The best expectations for Nandito Ako’s pilot last night happened without too much effort!

On its first airing, lead actor David Archuleta appeared when the mini-serye opted to start with David singing the team song in a grand concert in the present time. This effective technique avoided fans from waiting in case of a straight retelling of the story.

Nandito opted for straight narrative allowing logical storytelling and avoiding the use of flashbacks that could be confusing to young viewers.

A fast-paced series, the first edition managed to summarize a plausible start-up story in all of 45 minutes, from the back story of Josh Bradley, David’s character, how he got separated from his mother (as played by G Tongi) to live abroad and his decision to return to the country as a singing idol. Director Mac Alejandre effectively mixed big and small scenes to recreate the story, mixing tenderness and tension to kick off a story worth following.

Early at this point, it shows that Nandito Ako is enjoying heavy placements from advertisers. Even before it could start, commercials started airing. This distribution scheme was effective enough to prevent viewers from thinking/feeling they were watching TVCs instead of the drama series.

Willie Revillame’s Wil Time Big Time ended right on time at exactly 9:15 p.m., preventing viewers from waiting which could have led them to channel surf or dose off if it aired overtime.

Nandito Ako should set up a model for TV5 how to do its shows. Instead of keeping up with competition, it must create its own rules. By featuring an actor with real instead of expected demand, TV5 effectively focused on the show’s promotion instead of creating demand for it.

If I were you, I will not rely on the ratings charts as Kantar Media / TNS and People’s Rating will naturally report ABS-CBN and GMA-7 ratings respectively as superior to TV5’s for the timeslot. If you enjoyed Nandito Ako, that’s enough proof it’s a blockbuster hit!