Coco Martin bids a famous character farewell – BusinessMirror

AFTER seven years on the air, FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano will bid adieu to its loyal viewers.

The program started innocuously enough: a TV adaptation of the original 1997 film starring the late Fernando Poe Jr.  The story follows a policeman named Ador de Leon who was killed in a drug bust operation after being betrayed by a fellow cop. Ador’s twin brother, Cardo Dalisay, assumes his late brother’s identity to ensure justice is served by going after the drug syndicates and dirty cops that were responsible for his brother’s death.

Ador and Cardo are both played by Coco Martin.

To say that FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano is a pop culture landmark is apt. After all, especially during the 2010s, when teleseryes that run for more than a year were something to crow about. This show lasted SEVEN years. It was consistently in the Top 3 of the most-watched programs and even after ABS-CBN lost its broadcast franchise,  its combined ratings (from A2Z, TV5 and Kapamilya Channel) were enough for it to remain in its lofty perch.

Many have dismissed the show as just an action-packed teleserye but thanks to its longevity, FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano became more than that. This deeply character-based police drama from Dreamscape is notable for being a show where the situations were less important than the psyches of the cops who solved the various issues thrown at them. The show is often cited for promoting crime awareness and even many people lauded how the program puts on a mainstream platform realistic issues such as the illegal drug trade, police abduction, child abuse and many more. It proved that an action show can be dramatic, and that drama can be endearing even to male viewers.

FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano launched Coco Martin to superstardom. Inadvertently, it also made a lot of its other cast members household names, such as Yassi Pressman and Awra Briguela, and reinvigorated the careers of veterans, like Susan Roces, Lito Lapid, Angel Aquino, Lorna Tolentino, Rowell Santiago, Jaime Fabregas, Joey Marquez, Edu Manzano, Joel Torre and, most recently, Charo Santos and Sharon Cuneta.

The show has also garnered multiple awards from numerous award-winning bodies such as the PMPC Star Awards for TV, PEP List Awards, KBP Golden Dove Awards, and the Catholic Mass Media Awards, among others.

Notwithstanding its much-maligned flaws (remember that viral video showing a supposedly dead body suddenly scratch its nose?) and how it became a running joke that Cardo seems to be immortal and couldn’t die, FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano will remain to be one of the most memorable TV shows in Philippine history.

But in a way it’s a misnomer to call FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano as one of TV’s best shows—it’s a fine show on the level of character and writing and even direction, but what makes it a classic is that it became one of those shows that challenged its viewers.  And TV is such a fickle medium where many showrunners in the country would forcefully dumb down their programs in their misguided assumption that viewers will flee anything remotely that challenges them. However, FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano has proven that millions will support a difficult, intelligent and even frustrating story—as long as you find the right mix.

FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano will have its finale this month. It airs weeknights on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, TV5, CineMo, iWantTFC, and Kapamilya Online Live on ABS-CBN Entertainment’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. Viewers who use any digital TV box at home such as the TVplus box only need to rescan their device to be able to watch FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano on TV5 and A2Z. The show is also available to viewers in and out of the Philippines on iWantTFC, while viewers outside of the Philippines can watch on The Filipino Channel (TFC) on cable and IPTV.