Call My Manager
| Call My Manager | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for the pilot episodes | |
| Genre | Comedy drama |
| Created by |
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| Based on | |
| Directed by |
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| Starring |
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| Country of origin | Philippines |
| Original languages | Filipino English |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Producers |
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| Production company | Reality MM Studios |
| Original release | |
| Network | HBO Max |
| Release | August 13, 2026 – present |
| Related | |
Call My Manager is a Philippine comedy drama television series based on the French series Call My Agent! (Dix pour cent). Created by Erik Matti and Ronald "Dondon" Monteverde, it is produced by Reality MM Studios for HBO Max.[1]
The series stars Judy Ann Santos, Edu Manzano and RK Bagatsing as talent managers at the fictional Shine Artist Management, alongside Gina Alajar, Christiana Zaleta and Raf Pineda.[2] The story centers on the managers' efforts to balance their clients' careers with their own personal lives.[3]
The eight-episode series premiered on HBO Max on August 13, 2026.[4]
Premise
[edit]The series follows Andrea Manuel, Matthew Buenaventura and Gabriel Soler, three senior talent managers at Shine Artist Management (SAM). As they handle the careers and crises of their celebrity clients, the managers also contend with conflicts in their personal lives and pressures within the agency.[3]
Cast and characters
[edit]Main
[edit]- Judy Ann Santos as Andrea Manuel, a strict, outspoken senior talent manager at SAM.[3]
- Edu Manzano as Matthew Buenaventura, a secretive senior talent manager at SAM.[3]
- RK Bagatsing as Gabriel Soler, a senior talent manager who looks after his clients but struggles to manage his personal life.[3]
- Gina Alajar as Aleta Alfonso, also known as "Mother", a film producer.[3]
- Christiana Zaleta as Camille Vergara, Andrea's road manager.[5]
- Raf Pineda as Chin Joaquin, a road manager at SAM.[1]
- Haley Dizon as SAM's receptionist, an aspiring actress.[6]
- Edgar Mortiz as Samuel, the head of SAM.[1]
Guest
[edit]- Carla Humphries as Andrea's love interest.[7]
- Kiray Celis as a fictionalized version of herself, an actress offered a Hollywood role on the condition that she undergo breast augmentation.[5]
- Maricel Soriano[8]
- Snooky Serna[8]
- Dolly de Leon[8]
- Roselle Monteverde as herself.[8]
- Vincent del Rosario as himself.[8]
Janine Gutierrez and Niño Muhlach make cameo appearances as fictionalized versions of themselves in the first episode.[5]
Episodes
[edit]| Season | Episodes | Originally released | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | Network | |||
| Feature-length presentation | 2 | November 15–16, 2025 | QCinema festival screening | ||
| 1 | 8 | August 13, 2026 | October 1, 2026 | HBO Max | |
Season 1
[edit]In the first season, personal conflicts and disputes involving clients threaten the future of Shine Artist Management.[9]
| No. | Title | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | August 13, 2026 | |
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The managers at Shine Artist Management deal with problems involving their clients and personal lives, as well as an unexpected visitor. | |||
| 2 | "Episode 2" | August 20, 2026 | |
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The three managers become involved in a feud as they face uncertainty about the agency's future. | |||
| 3 | "Episode 3" | August 27, 2026 | |
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A scandal spreads online as the managers face power struggles and a new romantic relationship develops. | |||
| 4 | "Episode 4" | September 3, 2026 | |
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The managers contend with family conflicts, plans to move overseas and a possible buyout. | |||
| 5 | "Episode 5" | September 10, 2026 | |
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The team deals with a farewell and a dispute on a production set. | |||
| 6 | "Episode 6" | September 17, 2026 | |
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Leaks push the talent agency to its limit. | |||
| 7 | "Episode 7" | September 24, 2026 | |
| 8 | "Episode 8" | October 1, 2026 | |
Production
[edit]Development and casting
[edit]Plans for a Philippine adaptation of Call My Agent! were reported in late 2021. By January 2022, Angel Locsin and Edu Manzano had been announced for the project, with Matti attached as director and Reality MM Studios producing for HBO.[10] Locsin later withdrew from the project and Santos took over the role that became Andrea Manuel.[8]
Santos said that she welcomed the opportunity to play a character unlike the often victimized protagonists she had portrayed in television dramas. Bagatsing similarly described Gabriel's uncertainty and concern for others as a departure from his usual roles as villains.[11]
Filming began on October 1, 2022.[8] In October 2023, Santos said that filming had concluded after about ten months.[12]
Adaptation
[edit]Matti described personal and emotional relationships within Philippine talent agencies as a source of the adaptation's plots and character conflicts.[5] One change from the French series was the inclusion of road managers, reflecting their role alongside talent managers in the Philippines.[3] Santos described some scenes as exaggerated versions of actual incidents, but emphasized that the series was fictional.[12]
Aleta Alfonso was based partly on producer Lily Monteverde. Matti incorporated ideas from a planned film about Monteverde into the series. Alajar said that she sought to portray the character as a person rather than imitate the producer.[3]
Santos drew on her experience of managing her own career after the death of Alfie Lorenzo, but said that Andrea was not an imitation of him.[2]
Director
[edit]The series was directed by Erik Matti, Mario Cornejo and Jade Castro. Santos said that Matti allowed the actors to develop their characters while guiding their performances and pointing out when they were overacting.[2]
Release
[edit]Matti edited the first two episodes into a two-hour presentation for the 2025 QCinema International Film Festival, allowing them to be screened without a break between episodes.[13] Festival screenings were held on November 15 and 16, 2025.[14]
The series began streaming on HBO Max on August 13, 2026, with new episodes released on Thursdays.[2]
Reception
[edit]Reviewing the first two episodes shown at QCinema, Roy Narra of Film Police Reviews praised the exploration of the managers' personal problems and Santos's performance in both comic and dramatic scenes. He found that the episodes went beyond the novelty of celebrities playing exaggerated versions of themselves.[15]
Rafael Bautista of MEGA Asia praised the cast and humor, describing the pilot's storylines as promising.[5]
Jerry Donato of The Philippine Star described the series as fast-paced and engaging, highlighting its self-referential portrayal of Philippine show business, its mixture of personal and professional storylines, and the performances of both veteran and younger cast members.[1]
Nitz Miralles of Bulgar reported positive reactions from some viewers to the romantic scenes between Santos and Carla Humphries, particularly their on-screen chemistry.[7]
On August 22, 2026, MJ Marfori of The Philippine Star reported that Call My Manager had become the number-one series on HBO Max Philippines after the release of its first two episodes.[16]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Donato, Jerry (August 21, 2026). "'Call My Manager' goes inside the colorful business of building stars". The Philippine Star. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Krishnan, Ganiel (August 16, 2026). "Judy Ann Santos relates to 'Call My Manager' role as she opens up about managing own career". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Gonzaga, Pie (August 14, 2026). "Erik Matti, Judy Ann Santos, and Edu Manzano Take on Showbiz in 'Call My Manager'". Rolling Stone Philippines. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
- ↑ Purnell, Kristofer (June 19, 2026). "HBO Max lines up Judy Ann Santos show, 'Come Dine With Me' local edition". Philstar.com. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Bautista, Rafael (August 15, 2026). "EXCLUSIVE: Call My Manager Is a Love Letter to Philippine Showbiz". MEGA Asia. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
- ↑ Gabinete, Jojo (September 4, 2026). "Christiana Zaleta makes her own mark in Call My Manager!". PEP.ph. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
- 1 2 Miralles, Nitz (September 6, 2026). "Juday, may love scene sa kapwa babae". Bulgar. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gabinete, Jojo (July 22, 2026). "Judy Ann's long-delayed Call My Manager finally gets HBO release". PEP.ph. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
- ↑ "Judy Ann's 'Call My Manager' to debut on August 13 at HBO Max". ABS-CBN News. July 21, 2026. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
- ↑ Gabinete, Jojo (January 12, 2022). "Angel Locsin, Edu Manzano to star in Call My Agent! Philippines". PEP.ph. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
- ↑ Licsi, Ayie (August 16, 2026). "Judy Ann Santos, Edu Manzano talk pulling back the curtain on showbiz industry in 'Call My Manager'". PhilSTAR Life. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
- 1 2 Llemit, Kathleen A. (October 6, 2023). "Judy Ann Santos explains new series about real 'artista' life". Philstar.com. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
- ↑ "First 2 episodes of Erik Matti's 'Call My Manager' to screen at QCinema". ABS-CBN News. November 6, 2025. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
- ↑ "Screening Schedule". QCinema International Film Festival. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
- ↑ Narra, Roy (December 8, 2025). "QCinema Capsule Reviews: The Mastermind, Call My Manager, Little Amélie". Film Police Reviews. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
- ↑ Marfori, MJ (August 22, 2026). "A peek into what really happens behind the scenes of Philippines showbiz". The Philippine Star. Retrieved September 14, 2026.