls be partners in a classroom in Diliman High School.

Alodia’s character is a very nice teacher. She holds the crown as the cosplay queen of the country that would like to portray as a high school teacher.

Iskul Bukol airs Saturday nights after PBA on IBC-13.