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The Stepdaughters

The Stepdaughters is a Philippine television series that aired on from February 12 to October 19, 2018, consisting of 178 episodes. The series centers on the intense rivalry between two women, Mayumi Dela Rosa (played by ) and Isabelle "Belle" Salvador (played by ), who become stepsisters after Mayumi's mother, Luisa Manor (), marries Isabelle's father, Hernan Salvador (). Directed by Paul Sta. Ana and Jules Katanyag, the show explores themes of family conflict, jealousy, ambition, and romance within the cosmetics industry, as Mayumi joins her stepfather's company, Coco Bella, sparking further tensions with the spoiled Isabelle. Produced as part of GMA's Afternoon Prime block, The Stepdaughters was created by Angeli Delgado and written by a team including J-mee Katanyag and Kuts Enriquez, blending elements of family drama and workplace intrigue. Key supporting characters include Francisco "Francis" Almeda (), a product who becomes romantically entangled with Mayumi, heightening the dynamics. The series highlights contrasting personalities—Mayumi as a driven, principled aspiring to launch her own makeup line, and Isabelle as a self-centered heiress—leading to dramatic confrontations over inheritance, secrets, and professional sabotage. Upon release, The Stepdaughters garnered positive viewer reception, achieving an 8.1/10 rating on based on user reviews praising its engaging and strong performances. It was nominated for Best Daytime Drama Series at the 32nd , reflecting its impact on Philippine television audiences during its run. The show also streamed internationally via , contributing to its popularity among the Filipino diaspora.

Synopsis

Plot overview

"The Stepdaughters" centers on Mayumi Dela Rosa, a kind-hearted and intelligent chemistry graduate from a modest background, and Isabelle Salvador, a spoiled and manipulative heiress, who become stepsisters after Mayumi's widowed mother, Luisa, marries Isabelle's wealthy father, Hernan. The story begins with the two families—longtime friends from the slums of —facing hardships, including a that displaces Mayumi's family and forces them to live temporarily with the Salvadors. Tensions arise early when Mayumi's father, Mario, who suffers from a heart condition, loses his job and buys a ticket using Mayumi's birthdate; he wins ₱120 million but dies of a heart attack from the excitement before claiming it. Hernan, Mario's best friend and a driver, finds the winning ticket hidden in a storybook in his van and secretly claims the prize, using the funds to build a successful empire called Coco Bella without informing Luisa or Mayumi. As the plot progresses over 178 episodes, Hernan woos and marries Luisa, blending the families and igniting fierce rivalry between the stepsisters, exacerbated by class differences and Isabelle's resentment toward Mayumi's entry into their affluent life. , portrayed by Megan Young, graduates and joins Coco Bella as a , where she innovates products and catches the eye of product engineer Francis Almeda, sparking romantic entanglements as Isabelle, played by , schemes to win Francis for herself while sabotaging Mayumi's career and personal life. Family conflicts escalate with disputes over the hidden lottery fortune, Isabelle's manipulative plots influenced by her ailing mother Brenda's cancer battle, and betrayals such as Hernan's eventual confession and Isabelle's attempts to frame Mayumi for corporate . Health crises compound the drama, including Brenda's death from illness and ongoing revelations about Mario's rightful winnings. The series culminates in a dramatic where Isabelle, desperate to secure the family wealth and eliminate her rival, attempts to kill Mayumi by throwing her into a vat of hot chemicals, but Isabelle herself suffers a severe that leaves her paralyzed and disfigured. In the resolution, Mayumi forgives Isabelle, leading to reconciliation and family unity; reclaims the inheritance for Mayumi, Mayumi marries , and both stepsisters achieve personal growth amid their reformed bond.

Themes and motifs

The series The Stepdaughters delves into the tension between bonds and rivalry, portraying the stepsisters Mayumi and Isabelle as embodiments of clashing loyalties within a newly formed blended . This central theme underscores the challenges of and , where initial evolves into reluctant interdependence, reflecting broader in Philippine family dramas. Class disparity forms another core theme, contrasting Mayumi's humble origins with Isabelle's affluent upbringing, which exacerbates their interpersonal conflicts and highlights socioeconomic divides in Filipino society. The narrative uses this disparity to explore how wealth influences family roles and opportunities, a recurring in teleseryes that critiques inequality and . Redemption through emerges as a pathway to resolution, as characters confront past deceptions, such as the mishandling of inherited fortune, to seek emotional reconciliation. Key motifs include the stepmother-stepdaughter relationship, serving as a for the complexities of blended families and the of and in non-traditional households. Recurring imagery of lotteries symbolizes fate and abrupt life changes, as seen in the sudden windfall that disrupts family stability and triggers cascading conflicts. ailments further represent emotional burdens, with physical illnesses mirroring unresolved psychological strains within the family unit. In its cultural context, The Stepdaughters reflects Philippine societal issues, including inheritance laws that often fuel familial disputes over and . The series also examines women's roles in family dramas, depicting female protagonists who navigate ambition, resilience, and relational duties amid patriarchal expectations. These elements align with longstanding teleserye traditions, emphasizing moral growth and communal harmony.

Cast and characters

Lead roles

Mayumi Dela Rosa, portrayed by , is the resilient protagonist who grows up as an after losing her to a heart attack, facing socioeconomic in her pursuit of independence. As a talented graduate with ambitions to launch her own beauty product line, Mayumi's arc emphasizes her transformation from a marginalized enduring and professional setbacks to an empowered who asserts her rights and builds her legacy. Young's performance highlights Mayumi's inner strength and emotional vulnerability, drawing praise for authentically capturing the character's journey through adversity in a high-stakes conflict. Isabelle Salvador, played by Katrina Halili, serves as the primary antagonist, an heiress raised in privilege who manages her family's cosmetics business, Coco Bella, but harbors hidden vulnerabilities stemming from her overprotected upbringing. Her arc involves sustained antagonism and manipulative schemes against Mayumi, fueled by jealousy and fear of losing her status and inheritance, as she prioritizes protecting the family wealth even at the cost of family ties, culminating in confrontations without redemption. Halili's portrayal of Isabelle's villainy builds on her prior antagonistic roles, such as in , delivering a nuanced performance that balances fiery confrontations with subtle emotional cracks. Among the key supporting leads, Francis Almeda, enacted by , emerges as Mayumi's steadfast love interest, a sharp product engineer whose romance with her complicates the central rivalry. Dela Rosa, brought to life by , is Mayumi's devoted mother, providing unwavering support amid the familial tensions. Notably, the on-screen of Young and Daez marks their first collaboration in a teleserye, leveraging their real-life —which began in and led to in 2020—for authentic chemistry. These conflicts, including Isabelle's schemes to Mayumi's aspirations, underscore the leads' psychological battles over and belonging.

Supporting roles

Gary Estrada portrays Hernan Salvador, Isabelle's affluent father whose marriage to Luisa Dela Rosa unites the two families, serving as the pivotal catalyst for the stepsister dynamic while navigating tensions between his daughter and the newcomers. plays Luisa "Loreng" Manor-Dela Rosa/Salvador, Mayumi's hardworking mother who, after her husband's death, enters a new marriage that reshapes family loyalties and highlights themes of resilience in the blended household. Allan Paule depicts Mario Dela Rosa, Mayumi's late father who appears primarily in flashbacks to illustrate the modest roots of her family and the emotional foundation of her bond with her mother. Antagonists such as Froilan Almeda, brought to life by , function as a scheming business rival who exacerbates conflicts through corporate intrigue and personal vendettas against the Almeda family. Brenda Salvador, enacted by established Philippine actress , embodies a meddlesome maternal figure who dotes excessively on Isabelle, fueling opposition to the family merger and amplifying interpersonal rivalries. Child characters, including young versions of Mayumi and Isabelle as well as peripheral figures like the orphaned Jenjen under Luisa's care, contribute to the narrative by underscoring generational impacts and fostering moments of tenderness amid the adult conflicts. These supporting roles, featuring veteran performers like Mercado and de Leon, enhance the teleserye's ensemble dynamics by providing relational depth and occasional guest arcs that intersect briefly with the leads to advance subplots without dominating the central rivalry.

Production

Development

The Stepdaughters was created by Angeli "Geng" , who served as for the series. It was developed under GMA Entertainment Content Group to occupy the network's Afternoon Prime programming block, targeting weekday afternoon audiences with serialized drama. Announced in late ahead of its premiere, the project emphasized a 178-episode format to support daily episodes, enabling prolonged exploration of interpersonal conflicts central to the storyline. Directed by Paul Sta. Ana and Jules Katanyag.

Casting process

The casting for The Stepdaughters emphasized pairing established Kapuso artists with natural on-screen dynamics to portray the complex family rivalries central to the series. , , was selected to lead as the resilient Mayumi Dela Rosa, while her real-life partner was cast opposite her as Francis Almeda, marking their first on-screen collaboration in a teleserye. Producers leveraged the couple's authentic relationship to enhance the romantic tension between their characters, noting the built-in chemistry that would translate effectively to the afternoon drama format. Katrina Halili was chosen for the pivotal antagonistic role of Isabelle "Belle" Salvador, drawing on her extensive experience portraying strong-willed villains in GMA productions. Halili's history of delivering intense, self-centered characters aligned with Isabelle's spoiled upbringing and ruthless pursuit of family legacy and love, adding depth to the stepsisters' conflict. Supporting roles were filled by a mix of veteran and emerging talents, including as Mayumi's mother Luisa Dela Rosa and as Isabelle's father Hernan Salvador, to ground the ensemble in familial authenticity. While specific audition details for younger performers like those playing the child versions of the lead remain undisclosed, challenges arose from coordinating schedules amid the actors' prior commitments to other GMA projects and international endorsements, particularly for Young, who balanced taping with her modeling career.

Filming and locations

To keep pace with the daily airing requirements of GMA Network's Afternoon Prime block, the production maintained a demanding of daily shoots throughout .

Broadcast

Premiere and schedule

The Stepdaughters premiered on February 12, 2018, as part of GMA Network's Afternoon Prime block, airing weekdays in the afternoon. The series ran continuously for 178 episodes from its premiere until the finale on October 19, 2018. Initially broadcast on GMA Network in the Philippines, episodes became available on the official GMA Network YouTube channel following the run. The series was also distributed internationally through GMA channels, including GMA Pinoy TV, where episodes were edited into 85 half-hour installments of approximately 45 minutes each.

Episode structure

The episodes of The Stepdaughters are formatted as 25- to 30-minute installments broadcast in . Like many Philippine teleseryes, the structure incorporates endings at the close of each episode to build suspense and encourage daily viewership. Across the series, this episodic format supports an overarching narrative arc that progresses from character introductions and rising conflicts to a climax of confrontations and a final resolution. The show follows a serialized style with no formal seasons, delivering a continuous storyline over 178 episodes that aired daily from February 12 to October 19, 2018.

Reception

Ratings and viewership

The pilot episode of The Stepdaughters achieved a 6.5% rating according to AGB Nielsen Philippines' Nationwide Urban Television Audience Measurement (NUTAM) for people in television homes, surpassing its ABS-CBN competitor Asintado's 4.8%. The series finale registered a 6.3% rating in the same metric, maintaining strong performance against rival programs. The show frequently achieved ratings of 5-7% in urban Philippine markets during its run, reflecting consistent afternoon slot performance. Viewership trends showed a peak during March and April 2018, with the series posting robust numbers while competing against offerings like . This period highlighted the program's ability to sustain audience engagement amid network rivalries, culminating in a high finale week where it outperformed competitors per Nielsen data. Internationally, the series garnered significant viewership among overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) through , extending its reach to global Filipino communities.

Critical response and accolades

The Stepdaughters garnered positive recognition for the performances of its lead actresses, as the antagonist Isabelle Salvador and as the protagonist Mayumi Dela Rosa, which were highlighted in industry awards considerations. The series drew criticism from physical therapists for a line portraying a "masahista" () in a derogatory manner. The show contributed significantly to GMA Network's Afternoon Prime block in 2018, establishing itself as one of the network's most-watched programs during its run and helping bolster the lineup's overall performance against competitors. In terms of formal accolades, The Stepdaughters received multiple nominations at the 32nd in 2018, including Best Daytime Drama Series for the program itself, Best Drama Actress for , Best Drama Supporting Actor for , and Best Child Performer for Zachie Rivera; however, it did not secure any wins in these categories.

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