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It has been over two decades since the iconic '90s teen-oriented show T.G.I.S. took Philippine television by storm but its influence on the lives of Filipino teens then until generations that succeeded was so huge that Saturday afternoons were never the same.

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Undoubtedly, both GMA and Viva hit gold mine with the production of T.G.I.S. It was such a huge hit that everyone got hooked to the lives of the characters played by then hopeful newly-launched teen stars who were, because of the show, instantly catapulted into skyrocketing fame.

The original cast included Angelu de Leon, Bobby Andrews, Raven Villanueva, Michael Flores, Red Sternberg, Onemig Bondoc, Ciara Sotto, and Rica Peralejo. The show effortlessly glued a permanent teen audience to the GMA Saturday afternoon time slot, a first in its time.

Source: @michaelflores Instagram

Principally, it was T.G.I.S. that started the teen craze phenomenon back in the '90s. It mirrored every teenager's dream life and clique.

Source: @michaelflores Instagram

Every girl wanted to be Peachy (Angelu De Leon), Cris (Raven Villanueva), Mitch (Rica Peralejo), and Rain (Ciara Sotto). The guys, including Wacks (Bobby Andrews), Mickey (Michael Flores), JM (Onemig Bondoc), and Kiko (Red Sternberg) set female hearts on fire with their boy-next-door looks.

But over and above the beautiful cast and their story, what separates the series from other teen shows was its impact not only on teenagers back then but inexplicably, even to youngsters of today.

So, what then is the magic?

Viva Entertainment's Vincent Del Rosario shares his thoughts on why he thinks the show has endured the test of time.

For him, T.G.I.S. was simply “ahead of its time. Napulsuhan niya 'yung pop culture at that time,” he said in an exclusive interview with GMA on Tuesday.

“I think nu'ng time na ginawa 'yun, it was reflection of kung ano man 'yung popular culture at that time, 'yung music, 'yung fashion, 'yung mga puntahan ng mga kabataan noon,” he added.

“Then yung show, 'yung characters doon I think mirrored or represented iba't ibang klase ng kabataan at that time. So lahat nakaka-relate. And it also helped that you see beautiful people. Even si Dingdong, bata siya diyan siya na-launch, si Anne Curtis,” he continued.

To this day, only T.G.I.S. remains to be the only teen-oriented program that gets to be regularly featured and given specials by different shows and programs especially online.

T.G.I.S. reunion?

Good news to the '90s kids, a reunion of everyone's favorite Saturday barkada is not an impossibility.

“That's a very real possibility, pwedeng mangyari 'yan kasi most of the participants in that show are still active whether the actors, 'yung writers, 'yun nga si Mark Reyes (series director) nabanggit ko, 'yung mga producers nandito pa rin naman,” he said.

In time for Viva's 40th anniversary, the film giant is set to release 50 projects via both traditional and digital platforms.

Hope to see you again, T.G.I.S. barkada!”

Meanwhile, know the latest updates about the cast members of T.G.I.S. in this gallery: