Waiting for the other shoe to fall
Coco Martin
After almost two years on TV, “Ang Probinsyano” recently appeared to be headed for a major resolution in its storytelling, with a key villain dead, another one “presumed” to be deceased, and a third finally charged in court. Waiting for the other shoe to fall, some viewers saw “indications” that efforts to resolve the issue were being made.
How do you keep extending a profitable show even after its key central conflict has been resolved? After all, even long-running TV series like “Be Careful With My Heart,” “May Bukas Pa” and Eat Bulaga’s kalyeserye segment finally folded up their storytelling tents—so why should “Ang Probinsyano” be any different?
Well, it now turns out that after a temporarily iffy time out there, the decision has categorically been made to keep the hit show on the tube at least for the rest of 2017, making it a potential “TV longevity” record-breaker of sorts.
For a moment there, some hesitations or prevarications are evident, like the teasers and trailers that showed many viewers “fretting” that the show would finally be concluded. What, they purportedly wailed, would they do without it? What could possibly take its place on the tube that would delight them as much?
The hit series’ virtues and values were then cited, like the “fact” that parents appreciated their kids now going home early and thus more safely, so that they could catch the day’s installment right after the evening news without fail. Wow, what a powerful and empowering show!
The TV plugs then went on to reassure “fretting” viewers that the show wouldn’t be terminated, despite the resolution of its central conflict. And so, it did come to pass some days ago
—the official announcement of the series’ re-re-reextension.
Aside from all those wailing and loyal viewers and now their dutiful and tractable children, the main motivation for this big decision is financial—“Ang Probinsyano” keeps getting top viewership ratings, despite its now predictable and even repetitive progression.
Why twist the neck of the generous goose that keeps on laying all those golden eggs? Why, indeed?
Trouble is, predictable and repetitious storytelling isn’t the way to keep a show eventful. Some viewers swear that they don’t care about other factors, as long as the show is kept on the air. But, how much longer can they hold sway if other viewers sense that they’re no longer getting as much original punch for their viewing peso as they used to?
Well, that’s for the future to reveal. For now and the rest of the year, we can expect the still popular show to go into its next, big “book” or chapter, with a new major villain or group of villains, portrayed by major stars, to keep the series’ star value compellingly strong and high.
