There is no doubt that television is a big part of most people’s lives, and it’s more than a reflection of our society, it is helping to shape who we are, how we interact, and how we see ourselves. In the 90s, when the clock strikes 4:30 in the afternoon children of all ages used to shout: “4:30 na Ang TV na!” (It’s 4:30, it’s time for Ang TV!)—as they enter their houses, straight from school—and zone out in their couches to watch their favorite Ang TV (The TV), opening with its signature theme to the tune of “Do Wah Diddy Diddy.”
This first youth-oriented comedy variety show launched in 1992 was inspired by Kaluskos Musmos, a kiddie gag show in the 70s which is considered its predecessor, and its foreign counterpart The Mickey Mouse Club. Ang TV popularized the catchphrases “Esmyuskee!” (said before making a joke), and “Nge!” ( said after delivering the punchline). Soon, that simple afternoon program became a by-word that eventually spawned malls shows, concerts, albums, and a movie.
Ang TV is a brainchild of ace TV director Johnny Manahan, who put up the ABS-CBN Talent Center and recruited group of kids and teens to create this phenomenal TV show. Mr. M initially pooled the sons and daughters of showbiz royalties like Vandolph Quizon, Igi Boy Mulach, Alfonso and Alyanna Martinez, and Maxene Magalona. A series of auditions followed and by then, every kid wanted to try out for the casting yet only the crème de la crème were handpicked. Many of the biggest stars in Philippine showbusiness are graduates of this show and kickstarted their careers and Jolina Magdangal, Paolo Contis, Claudine Barreto, John and Camille Prats, Angelica Panganiban, Shaina Magdayao, Rica Peralejo, Kaye Abad, Patrick and Cheska Garcia, Victor Neri, Katya Santos, Baron Geisler, Jay Manalo, Sarah Geronimo, and for the rest of the cast, the studio became their day care center, second school, and playground.
The segments were divided between the two groups: kids and teens, and during some skits and in the show’s finale, they would be combined and joining the cast were Giselle Sanchez, Winnie Cordero, Joji Isla, and Joy Viado. While the most popular sketches and comedy skits were the classroom and home anecdotes, the funny pre-historic family, the news parody, and the song and dance numbers, the show injects summer specials where the cast would shoot in nearby resorts. Because it became the biggest thing on TV, the network developed Ang TV versions for Bacolod, Cebu, and Davao.
The Ang TV fever went on for years but eventually became an all-kids show, as the teenagers in the cast moved up to more mature TV programs, teleseryes, and other variety shows, and became busy with films. In 1996, the film Ang TV Movie: The Adarna Adventure was released (starring the program’s cast) and was digitally remastered in September 2019 at the Power Plant Cinema in Rockwell Center. The show went off air in 1997, after airing for three seasons. Ang TV 2 was launched to entertain a new generation of kids and fresh new set of stars in the batch included Shaina Magdayao, Denise Laurel, JM de Guzman, and Arjo Atayde but eventually sizzled off. Some girls in the original Ang TV took on daring roles for films, while some of the boys became either drama mainstays or action stars, while the rest chose a quiet life working for the corporate industry or embraced parenthood here and abroad.
Ang TV made every child in us chuckle and every adult muse, wishing our kids were as lucky as the cast. It has reminded us that whatever “esmyuskees” life throws at us, we have learned to laugh it off, and counter it with a hilarious “nge!” because looking back exactly 30 years ago—clearly—Ang TV did not only raise today’s biggest stars, but it also shaped a generation.
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