'Ikaw Lamang' pilot knocks out 'Carmela'

MANILA - ABS-CBN's new period drama "Ikaw Lamang" debuted strongly on Monday, according to Kantar Media, making it the No. 1 show in its time slot.

The pilot episode of "Ikaw Lamang" garnerend a nationwide rating 27.4%, as measured by Kantar Media using a panel size of 2,609 urban and rural homes.


This strong viewership ranked the Coco Martin-starrer third overall in the list of most watched programs on March 10, just below fellow Primetime Bida offerings "Honesto" and "TV Patrol," which registered national TV ratings of 32.4% and 27.7%, respectively.

The audience share of "Ikaw Lamang" on Monday was 10 percentage-points ahead of its competing program aired on GMA-7, "Carmela," which only registered 16.1%.

The ABS-CBN series' debut also dominated conversations on micro-blogging site Twitter, making the episode's official hashtag, "#IkawLamangGrandPilot," the No. 1 trending topic worldwide.

In the debut telecast of "Ikaw Lamang," a young Samuel (Zaijan Jaranilla) and his family seek a new start in Salvacion, where they find jobs as farmers at an estate owned by the town's kind-hearted mayor, Eduardo (Tirso Cruz III).



Samuel strikes a deal with the mayor's son, Franco (Louise Abuel), who offered to teach him how to read in exchange for his help in learning the daily tasks of farmer -- in the hope of winning his father's approval.

Over time, Samuel becomes friends with Franco despite being warned by his mother (Cherry Pie Picache) against interacting with the children of Salvacion's rich folk. The two boys eventually form a group with their respective friends since childhood, Mona (Xyriel Manabat) and Isabel (Alyanna Angeles).

Isabel, who grew up having Franco as her only friend, starts to form a close relationship with Samuel. But Mona, Samuel's constant companion, does not appear to welcome the blooming friendship.


As adults, Franco, Isabel, Samuel, and Mona will be portrayed respectively by Jake Cuenca, Kim Chiu, Coco Martin, and Julia Montes.

"Ikaw Lamang" is under the direction of Malu Sevilla and Avel Sunpongco. It is produced by Dreamscape Entertainment Television, which is behind the primetime hits "Walang Hanggan," "Juan dela Cruz," and Honesto."

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