On the Wings of Love (TV series)


On the Wings of Love is a 2015 Philippine romantic comedy drama television series directed by Antoinette Jadaone and Jojo Saguin and starring James Reid and Nadine Lustre in their first primetime television series. The series aired on ABS-CBN's Primetime Bida evening block and worldwide on The Filipino Channel from August 10, 2015 to February 26, 2016, replacing Bridges of Love.
The romantic comedy centers around two people — Clark, a boy living his American life and Leah, a simple girl with an American dream, who are forced to marry in order to legally stay and continue working in the United States.
The show ended on February 26, 2016 and this episode was divided into two parts: a recorded segment and followed by a live viewing party in Ynares Center, Antipolo. It was also simulcasted live on ABS-CBN and worldwide on The Filipino Channel.

Plot

Leah Olivar grew up in a very poor, but happy family. When she was 12 years old, her mother Rona goes to the United States to work for their family's better future. Life eventually becomes better for Leah, her sister, Tiffany, and their father, Sol. However, a tragedy changes their lives forever. For Leah, Rona's death creates a desire for her to go to the America and fulfill her mother's "American dream".
Ten years later, this dream comes true as Leah gets her visa to compete in a choir competition in San Francisco, California. After the contest, Leah extends her stay in San Francisco with the intention of visiting her mother's grave, and to find a way to legally work in the United States. However to her surprise, Leah does not find her mother's grave, and as her visa expires, finding a job that will allow her to remain in the United States also becomes elusive.
With the urging of Jack, the mother of Leah's ex-boyfriend, Jigs, and out of desperation, Leah agrees to a marriage of convenience so that she can get her visa. But with Leah's limited resources, it will be hard for Jack to find her a partner. The only suitable person that would agree to the small amount that Leah is willing to pay is Jack's nephew, Clark, who has been living in San Francisco for the past 11 years. His life has been full of heartbreaks as he went to the United States with his mother, Ofelia, to be introduced to his American father, Kenneth. Soon after, Kenneth refuses to recognize Clark as his son, and Ofelia suddenly dies. Clark gets placed into foster homes, where he was abused. Later, because of his love for his siblings in the Philippines, Clark persevered and survived in the U.S. These misfortunes and responsibilities in life deprived Clark of romantic love.
Despite their disastrous first meeting, Leah and Clark spend time as a fake couple and learn about each other's past, quirks and habits in order to pass the Immigration and Naturalization Service interview. As time passes, Leah and Clark discover a certain fondness for each other. They also realize that both have the same goals in life and that is to make a better life for their family.
They also start to sympathize with each other, as both reveal their deepest secrets. Soon, the sham marriage between Leah and Clark becomes real.

Cast and characters

Main cast

Casting

On the Wings of Love was the brainchild of Coco Martin based on his experiences as an OFW in Canada. The concept was originally supposed to be a movie starring Martin and superstar Nora Aunor but she turned down the role of Martin's mother as she was busy doing other projects. The film would eventually be released in 2016 under the title Padre de Familia.
With the film's release then uncertain, the concept was turned into a teleserye which necessitated a change in the female lead to co-star with Martin. Judy Ann Santos was approached to be Martin's leading lady. Santos, however, turned down the offer due to unexpected pregnancy. Sarah Geronimo was also approached for the role of leading lady but also had to turn down the offer due to scheduling conflicts. Martin also ended up being busy with his teleserye, Ang Probinsyano.
Finally, the roles were given to James Reid and Nadine Lustre which marks their first lead roles in a teleserye as they signed exclusive contracts with ABS-CBN.
Originally, the role of Jiggs was to be played by Arjo Atayde. Atayde's casting has gone as far as the look test when he was pulled out of the show to play Joaquin Tuazon, the main antagonist of Ang Probinsyano. Albie Casiño would eventually bag the role of Jiggs.

Soundtrack

In March 2015, R&B singer Kyla recorded two cover versions of the series' eponymous theme song originally sung by Jeffrey Osborne and later covered by Regine Velasquez. The original version and its music video was released on May 16, 2015 via YouTube, while the alternate version is a piano cover.
The theme song's original version is also part of the volume one of Dreamscape Televisions of Love album and Kyla's 15th anniversary compilation album My Very Best.
ArtistsSong
Kyla"On the Wings of Love"
James Reid and Nadine Lustre"On the Wings of Love"
James Reid and Nadine Lustre"Hanap-Hanap"
Erik Santos"Say You'll Never Go"
Daryl Ong"Stay"
James Reid"Randomantic"
James Reid"Bonfire Love Song"
James Reid"Babalik"
Jed Madela"If You Don't Want To Fall"

Reception

Ratings

Awards and nominations

Controversies

"Dancing Police" Scene

In an episode, Clark pretends to arrest, handcuff and blindfold his wife Leah. Leah was shocked that her husband Clark was dancing while wearing a police uniform. Later on, a scene was made to show how they were sorry for making the police feel offended about the scene.

Reruns

of the show's episodes began airing on Jeepney TV on June 26, 2017.
On March 16, 2020, On the Wings of Love returned on air, temporarily replacing Make It with You as part of the temporary programming changes of ABS-CBN due to the quarantine caused by the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. This rerun was abruptly cut due to the temporary closure of ABS-CBN following the cease and desist order issued by the National Telecommunications Commission on account of its franchise expiration. As of June 5, 2020, On the Wings of Love, no longer a temporary replacement due to cancellation of Make It with You.

International broadcast