''Eat Bulaga! Lenten Drama Specials'' is an annual

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

special Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer * Special police forces ...

by the Philippine noontime show ''

Eat Bulaga! ''Eat !'' (; stylized as ''Eat... Bulaga!'') is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine television variety show broadcast by Radio Philippines Network, ABS-CBN, GMA Network and TV5 (Philippine TV network), TV5. Originally hosted by Tito S ...

'' in observance with the

Holy Week Holy Week () commemorates the seven days leading up to Easter. It begins with the commemoration of Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, marks the betrayal of Jesus on Spy Wednesday (Holy Wednes ...

. The episodes usually release during the

Holy Monday Holy Monday or Great and Holy Monday (also Holy and Great Monday) (Greek: ''Μεγάλη Δευτέρα'', ''Megale Deutera'') is a day of the Holy Week, which is the week before Easter. According to the gospels, on this day Jesus Christ curse ...

Holy Wednesday In Christianity, Holy Wednesday commemorates the Bargain of Judas as a clandestine spy among the disciples. It is also called Spy Wednesday, or Good Wednesday (in Western Christianity), and Great and Holy Wednesday (in Eastern Christianity). In ...

. The series ran from 1981 to 2008 but returned in 2014. It then went on hiatus from 2020 to 2023 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. It eventually returned later in 2024.

Production

The series started in 1981. The first special was directed by

Lino Brocka Catalino Ortiz Brocka (April 3, 1939 – May 22, 1991) was a Filipino film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and significant filmmakers in the history of Philippine cinema. His filmography often addressed the co ...

. Each episode featured ''

Eat Bulaga ''Eat !'' (; stylized as ''Eat... Bulaga!'') is a Philippine television variety show broadcast by Radio Philippines Network, ABS-CBN, GMA Network and TV5. Originally hosted by Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon, Chiqui Hollmann and Richie ...

''s host along with different guests. The series ran until 2008. In an interview with the entertainment website PEP.ph, Malou Choa-Fagar, an executive of

TAPE Inc. Television and Production Exponents, Incorporated (also known as TAPE, Inc. or simply TAPE) is a Philippine television production company. It was founded in 1981 by Romeo Jalosjos Sr. and Antonio "Tony" Tuviera. After the last episode of '' ...

, the then-producer of the ''Eat Bulaga'', said that the series was ended because they felt "there was a saturation of materials" and that " the trend back then was

game shows A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating and narrating wh ...

". The series returned in 2014, featuring the six stories of the winners of ''

''s "Juan For All, All for Juan" segment. It went into hiatus in 2020 due to the

. The series later returned in 2024. In an interview with PEP.ph,

Joey De Leon Jose Maria Ramos de Leon Jr. (born October 14, 1946), professionally known as Joey de Leon and also known as Henyo Master, is a Filipino comedian, actor, television host and songwriter. He is one of the members of the comedy trio, collectively ...

, one of the series stars, said that the annual series was their "vow

o God Oh God may refer to: * An exclamation; similar to "oh no", "oh yes", "oh my", "aw goodness", "ah gosh", "ah gawd"; see interjection An interjection is a word or expression that occurs as an utterance on its own and expresses a spontaneous feeling ...

Premise

The series features inspirational stories and usually features Christian-related lessons.

Episodes

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2024

2025

References

{{Eat Bulaga! Philippine telenovelas 1981 television specials 2014 television specials Philippine television specials Eat Bulaga! Holy Week in the Philippines Television series by TAPE Inc. Television series by TVJ Productions