‘The Broken Marriage Vow’ putting a Pinoy flavor to a frequently remade series

CEBU, Philippines —  You’ve seen it before, but you haven’t seen it all yet.

For the creators of ABS-CBN’s adaptation of the acclaimed BBC series “Doctor Foster”, there’s still plenty of reason to tune in to their version even if you’ve already binge-watched the original or its similarly immensely popular Korean remake.

“The Broken Marriage Vow” directors Connie Macatuno and Andoy Ranay said that much effort was exerted to localize the series for a Filipino audience to be able to call it their own, yet still somehow resonate with foreign viewers.

“We wanted to showcase the Philippines in a way that the world will know our lifestyle, our food, clothing, locations, relationships, and what the Filipino marriage is all about as well,” said Macatuno.

“Hopefully the places we picked in Baguio are virgin locations. I love this particular house, the Ilustres’ house, because this is the first time I’ve seen a fire place in the middle of the house. I also want audiences to see how we can wear our weaves in a different way that has global appeal.”

“Doctor Foster” is a British television drama series that first came out in 2015, and returned for a second part in 2017. Reportedly inspired by the ancient Greek myth of wronged wife Medea who kills her children and poisons her husband’s new bride, the show follows a doctor whose picture-perfect life deteriorates when she discovers her husband’s infidelity and other secrets.

Following its massive success, the series was first adapted in France (“Unfaithful”), followed by Russia (“Tell Truth”), India (“Out of Love”), South Korea (“The World of the Married”) and Turkey (“Unfaithful”).

The Philippines is the sixth country to come up with an adaptation with Jodi Sta. Maria, Zanjoe Marudo, Sue Ramirez, and Zaijian Jaranilla playing the lead roles.

Japan, Mexico, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam are also set to produce their versions.

During a recent digital press conference that followed a media preview of the pilot week, Sue (who plays the young mistress Lexy) remarked that while she will expectedly be abhorred by audiences, she, as an actor, couldn’t come in with pre-conceived notion of her role.

“As actors, we cannot judge our characters. We really have to jump into their shoes na dapat dala namin lahat ng responsibilidad and we are open to feel everything they are feeling. Of course it’s hard to play a role na hindi mo completely kilala or wala kang experience sa pinagdaanan niya. So it took a lot of research like watching a lot of movies,” said Sue.

Rachel Alejandro, who stars as the mother of Lexy and who has a lot of fashion statements with her character depicted as a champion of Filipino designs, said she was oftentimes left awestruck when acting opposite Jodi.

“Nakatutok lang ako sa kanya, nakakalimutan ko ang lines ko sa sobrang kaba. I was rattled kasi she’s so beautiful and she’s a master, you will love her in this show,” the singer-actress said.

After much hype since it was announced last year, “The Broken Marriage Vow” will finally air tomorrow, January 24, at 8:40 pm on Kapamilya Channel, TV5, A2Z, Kapamilya Online Live on ABS-CBN Entertainment’s YouTube channel and Facebook page, and TFC.

Completing the ensemble cast are Jane Oineza, Bianca Manalo, Ketchup Eusebio, Art Acuña, Susan Africa, Ronnie Lazaro, Empress Schuck, Joem Bascon, Brent Manalo, Malou Crisologo, Franco Laurel, Sandino Martin, Lao Rodriguez, Jet Gaitan, Jie Anne Armero, Migs Almendras, Avery Clyde, and JB Agustin.