It doesn’t take long after something like Mnet’s Produce 101 franchise has taken over the world that many wonder when the Philippines can come in and attempt to undertake a local version of the format.

And after four hugely successful seasons of the Korean mothership, two seasons in China and the start of Japan’s own search for the next superstars, the idea of a #PD101PH only gets more and more attractive. For both fans and networks alike.

Personally, I’m always leery of any Philippine network attempting to produce a local version of an international property, scripted or reality. But there have been some faithful and creative successes (Survivor Philippines, The Amazing Race Philippines) as well as others that completely bastardized the original formats. (You can guess which one/s.)

But why a Produce 101 Philippines? And could it possibly work? Continue reading →