La Vida Lena
La Vida Lena (lit. The Life of Lena) is a Philippine revenge drama streaming television series starring Erich Gonzales, JC de Vera, Kit Thompson and Carlo Aquino.[2][3] Directed by Jerry Lopez Sineneng and Jojo A. Saguin and produced by Dreamscape Entertainment. Season 1 premiered on iWantTFC on November 14, 2020 until January 16, 2021. It will make its television premiere in March 2021 on Kapamilya Channel and A2Z.[4] The second season is now in production.
| La Vida Lena | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Written by | Mari Lamasan Mariami Tanangco-Domingo Camille Anne De La Cruz Chris Tan |
| Directed by | Jerry Lopez Sineneng Jojo A. Saguin |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Len Calvo Adriane Macalipay |
| Opening theme | "La Vida Lena" by JMKO[1] |
| Country of origin | Philippines |
| Original languages |
|
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Carlo L. Katigbak Jamie L. Lopez Cory V. Vidanes Roldeo T. Endrinal Ginny Monteagudo-Ocampo |
| Producer | Jemila M. Jimenez |
| Production locations |
|
| Editor | Ray Ann Kristelle Endaya |
| Running time | 30-50 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Distributor | iWantTFC |
| Release | |
| Original network | iWantTFC (season 1) Kapamilya Channel and A2Z (season 2) |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original release | November 14, 2020 – present |
Plot
Despite being the subject of bullying and discrimination because of the big scar on her face, Magda refuses to let criticisms get to her and strives hard to secure a comfortable life for her family. Using her skills and intelligence, she hits the jackpot when the soap she created quickly gains popularity in the town of Salvacion. The young lady's success, however, does not sit well with the Narciso family, the owners of Royal Wellness, the biggest surgical and cosmetic company in the country. When Magda refuses to sell her formula to the Narcisos due to their contrasting views, a string of bad luck comes her way. Losing everything dear to her, Magda returns with a new face, armed with determination to retaliate against the powerful clan who ruined her life.
Cast and characters
Main
- Erich Gonzales as Magdalena "Magda" Mendoza/ Lena Mendoza
- Carlo Aquino as Jordan Cabrera
- JC de Vera as Adrian Narciso
- Kit Thompson as Miguel Villarica
Supporting
- Sofia Andres as Rachel Suarez-Villarica
- Agot Isidro as Vanessa Narciso
- Janice de Belen as Ramona Joaquin
- Raymond Bagatsing as Lukas Narciso
- Christian Vasquez as Conrad Suarez
- Pen Medina as Kiko Cabrera
- Ruby Ruiz as Digna Cabrera
- Josh Ivan Morales as Brian
- Malou Crisologo as Martina
- Hasna Cabral as Betchay
- Danica Ongtengco as Allison
- Renshi de Guzman as Rambo
Guests
- Soliman Cruz as Diosdado H. Mendoza
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 10 | November 14, 2020 | January 16, 2021 | ||
Episodes
Season 1 (2020–2021)
| No. | Title | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | November 14, 2020 | |
| Magda is a simple and kind-hearted girl who grew up bearing a big scar on her face. Despite living a life filled with mockery and discrimination, Magda focuses on her studies and eventually manages to start up her own soap business in hopes of securing a better life for her and her beloved grandfather. She hits the jackpot when her product quickly gains popularity in Salvacion. Learning about Magda's success, the owners of a big cosmetic company give the young lady a generous offer in exchange for her organic soap formula. | |||
| 2 | "Episode 2" | November 21, 2020 | |
| Standing on her dignity, Magda turns down Royal Wellness' business proposal. Unbeknownst to the young lady, her fearless decision displeases the Narcisos, bringing about serious consequences for her and her loved ones. Magda's series of bad luck seems to come to a halt when a new friend and a deal from Royal Wellness' top competitor come knocking at her door. | |||
| 3 | "Episode 3" | November 28, 2020 | |
| Despite Miguel's efforts to mislead her investigation, Magda remains determined to discover the culprit behind their barrio's ruined crops. Her doubts about Miguel's intentions, however, vanish into thin air as she falls for the young man's tricks. Magda soon lets Miguel join her contract signing with Blue Velvet, completely unaware of the bigger problems his presence will bring not only to her business but also to her relationship with her loved ones. | |||
| 4 | "Episode 4" | December 5, 2020 | |
| Magda deals with an unexpected predicament upon discovering that she is pregnant with Miguel's child. In her attempt to reconnect with Miguel to inform him about her pregnancy, Magda learns that his kindness is all a fraud plotted by the Narcisos to acquire her soap's formula. Magda's determination to fight the Narcisos head on, however, is met with tragedy. | |||
| 5 | "Episode 5" | December 12, 2020 | |
| The Narcisos' scheme to get rid of Magdalena so they can be free to use Magda's soap formula that they stole.Magda ends up in jail where she meets Ramona Joaquin, a co- inmate whom she discovers was also a victim of the wickedness of Narcisos. Unknowingly, Magda finds a potential ally in her fight for justice. | |||
| 6 | "Episode 6" | December 19, 2020 | |
| Deeming Magda's pregnancy as a threat to their plans, Lukas urges Vanessa to take action immediately and nip the problem in the bud. Soon enough, Magda plunges into despair as another tragedy befalls her in the confines of the cell. While Jordan and Kiko exhaust all means to help the humble soap maker seek justice, misfortune follows their loved ones. | |||
| 7 | "Episode 7" | December 26, 2020 | |
| After serving her time in jail, Magda finally reunites with Jordan and his family. However, she cuts their joyful reunion short when she decides to leave for Manila to start anew and to search for Ramona, expecting to find a reliable ally in her fight against the Narcisos. Meanwhile, Miguel works like a dog, aiming for a position in the Royal Wellness' board. | |||
| 8 | "Episode 8" | January 2, 2021 | |
| In Magdalena’s attempt to revive her soap business together with Ramona, she ends up at the receiving end of the Narcisos' wickedness once more. Fortunately, another ally comes knocking at her door. However, Lukas and Vanessa are already one step ahead, leaving Magda at a greater disadvantage. As the humble soap maker wallows in dejection, Ramona pushes Magda to grab the opportunity to transform into a worthy competitor and put herself on equal footing with their rivals. | |||
| 9 | "Episode 9" | January 9, 2021 | |
| Magda returns to Salvacion with a beautiful face and a mind focused solely on revenge. She then reconnects with Jordan and Betchay to form a dependable team who will be joining her in her plan to take down the Narcisos. After finding her enemies’ weakness, Magda prepares to engage with Adrian and use him to enter the Narcisos’ lair. | |||
| 10 | "Episode 10" | January 16, 2021 | |
| Lena successfully puts Adrian under her spell with her seductive pretense. Despite giving his complete support for Lena’s plans, Jordan cannot help but be concerned about her safety. Meanwhile, M&R gains popularity and poses a threat to Royal Wellness’ reign in Salvacion. This leads to the Narcisos’ desperation to know more about their new competitor, not knowing that the person behind it is their old enemy. | |||
Production
Maja Salvador was originally asked to take on the role of Ligaya (the original title of the serye). Salvador rejected the project as she perceived it as too daring and controversial. She later on starred in another serye called The Killer Bride. Salvador was replaced by Ivana Alawi and the title was changed to Lihim Ni Ligaya. The pre-production had started and the cast was already introduced during a presscon back in February 2020. But due to COVID-19 pandemic and enhanced community quarantine in Luzon in March, Alawi backed out of the project. Her main reason was to avoid risking the health of her family as she will be exposed during lock-in tapings. In August, Deo Endrinal, the head of Dreamscape Entertainment approached Erich Gonzales to take on the role of Ligaya. The title of the series eventually became La Vida Lena inspired by Jojo Saguin, one of the directors of the serye who is known by her colleagues as Lena. From Ligaya, the main character's name, it was changed to Magdalena Mendoza. There were a lot of recasting and revisions in the script to suit the new theme and new cast. La Vida Lena serves as Gonzales' comeback to television two years after her last major serye The Blood Sisters. First round of locked-in taping started in October 1, 2020 and ended October 17, 2020. The second round of taping resumed on November 15, 2020 and ended on December 4, 2020. The third round of taping started on January 10, 2021 and wrapped up on January 30,2021. The fourth and final round of taping will be on late February.
See also
References
- Dreamscape Entertainment. "LA VIDA LENA by JMKO". Facebook. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
- "Erich Gonzales topbills new ABS-CBN series 'La Vida Lena'". ABS-CBN News. October 7, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- "'Malalagot kayo!' Teaser of 'La Vida Lena' starring Erich Gonzales released". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- "'Together as One in 2021': Here are ABS-CBN's upcoming shows, offerings". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
External links
- La Vida Lena at IMDb
- La Vida Lena on iWantTFC