From DonBelle’s first major project together to a KathNiel double bill, satisfy your teleserye cravings with these Filipino shows streaming on Netflix.
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Watching teleseryes run in the blood of Filipinos. Try walking along local streets and you’ll see and hear, even from afar, some residents reveling in the company of their favorite TV show and celebrities. And that interest or obsession is a given because we all want (sometimes need) to escape our realities from time to time and feel something satisfying vicariously, be it the thrill of a character exacting revenge or the sweetness of an unlikely couple falling in love.
This is why it is great to know now that even when a show finally ends on our TV screens, we still get to revisit these moments through online platforms like Netflix. From being home to mostly international titles, through the years, the streaming giant has added a lineup of or even created original local content for the entertainment-hungry Filipinos. And below we give you a relatively short list of Pinoy teleseryes that have deservingly gotten the Netflix treatment. Yes, you can start that binge and get nostalgic of your favorite shows as early as now.
He’s Into Her
Relive the sparkly beginning of the DonBelle spell with the first season of the hit digital high school series, He’s Into Her. An adaptation of the popular e-novel of the same name, HIH follows Donny Pangilinan’s crush ng bayan Deib and Belle Mariano’s Maxpein as their cat-and-mouse relationship blooms into an unlikely romance that’ll grab you by the heart and never let go. It’s a DonBelle series, so you know the binge is surely worth it. And if you still can’t get enough of it, HIH’s second season is available here. You’re welcome.
2 Good 2 Be True & The House Arrest of Us
A KathNiel double binge, anyone? The country’s premier love team offers you twice the fun and the romance with two shows on Netflix that you can enjoy solo or with the fam. A lockdown-themed series about a wedding engagement that’s gone wrong, The House Arrest of Us gave all of us a reason to smile while in isolation when it came out at the height of the pandemic in 2020. Now, it still carries the same KathNiel magic that demands a rewatch.
Meanwhile, unlock the mystery between mechanic Eloy (Padilla) and nurse Ali (Bernardo) while getting kilig left and right in the rom-com show, 2 Good 2 Be True. The first Pinoy series to have aired on TV and Netflix at the same time, 2 Good 2 Be True is that KathNiel comeback show that you deserve.
On The Wings of Love
How about a little bit of JaDine nostalgia? Premiered in 2015, On The Wings of Love centers around Nadine Lustre’s Leah, a simple girl with an American dream who’s forced to marry James Reid’s Clark, a San Francisco boy, which all leads to unexpected results. As you may all be aware of, OTWOL was a smash-hit, having a concert of its own and cementing JaDine as one of the Philippines’ hottest love teams. Witness this historic phenomenon for yourself here.
Dolce Amore
Since we’re already on the topic of love teams, why not revisit a series from an on-screen and real-life couple that has made us believe in forever. In Dolce Amore, Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil star as Serena and Tenten who, even in their starkly different backgrounds, will be brought together by destiny. As is natural with LizQuen’s infallible chemistry, you can’t help but fall in love in this fairytale of a show. Reminisce all of its wondrous moments here.
Bagman
You up for some action? An original iWant series, Bagman is a socio-political thriller where Arjo Atayde plays antihero Benjo, a neighborhood barber-turned-governor who gets blinded by money and power and entangled into the dangerous world of politics ridden with crime and corruption.
What’s notable about Bagman is Atayde’s performance which has earned him a best actor nod from the prestigious Asian Academy Creative Awards, beating out other nine actors from different countries and making a historic first for the Philippines.
The Tapes
Another iWant original that gets Netflix treatment is The Tapes. Set in the 1990s in a sleepy, mountainous town, The Tapes follows two conflicted cops investigating mysterious videos from a woman who vanished years ago, throwing them deep into the haunting world of deceit, mystery, and the occult. Sam Milby and Yassi Pressman lead this six-part miniseries directed by Bradley Liew (Motel Acacia) and penned by genre master Dodo Dayao (Midnight in a Perfect World). Produced by Epicmedia and Dreamscape Entertainment, The Tapes is a critically acclaimed suspenseful series that will surely put you on the edge of your seat.
Trese
Speaking of the occult, Filipino folklore and mythical creatures abound in Netflix’ first Filipino animated series, Trese. Alexandra Trese is an extraordinary detective that takes on the criminal underworld where dark supernatural forces are pervasive. A vampiric tianak, a giant tikbalang, ghosts, aswang, and nuno the goblin sidekick, Trese not only spotlights the rich local lore but also has a relevant storyline that captures the darkness and harsh realities of Filipino society. With voices from none other than Liza Soberano, Darren Criss, and Nicole Scherzinger among others, Trese ultimately offers a one-of-a-kind Filipino experience.
Niña niño & wildflower
Being the queen of teleserye that Maja Salvador is, it’s fitting that she’s got two multi-season spanning shows on Netflix. Whether a con artist making ends meet in the big city with her brother or as vengeful heredera who’ll stop at nothing to destroy the family that mercilessly violated her, you’re in for some exciting roller coaster experience if you do a back-to-back binge of Niña Niño and Wildflower. And yes, it’ll be worth it, all 200 plus episodes of it.
Legal Wives
The seventh title from GMA Network to be part of Netflix’s roster of shows, Legal Wives is a story about a man from a rich Maranao family who gets subjected to complicated relationships after marrying three women from different backgrounds and for different reasons.
Starring Kapuso Drama King Dennis Trillo, Alice Dixson, Andrea Torres, and Bianca Umali, Legal Wives is a groundbreaking teleserye that tackles the oftentimes unseen or until narrative Muslim culture and their customs. With the help of Filipino Muslim creatives and consultants, director Zig Dulay (Maria Clarra at Ibarra) melds authentic setpieces and effective melodrama with an engaging plot and powerhouse performances that make Legal Wives a unique viewing experience.
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