Karylle | Image: Facebook/@anakarylle
Actress-singer Karylle has joined the cast of the upcoming Filipina-fronted reality show “Manila Matriarchs.”
In a report by Deadline, the unscripted series will be headlined by Karylle, along with fashion professional Myrza Sison and entrepreneurs Joanna Preysler-Francisco and Trisha Bantigue-Tsao.
With San Francisco and Metro Manila as backdrops, the eight-part series is set to follow the lives of four women from the Philippines as they navigate “motherhood, sisterhood, careers, love, and social standing” in the pursuit of true happiness.
Karylle, who’s best known as one of the mainstay hosts on “It’s Showtime” and for portraying Sang’gre Alena in the 2005 TV series “Encantadia,” recently wrapped up as Aubrey in the Manila run of the musical “Little Shop of Horrors.”
Meanwhile, Sison is the former editor-in-chief of Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan magazines, and is now a certified executive coach and motivational speaker. She is also a Palanca award-winning writer and former model.
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Francisco is a seasoned fashion designer and entrepreneur, owning several businesses, including retail stores, while Tsao is a tech entrepreneur, CEO and co-founder of the largest online marketplace for formalwear.
“Manila Matriarchs” is executive-produced and created by Filipino American producer Cece Asuncion, with Miguel Santos (“Eat Your Words,” “Mom vs. Matchmaker”), Eddie Tran, Joy Tarce, JP Mallo and Justyn Reyes of J Creative Entertainment also serving as executive producers.
The series also received support from the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
“I’m thrilled to highlight the lives of these incredibly talented women,” Asuncion told Deadline. “Their stories are surprisingly relatable and human. This is my love letter to not only Filipina women, but to all women.”
Santos added that the reality series will “showcase to the world what power and success already look like for women in the Philippines, which is a country that has been very progressive with women’s rights for generations.”
More details about the series, including the network, streamer and release date, have yet to be announced.