Temptation of Wife, a 2008 Korean television drama series originally broadcast by Seoul Broadcasting System from November 3, 2008 to May 1, 2009. It was written by Soon-ok Kim and directed by Se-kang Oh. The series starred Seo Hee Jang, Jae Hwang Lee, Woo Min Byun and Seo Hyung Kim as the lead characters. Despite the controversies regarding the storyline of the drama and the "plagiarism" issues, it is one of the most popular and highly watched dramas in South Korea. The series also won several awards in 2009 SBS Drama Awards including the Daesang award for Seo Hee Jang; Best Actor award for Woo Min Byun; Best Supporting Actor award for Joon Yong Choi; Best Actress award for Suh Hyung Kim; and Best Young Actor award for Yoon Suk Jung. The series also had a huge success in the Philippines during its run. GMA Network aired the series in an early primetime slot from October 4, 2010 and concluded on May 27, 2011. Due to its popularity, the network decided to re-air the series on primetime from June 6, 2011 – August 25, 2011.
Production and development
Mid-2011, in a press lunch, the then GMA Network's senior vice president for entertainment, Wilma Galvante stated that they would be adapting the Korean series, Temptation of Wife. Pre-production started in earlier 2012. The head writer, Dode Cruz stated that he develops "a bit serious, sexier and edgier version" than the original. The producer assigned Dominic Zapata to helm the series. Originally planned for a December 2012 premiere, it was later moved to an earlier date. following the cancellation of the supposed series, Haram.
Casting
The cast and characters were announced on September 11, 2012 during the series' story conference, with the main cast being, Marian Rivera, Dennis Trillo, Alessandra De Rossi and Rafael Rosell. The network personally chose Rivera and Trillo to their respective roles. As for her preparation, Rivera stated that "Whenever I have a new soap, I make sure to ask some tips about the role. Then I talk to my director how he wants me to approach my role. I'd like to have an idea of the character that I am going to portray and how I would give life to it onscreen," she said. She further stated that she wants every role she does to be different from the previous one in terms of how she going to approach it. "I was challenged to alter the concept of being a "damsel in distress" in my role as Angeline," she added. On the other hand, Trillo described his character as a "not-so-typical-leading-man" role. De Rossi was originally assigned by the network to play Heidi Fernandez. However, the role was eventually given to Glaiza de Castro. The series served as Rosell's first major project for the network after he signed an exclusive contract with the network. Zapata, made the entire cast watch the original series before shooting began to familiarized their characters.
Filming
The series’ plug, teasers and opening title sequence were filmed on September 11, 2012 in a studio at GMA Network Center in Quezon City. The said teaser is actually an omnibus plug for the network's final set of primetime offerings for 2012. Filming for the series began on October 9, 2012. Many of the series’ scenes were shot on location in Quezon City.
Reception
Ratings
According to AGB Nielsen Philippines' Mega Manila household television ratings, the pilot episode of Temptation of Wife earned a 23.5% rating. While the final episode scored a 27.9% rating. The series had its highest rating with a 41.3% rating.
Critical response
Vincent Anthon Garcia of gulfnews.com said that "Marian Rivera has proved why she is truly the Queen of Primetime TV. Her current series, Temptation of Wife, has zoomed to the top of the ratings". Mario Bautista of Journal praised the show's main villain, Glaiza de Castro, said that "One reason why Temptation of Wife clicks with viewers is the fact that de Castro is so effective as the villainous Heidi. We know she didn't want to play kontrabida again after she did lead roles in Grazilda and Biritera. But Glaiza made the right decision in accepting the Heidi role as it's really so "mark" and she can show her versatility as an actress who can do both lead and villain roles."
