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It's Showtime (formerly Showtime from 2009 to 2012) is a noontime variety show currently airing on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, ALLTV, GMA Network and its sister channel, GTV. It currently airs every Monday to Saturday at 12:00 NN to 2:30 PM. The show premiered in October 24, 2009 on ABS-CBN, replacing Pilipinas Game KNB? then reformatted on February 6, 2012, replacing Happy Yipee Yehey! in its timeslot.

History[]

Talent show[]

Showtime premiered on October 24, 2009, replacing Pilipinas Game KNB? as a talent competition program, airing right before the network's noontime shows. The original hosts include Vhong Navarro, Anne Curtis, Kim Atienza, Jugs Jugueta and Teddy Corpuz, with Vice Ganda as the resident hurado (unevictable judge). In the third season, the show added former hurados Billy Crawford and Karylle as hosts.

In the first four seasons, Showtime's original competition format was that three groups, each made up of 2 to 25 members (with no age limit) perform a single performance, either a dance and/or song number. Before the performance, one group member is given 20 seconds to make an introduction before ending with the phrase "It's Showtime!". After the group's performance, the hurados, with the help of the studio audience, rate the group from 1 to 10. The group with the highest average score from the hurados wins the competition. The daily winner perform again to compete in the weekly finals. The winning weekly finalists advance to the monthly finals. The winning monthly finalists get the chance to complete in the grand finals. In the wildcard week, selected groups from the weekly and monthly finals are invited back to compete again for a slot in the grand finals.

Aside from the talent competition, Showtime also featured mini-segments that offers cash prizes to the studio audiences.

In October 2010, Showtime became a noontime show, serving as the lead-in program for Pilipinas Win Na Win which was pushed back to an early afternoon timeslot. On February 12, 2011, the program returned to its original timeslot to give way for the premiere of Happy Yipee Yehey!

On January 28, 2012, Showtime aired a special episode to end its two-year morning competition format with an impartial farewell. It then went on hiatus as the program prepared to become a noontime show again for the second and current time to replace Happy Yipee Yehey!. The drama series Mundo Man ay Magunaw took over the timeslot of Showtime from January 30 to February 3, 2012. Happy Yipee Yehey! aired its final episode on February 4 (where it took over Showtime's timeslot on Saturday) as Showtime returned on a noontime slot after one year and its one week hiatus on February 6, as It's Showtime.

Noontime show[]

The show became a noontime show again after one year and its one week hiatus with the new name It's Showtime on February 6, 2012 where it aired on its new timeslot at 11:30 AM, replacing Happy Yipee Yehey!. The program was previously simulcast on Studio 23 channel and CgeTV's website during the first months of the relaunch. It's Showtime brought back its original competition format as a special segment while launching new segments.

It retained all of its main hosts while adding Jhong Hilario, Ryan Bang, Coleen Garcia and Eric "Eruption" Tai. In January 2016, Amy Perez and Mariel Rodriguez joined the program as hosts. In May 2017, Nadine Lustre and James Reid were added as co-hosts.

In October 2018, It's Showtime launched its own YouTube channel Showtime Online Universe. Three digital programs premiered on the channel: And I Thank You with Miss Q & A segment grand winner Juliana Parizcova Segovia; Hashtag Roadtrip with the Hashtag members; and Donna What To Do with Funny One segment season two grand winner Donna Cariaga. The Showtime Online Universe received a Silver Creator Award after getting 100,000 channel subscribers in January 2019.

Before the end of 2019, Crawford, Garcia, Tai, Reid, Lustre, Atienza, and Joey Marquez had already departed from the show.

2020-present: Move to Kapamilya Channel and A2Z, TV5, GTV, GMA Network and ALLTV simulcasts[]

On March 10, 2020 It's Showtime temporarily stopped admitting a live audience in response to the government's declaration of a state of public health emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. Following the government's announcement of a community quarantine in Metro Manila to curb the spread of COVID-19 on March 15, 2020, the show's production was temporarily suspended. During this period, It's Showtime broadcast a combination of episode replays and live episodes conducted via Zoom.

As part of the network's temporary programming changes, the program's timeslot was shortened on April 29, 2020. Subsequently, on May 5, 2020, It's Showtime, along with all other ABS-CBN programs, ceased broadcast operations. This action was taken in response to the National Telecommunications Commission's issuance of a cease and desist order to ABS-CBN's free-to-air stations, citing the expiration of the network's 25-year franchise.

On June 13, 2020, the show resumed its broadcast with a shortened 150-minute timeslot on pay television network Kapamilya Channel, owned and operated by ABS-CBN Corporation. The show is also simulcast on Jeepney TV and streams online on Facebook and YouTube via Showtime Online Ü and Kapamilya Online Live. After serving as KapareWHO cast member and as resident dancer respectively, "Kuya Escort" Ion Perez and "Ate Girl" Jackie Gonzaga were promoted to co-hosts of the show. On September 28, 2020, Kim Chiu, a guest co-host from the previous years, have been officially added to the show as a regular host.

On October 10, 2020, It's Showtime celebrated its return to free-to-air television via A2Z under airtime leasing between ABS-CBN and religious broadcaster, ZOE Broadcasting Network. However, director Bobet Vidanes left the show on November 2020 after working as the show's main director for eleven years. Boyet Baldemor took the responsibility for the directorial duties of the show's continuation.

On March 16, 2021, Vice Ganda announced at It's Showtime's segment Tawag ng Tanghalan that the show will move to a new studio soon.

From March 18 to April 10, 2021, It's Showtime temporarily suspended their live productions due to the surge of COVID-19 cases in the Greater Manila Area caused by additional variants of COVID-19. The show resumed new episodes on April 12, 2021, airing three pre-taped episodes (this includes past Holy Week Episodes), following the downgrade from the Enhanced community quarantine re-imposed in NCR Plus during the variant-driven surges, before resuming their live episodes on April 15, 2021.

On April 12, 2021, Jhong Hilario temporarily left the show to take care of his partner and newborn baby.

On May 29, 2021, following the launching of the show's new segment "ReINA Ng Tahanan", the program has been co-directed by John Prats.

On August 7, 2021, It's Showtime temporarily moved its studio to Hilton Clark Sun Valley Resort in Pampanga due to Metro Manila being placed under Enhanced community quarantine in light of another COVID-19 surge caused by the Delta Variant, until August 21, 2021.

On October 2, 2021, Ogie Alcasid temporarily joined It's Showtime as guest co-host while Vice Ganda, Kim Chiu, Karylle and Ion Perez were on temporary leave. On November 13, Alcasid became a main host of It's Showtime. Meanwhile, Jon Moll was named as the show's new permanent director, officially replacing Bobet Vidanes.

From January 6 to 15, 2022, It's Showtime temporarily suspended their live productions due to the surge of COVID-19 cases in the country caused by the Omicron variant. The show resumed their live broadcast on January 17, 2022.

On May 28, 2022, Anne Curtis returned to It's Showtime after two years of hiatus. One week later, on June 4, 2022, Jhong Hilario returned to the show by disguising as a Tawag ng Tanghalan contestant, surprising all the hosts.

A female dance segment Girl On Fire aired from October 2022 to February 18, 2023, with Jackie Gonzaga also took on her first main host role. Two kiddie segments premiered: Isip Bata on February 20, 2023, and Mini Miss U, the revival of the said segment that first aired in 2020, on June 19, 2023. The Classic Showtime segment It's Showdown premiered on October 30, 2023, while a new game called MeCHOOSE-MeCHOOSE premiered on November 18, 2023. A matchmaking segment called "Expecially for You" premiered on December 4, 2023.

On July 6, 2022, according to a report from MJ Marfori of TV5's flagship newscast Frontline Pilipinas, it was announced that It's Showtime would have a back-to-back collaboration with TV5's noontime show Tropang LOL, formerly known as Lunch Out Loud. Tropang LOL aired at 11 am until 12:45 pm, serving as a pre-programming to It's Showtime, which airs from 12:45 pm to 3 pm. This is the latest ABS-CBN-produced program to be simulcast on TV5 alongside ASAP Natin To, FPJ: Da King movie block and ABS-CBN's Primetime Bida weeknight evening block.

On July 16, 2022, coinciding with their simulcast debut on TV5, the program refurbished its title card and opening theme song, as well as having a return to live studio audience after two years of suspension from March 9, 2020, making the first variety show on Philippine TV to do so after two years. While Studio 3 was on undergoing renovations, the show temporarily utilized Studio 10, which is used for ASAP Natin 'To, until July 23 when they returned to its home studio two days later with a brand new club-themed set.

On May 1, 2023, following the conclusion of Tropang LOL after nine months, It's Showtime returned to the original 12 noon timeslot with a 3-hour airtime. Not long after, TV5 announced its co-production venture with former Eat Bulaga! hosts Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon whose new program, later entitled E.A.T. (Everyday Always Together), would air on the noontime slot that previously occupied by It's Showtime. TV5 offered the 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm time slot to ABS-CBN for It's Showtime which the latter respectfully declined. ABS-CBN and TV5 separately announced that It's Showtime would end its simulcast on TV5 on June 30, due to the expiration of the blocktimer contract that allowed It's Showtime to simulcast on the said network.

On June 20, 2023, ABS-CBN and GMA Network announced on their respective social media accounts that It's Showtime would simulcast through GMA's sister network, GTV beginning on July 1. A contract signing between the executives of ABS-CBN and GMA was held at Seda Vertis North on June 28, with former guest co-hosts Iya Villania and Robi Domingo hosting the said event.

Beginning on September 26, 2023, the simulcast of It's Showtime on GTV is temporarily limited to 2 hours, airing from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday to make way for the network's live broadcast of NCAA Season 99.

It's Showtime temporarily stopped airing on October 13, 2023 to serve a 12-day suspension imposed by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). In its place, It's Your Lucky Day was aired until October 27. On October 28, the show moved its timeslot to 11:30 am to 2:30 pm every Mondays to Fridays and 12 noon to 3 pm every Saturdays.

In a media event on March 20, 2024, ABS-CBN and GMA Network announced that It's Showtime would extend its simulcast on the main GMA Network starting April 6, 2024. The show occupied the timeslot of its former rival Tahanang Pinakamasaya. The show also reverted to a 12:00 pm timeslot with a shortened 2 hour and 30 minute runtime.

On a surprising move in June 17, 2024, It's Showtime officially began its simulcast via ALLTV, making its return on its original channel in channel 2 after 4 years.

Hosts[]

Segments[]

Current[]

  • Rampanalo
  • MeChoose MeChoose
  • Ex-pecially For You
  • Isip Bata
  • Tawag ng Tanghalan
  • KaraoKIDS
  • Showing Bulilit
  • Bata, Bata Pick!
  • Kalokalike Face 4
  • ThrowBox

Controversies[]

Main article: List of controversies#It's Showtime and Isip Bata controversy

Trivia[]

  • It's Showtime is the longest-running daily noontime show aired and produced by ABS-CBN, surpassing the 6-year run of both MTB (1998–2005) and Student Canteen (1958–1965).
  • The show was spoofed in Banana Split as Show It!, hosted by Pooh.
    • It's Showtime was a pre-noontime show at the time of the segment aired.

External links[]

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