Hold your horses and brace yourself for the arrival of Pamilya Sagrado, the primetime drama from ABS-CBN Studios and Dreamscape Entertainment that is bound to be a TV hit and guilty viewing pleasure.

How boys become men

Its biggest magnet, of course, is Piolo Pascual, as he steps out of romantic comedy and drama to give life to the current man in charge of the Sagrado political dynasty, Rafael Sagrado. Charismatic, handsome, powerful and so corrupt.

Piolo said: “He’s not all good. He starts out really dark. I really brought out the darkest side of him to show his redemption towards the end. I always try to diversify and do roles na alam kong hindi ko pa nagagawa (that I know I haven’t done) and that would really challenge me as an artist.”

This generation’s next leading men, Grae Fernandez as Justin and Kyle Echarri, will likely have their acting mettle tested as well with the complications they face in the story — fraternity hazing, trust and loyalty issues, parental approval, blossoming of romances and their collective rites of passage.

Seasoned and award-winning actors Tirso Cruz III as Jaime Sagrado, the patriarch; John Arcilla as Senator Eleazar Sagrado; and Joel Torre as Estong Malonzo will give a whole new meaning to fatherhood and a different kind of feels to being a father.

The gripping narrative

At the center of the Sagrado universe is the political powerhouse family filled with personalities that are all flawed but covering it up with their idea of perfection. Director Law Fajardo is the genius behind all the Sagrado scenes that shows off the decadence, opulence, secrets, subtexts and why the truly affluent, high and mighty, are different from you and me.

Fajardo said: “This is my first teleserye for Dreamscape and ABS-CBN Studios. The Sagrados are complex individuals. For all the veneer and polish they have, hidden inside are insecurities, secrets that tick like bombs and that insatiable thirst for more. They are never content. Greed, money and power are most important to them.”

Also, the fraternity culture gets a dissection in the drama. We will witness what young men are willing to do be part of a brotherhood, why is this brotherhood is important and why violence is a crucial ingredient in testing the tenacity and fortitude of a juvenile.

Adding more flavor and drama to the narrative are the intertwined lives of characters that will peel off the many-layered masks that the Sagrados wear and create the many twists and turns all of them will encounter in the pursuit of truth.

Company of women

The bravado and machismo of all the male characters are matched by the interesting women in the drama — the lies they spin, story concoctions, sacred secrets, wrath to be released and the hell they can give to other people.

There is a very Imeldific quality to Mylene Dizon’s Mercedes Sagrado. Maternal, fashionable and a trophy wife, her façade is fabulous, her wickedness within. And what she is capable of? Be afraid, be afraid!

Aiko Melendez is Atty. Divine Torres, keeper of the Sagrado’s political Pandora’s box and the skeletons inside their expensive vintage closets. Shaina Magdayao is Grace Alonzo, the sister who gives unconditional love like a mother. And Rosanna Roces is Nadya Salvacion, a mother with an arduous quest — the truth behind the tragedy that nipped the dreams and took the life of Roland Salvacion, her son — a special guest role by JC Alcantara.

A gripping narrative, a formidable cast of A-listers, seasoned and new hopes, cinematic in execution and scope, and most of all, Piolo Pascual is back! Now we know why Pamilya Sagrado is a TV gamechanger.

Pamilya Sagrado premieres on 17 June (Monday) at 8:45 p.m. on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, TV5, Kapamilya Online Live and TFC. The series also streams 48 hours before its TV broadcast on iWantTFC.