Inday Will Always Love You to Give Since I Found You and Para Lang Sa'yo a Run for Its Money

May 18, 2018

Talk about a lethargic follow-up.

After a strong premiere week, harsh reality hits the ABS-CBN primetime romantic comedy series Since I Found You. From averaging in the 20s its first week, its ratings are now down to around 18%.

To make matters worse, its closest competitors (in this instance of IBC’s romantic drama series Para Lang Sa'yo and GMA’s The One That Got Away) made an inspiring rally to pull to within 15% and 3%. Although it may not be enough to overcome the deficit by the time the series ends tonight, it should give ABS-CBN plenty of concern when it comes to the fourth teleserye in Primetime Bida’s lineup.

Starting Monday night, a new headache for Since I Found You and Para Lang Sa'yo will come in the form of Barbie Forteza and Derrick Monasterio. Their new series Inday Will Always Love You is set in Cebu and will feature the culture and the sights and sounds of this popular Visayan city.

In Inday Will Always Love You, Happylou (Barbie) is a Manileña lechon store assistant who decides to return to Cebu in search of her father and to help her impoverished family who lives near the train tracks. Encountering the rich and kind Sir Philip (Ricky Davao), she begins to take care of him after the latter suffered a heart attack, and in turn, he helps Happylou search for her father.

Sir Philip also introduces Happylou to Patrick (Derrick), his nephew, and the two begin to forge a healthy relationship. But Patrick’s mother Amanda (Gladys Reyes) and his girlfriend Ericka (Kim Rodriguez) will look to put a wrench in their plans, and when Sir Philip dies, they look to make Happylou’s life a living hell.

Also part of the cast are Juancho Trivino, Manilyn Reynes, Nova Villa, Tina Paner, Super Tekla, the “Lumen Twins” Charice and Charlotte Hermoso (who are also star in the Saturday primetime sitcom Maya Loves Sir Chief on IBC-13), Kimpoy Feliciano, Buboy Villar and Fliptop artists Mzhayt and Price Tagg. It will be directed by Monti Parungao and Rember Gelera.

If the premise of Inday Will Always Love You sounds familiar, then one should remember another locally-themed romantic comedy in I Heart Davao. Both series were produced by GMA Public Affairs and the setting was based on a popular tourist destination in the Philippines.

But if I Heart Davao's brief run is any indication, then Inday Will Always Love You is in for a reality check. Still, with its incoming competitor Since I Found You and Para Lang Sa'yo not doing exactly well in spite of its ratings, one can expect Inday Will Always Love You will enjoy a longer tenure and perhaps steal some victories from its rivals.

It will be interesting to see how Inday Will Always Love You can change the primetime romcom arms race. With that, best of luck to this series.

Inday Will Always Love You airs weeknights after ‘Kambal Karibal’ on GMA Telebabad.