T.G.I.S.

T.G.I.S. (Thank God It’s Sabado) is a Filipino youth-oriented drama series aired on GMA Network from July 8, 1995 to November 27, 1999. The series aired every Saturday. It was produced by GMA Network, and VIVA Television. The title is derived from the popular expression "TGIF."

Premise
The show revolves around a clique of friends living in a fictional village presumably located somewhere in Quezon City. They deal with the various episodes that usually come with adolescent life. Almost all characters in the series are part of the same continuity.

First Batch (July 1995 – May 1997)

 * Bobby Andrews as Joaquin "Wacks" Torres III
 * Angelu de Leon as Ma. Patrice "Peachy" Real
 * Raven Villanueva as Cristina "Cris" De Guzman
 * Mitzi Borromeo as Annabelle Morales
 * Red Sternberg as Francisco Martin "Kiko" Arboleda De Dios
 * Michael Flores as Miguel "Micky" Ledesma
 * Onemig Bondoc as Jose Mari "JM" Rodriguez
 * Rica Peralejo as Michelle "Mitch" Ferrer
 * Ciara Sotto as Regina "Rain" Abrera
 * Jake Roxas as Noel Sta. Maria
 * Bernadette Alysson as Beatrice "Bea" Santillan
 * Maybelyn dela Cruz as Maruja
 * Chico Ventoza as Gabby
 * Lester Llansang as Casper

Second Batch (May 1997 – August 1999)

 * Dingdong Dantes as Iñaki Torres
 * Antoinette Taus as Bianca de Jesus
 * Polo Ravales as Inocencio "Ice" Martinez
 * Ciara Sotto as Regina "Rain" Abrera
 * Menchu Macapagal as Pia Lopez
 * Kim Delos Santos as Tere Gonzaga
 * Chubi del Rosario as Reyster
 * Chantal Umali as Happy
 * Ardie Aquino as Benjo
 * Idelle Martinez as Samantha Real
 * Sunshine Dizon as Carla "Calai" Escalante
 * Anne Curtis as Emily or "Em"
 * Dino Guevarra as David
 * Jam Melendez as Jag
 * Kenneth Cajucom as Marci
 * Maui Taylor as Bridget
 * Aiza Marquez as Billie

Delos Santos, Umali, Dela Cruz, Llansang, and Martinez were part of the original cast, but had more screen time in the second batch. Members of both batches would intermittently appear in both TGIS and the first year of Growing Up. Also included in the original cast are Lee Robin Salazar & Bernadette Alyson, Lee Robin left the show after the group's first movie "Takot Ka Ba Sa Dilim?" was shown in cinemas & Bernadette a month after the show's launching, but Bernadette later rejoined them in Growing Up.

Curtis and Marquez would later form part of a third batch that were featured in the final few months of TGIS' run from August to November 1999. Their batch's story is set in an alternate timeline, where Curtis' character falls for Wacks. Sotto was included in the second batch after the original cast went to Growing Up. She would join them in 1998.

TGIS The Movie
TGIS The Movie is a film tie-in to the series. It was released in early January 1997 by VIVA Films & GMA Network.

Plot
Wacks plans a weekend get-away using his father's yacht without him knowing. However, the boat breaks down, forcing the group to stay on a nearby island. The boat is not tightly anchored to the bottom; as a result it drifts away from the island with nobody on board. Left stranded, the gang try to survive as their loved ones search for them. Eager to find help, the guys move out using an improvised raft, but not before Wacks finally confesses his feelings for Peachy, who fell unconscious in a bat cave. The entire group is eventually rescued the following day.

GMA Love Stories Reunion
The original cast members - minus Angelu de Leon and Onemig Bondoc - returned for a special episode of GMA Love Stories that aired on February 17, 2001. The episode aims to show character developments after the Growing Up series finale in February 1999.

Plot
Most of the gang's members come together in a beach resort, where Kiko successfully proposes marriage to Mitch. When Wacks appears, everyone except Kiko greets him. The characters' fates since Growing Up are explained over the course of the episode:

Wacks says his quest to go to the US to patch things up with Peachy after their aborted wedding has failed; she has since married someone else. Cris is a single mother. Mickey and Bea have been in an on-and-off relationship for years. Noticing that Kiko has been cold to him since they met again, Wacks learns that Kiko resented him for not even keeping in touch while he was in the US. They reconcile and later joins in the rehearsal for Kiko and Mitch's wedding.

Awards

 * Best Youth-Oriented Show, PMPC Star Awards for Television 1997-1999
 * Best Teen-Oriented Show, Catholic Mass Media Awards 1997
 * Best TV Special Winner "TGI-Xmas" 1998 PMPC Star Awards for Television