Asia’s longest-running drama ‘Maalaala Mo Kaya’ to end 31-year run

Philippine television drama anthology show Maalaala Mo Kaya, or Memories, is set to end its iconic 31-year run next month.

The show, which is also Asia’s longest-running drama, will air its three-part series finale on December 10. In a short video message to the fans posted on the show’s official Twitter, host Charo Santos-Concio said: “There are countless stories here in Maalaala Mo Kaya – true stories, mirrors of your own life that have given lessons and a new hope.”

She then thanked the fans of the show, the staff and crew, as well the numerous guests who have appeared over the drama’s remarkable run. “Thank you for everything and may we meet again in any form,” she concluded.

JUST IN: Asia’s longest running drama anthology “Maalaala Mo Kaya” to end its 31-year run on air. Charo Santos shares this farewell message to its viewers for the past three decades. | via @mjfelipe pic.twitter.com/yYcftvSO84

— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) November 21, 2022

Maalaala Mo Kaya first aired in 1991 with Santos-Concio hosting dramatisations of weekly real-life stories or anecdotes sent in via letters from viewers. Celebrities and personalities would occasionally participate in sending letters, as well as enact the scenarios presented in the letters, firmly cementing the show as a rite of passage for upcoming actors in the Filipino television industry.

Maalaala Mo Kaya has spawned a radio program broadcast on DZMM, a pocketbook adaptation and a comic book adaptation, as well as a 1994 feature film.

The series has won multiple awards throughout its 31-year run, with many episodes earning KBP Golden Dove Awards and Asian Television Awards. Notably, the June 2016 ‘Kweba’ episode starring Zanjoe Marudo became the show’s second all-time highest-rated episode. Marudo would earn the distinction of becoming the most recent Filipino nominated for the International Emmy Awards for a television acting performance, a title he still holds up to 2022.

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