Variety shows are part of the Filipino pop culture. It is very popular even today. Since I was a little kid, I always watch those show which usually starts at lunchtime and start singing their opening theme song, one of the most popular was the classic Eat Bulaga! theme.
So now, I got a list of the 10 most popular variety shows from the past to the present. There are a lot of them, but I only have to choose 10 that made an impact to the entertainment industry
10. Salo salo together
Salo-Salo Together (SST) (Partying Together) is a defunct Philippine noontime variety show aired over GMA Network.
SST's first aired on March 20, 1993 as a replacement for "Lunch Date", hosted by Randy Santiago, Dennis Padilla, and Smokey Manaloto with Liezl Martinez, Anjanette Abayari, Joy Ortega and Giselle Sanchez as co-hosts. In less than six months after it aired, SST started to take over its archrival, ABS-CBN's "Eat Bulaga" in the ratings by providing fresh interactive segments like "Grabe!" (a contest where live studio audience join the hosts of SST in a dare),"Knock Knock Hello!" (where SST wall clocks were given out to a lucky household member whose home was posted with an SST sticker), "Sari-Sari Stories" (a weekly comedy skit where SST hosts spoof a certain movie or Pinoy pop culture) and "Ano ka Hello?" (where SST hosts call out a lucky viewer and ask them questions about what they just saw in a particular episode). Moreover, SST hosts like Dennis, Smokey, Anjanette, Joy and Giselle became contract stars of Viva Films, where they have appeared separately in numerous movies.
9. 'Sang Linggo nAPO Sila
Sang Linggo nAPO Sila (They Are Now On All Week) was a daily noon-time variety show ofABS-CBN that aired from February 1995 to November 1998. It was hosted by the APO Hiking Society (Danny Javier, Jim Paredes and Buboy Garovillo). Some of the original co-hosts included Bing Loyzaga, Michelle Van Eimeren, Agot Isidro, Lara Melissa de Leon, Amy Perez, John Estrada, Rannie Raymundo and Roderick Paulate.
The show was a spinoff of ABS-CBN's popular Sunday noon-time show Sa Linggo nAPO Sila. It was one of the new shows launched by ABS-CBN in 1995 as part of their "Primetime on Daytime" block after Eat Bulaga! moved from ABS-CBN to GMA. It aired live daily from ABS-CBN's studio at the Delta Theater until it moved to Studio 3 at the ABS-CBN Broadcast Center.
8. Lunch Date
Its original hosts were Orly Mercado, Rico J. Puno, Toni Rose Gayda and Chiqui Hollmann. The show originally aired from Studio A of the old GMA building in EDSA. It was also the first GMA show to air from GMA Broadway Centrum in 1987.
When the show was reformatted after a year, it only retained Gayda and brought in a mix of old and new faces to host the show, including Randy Santiago, Lito Pimentel, Tina Revilla, Pilita Corrales, Louie Heredia, Sheryl Cruz, Jon Santos, Dennis Padilla, Fe Delos Reyes, Keno, Manilyn Reynes, Willie Revillame and Ai Ai de las Alas.
Lunch Date was involved in a ratings battle with then-RPN and ABS-CBN's Eat Bulaga.
Magandang Tanghali Bayan was a Philippine noon-time variety show broadcast by ABS-CBN. The show was aired on weekdays and Saturdays and was also broadcast worldwide through ABS-CBN's The Filipino Channel. The show was known for its many formats and host changes over the years that it was broadcast.
6. Master Showman Presents
Walang Tulugan with the Master Showman (formerly known as Master Showman Presents) is a late night variety show aired every Saturday evenings by GMA Network. The show became popular due to its tagline "Walang Tulugan" (no sleeping) as the program airs at midnight.
5. SOP
SOP was a Philippine noontime music/variety show aired by GMA Network. The show airs from 12pm-3pm on Sundays. The show is broadcast from Studio 4 at the GMA Network Studios. The show title stands for "Sobrang Okey, Pare!" a Filipino expression which connotes enjoyment and appreciation of a particular thing that catches the imagination of the people. The title was coined by a group of GMA executives (led by Wilma Galvante) in early 1997 who conceptualized an interactive musical-variety show to replace the long-running GMA Supershow.
Spinoffs and later forms of the show include SOP Rules, SOP Gigsters, and SOP Fully Charged.
4. ASAP
ASAP 2012 (All-Star Sunday Afternoon Party) is a musical variety show in the Philippines broadcast by ABS-CBN in the Philippines. The show is presented by its main hosts Zsa Zsa Padilla, Gary Valenciano and Martin Nievera. The show first premiered on February 5, 1995, and airs live Sundays. The show also broadcasts worldwide through ABS-CBN's The Filipino Channel.
3. That's Entertainment
The show was launched on January 6, 1986 by GMA Network and gained popularity almost overnight among young audiences who were on the lookout for idols of their own. Hosted by German Moreno together with Ike Lozada. "That's" first aired from the old GMA building in EDSA and soon moved in to the GMA Broadway Centrum in 1987 to accommodate more fans.
The show ushered in new stars (see That's Entertainment members) and would signify the changing of the guards in local show business. Some are deceased or inactive in showbiz and now in politics. The kids are grouped into five: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Every Saturday, all 5 groups were joined together and performed spectacular, well-rehearsed production numbers. The Show also catapulted different dance group to popularity, The Maneouvres, Streetboys, Abztract Dancers, Kids at Work, UMD all became the Philippines' premiere dance group because of the show.
On March 1996, the show went off the air at the height of its popularity. The last episode of "That's Entertainment" was shown on Saturday primetime (9:00 pm) with former members reunited in a TV special entitled "That's The Reunion". The said TV special earned an award for Best Musical Special during the 1996 Star Awards.
2. Wowowee
Wowowee was a Philippine noon-time variety show broadcast by ABS-CBN. The show premiered on February 5, 2005, and aired live on weekdays and Saturdays. The show was also broadcast worldwide through ABS-CBN's The Filipino Channel. The show officially ended on July 30, 2010 and was replaced the following day by a new variety show, Pilipinas Win Na Win.
This show also made Willy Revillame a superstar. An accident sparks during the first anniversary of this show,a stampede which killed more than 70 wowowee fans.
1. Eat Bulaga
Eat Bulaga! is a noon-time variety show in the Philippines produced by Television And Production Exponents Inc. (TAPE) and aired by GMA Network. The show is broadcast from The New TAPE Studios (Eastside Studio) at the GMA Broadway Centrum in New Manila, Quezon City. Eat Bulaga! is aired Weekdays at 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm (PHT) and Saturdays at 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm (PST). The show is also broadcast worldwide through GMA Pinoy TV. This year, the show will celebrate its 33rd year on Philippine Television. Eat Bulagaalso holds the record of being the longest-running program on air in the history of local television.
