Thursday, July 25, 2019

ABS-CBN Kiddie Comedy Sketch Show “GOIN’ BULILIT” ENDING in AUGUST



One claim ABS-CBN has in TV programming trends is trying to keep a comedy sketch show as a constant part of their lineup, be it as a program of its own (“Goin’ Bananas” and the current “Banana Sundae”) or as an integral part of another show, like its noontime varieties and the former “Ang TV” child and youth-oriented entertainment program. In 2005 the network combined comedy sketches with kid performers (and midget comedy actor Dagul) to create “Goin’ Bulilit,” which made audiences of all ages laugh non-stop for over a decade. But soon, there will be a literal last laugh as the program goes off-air.

Rappler reports that ABS-CBN’s kiddie comedy gag show “Goin’ Bulilit” will be airing its final episode two Sundays from now. Word of the closing of the program first spread following a teaser commercial aired on the ABS-CBN network last Wednesday, July 24. The following day, show head writer Josel Garlitos and director Badjie Mortiz posted on their Instgram accounts and confirmed that the swan song of “Goin’ Bulilit” will be on August 4 next month, putting an end to 14 months of weekly sketch humor. The announcement elicited the expected reactions from social media netizens, many of whom professed that they grew up from kids to adults watching the show.

Much like its more general entertainment-oriented predecessor “Ang TV,” the “Goin’ Bulilit” program served ABS-CBN as an effective training ground for newly-auditioned child performers, who would then continue to be a talent pool for the network in their teens and adulthood for, eventually, more “serious” television fare. Examples of “Bulilit” alumni who have become big-name Kapamilya stars include Nash Aguas, Julia Montes, Kathryn Bernardo and Kiray Celis to name a few. Dagul is the sole permanent cast member of the show, staying on even as batches of kid performers “graduate” after a few years’ appearances.

One factor in the all-ages comedy appeal of “Goin’ Bulilit” for the audience, despite having almost all child performers, is the fact that the show writers have been able to deftly weave grown-up topics into the skits in a way that does not overly offend young sensibilities. The show actually has been a potent mouthpiece of political commentary, lampooning contemporary current events of the present day, such as a stinging satire on the collision of a boat by a Chinese military vessel in Philippine waters, aired in this month itself.

Image courtesy of ABS-CBN News

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