ALLEN Ansay and Sofia Pablo are lucky as they’re the Kapuso teen love team being given a very big push by GMA Network in their first primetime series, “Luv Is: Caught in His Arms”, which is based on a well-followed Wattpad Webtoon series.

It is also the network’s first salvo for the new year 2023 to start airing on GMA Telebabad this Monday, January 16, at 8:50 PM, replacing “Mano Po: The Flower Sisters”.

Allen and Sofia’s love team, known as Team Jolly and also as Alfia, hit it big when they were first paired in “Prima Donnas”. Allen is a runner up in the last Starstruck while Sofia started as a child star. They later also hit it big on social media, specially their Tiktok videos.

Their subsequent pairings in “Raya Sirena” on “Regal Presents” and “Carol Parol” on “Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko” also rated well, so it’s not surprising that GMA is now catapulting them to prime time stardom.

In the story, Sofia plays a poor girl, Florence, who helps her parents in their carinderia in the province selling cooked food. She applies for a college scholarship in Manila and gets accepted, but her father suddenly has a heart attack and dies.

As a result, Sofia’s dream to study in Manila is not fulfilled and she is forced to accept a job as a cook in the biggest mansion in their province, home of the Ferrells (their father is Will – joke!)

The Ferrells have five boys: Allen, plus Sparkada boys Michael Sager, Vince Maristela, Raheel Bhyria and Sean Lucas, who are officially being introduced in the new series.

They will all be vying for Sofia’s attention but, of course, we all know that it’s Allen who is the leading man in the show as Nero Ferrell. At first, he and Sofia don’t see each other eye to eye (as is usually the case in romcoms like this) and they keep on fighting all the time.

Also being introduced in the show are the lovely Sparkada girls: Cheska Fausto, Caitlyn Stave, Tanya Ramos and Kirsten Gonzales. Also supporting Allen and Sofia are Debraliz Valasote as the Ferrell’s mayordoma, Rain Matienzo who’s also in “Maria Clara at Ibarra” as Salome, and Ariel Ureta as a rich old man looking for his long missing granddaughter who will be his heiress (guess who.)

Allen says he and Sofia are both very grateful to GMA for giving them this big break in their budding careers.

“It means a lot to us na pinagtiwalaan nila kami ng ganito,” the 6-footer from Bicol says. “In return, we promise to do our very best para hindi kami mapahiya sa kanila. Actually, nahirapan ako sa role ko as I play a rich man, when I’m an ordinary teenager from Bicol. Na-pressure ako as they tell me I have to appear, act and move like I’m a refined rich man in every scene.”

Sofia adds that viewers will find “Love Is: Caught in His Arms” very relatable. “It’s very family oriented,” she says. “It’s about the love between parents and children, also grandparents, and between siblings. Maraming lessons imparted about family relationships as the story unfolds. We enjoyed doing this for our fans and I’m sure viewers will also enjoy watching the show every night starting this Monday.”

We’re certain that the show will easily endear itself to the heart of viewers as GMA-7 has left no stone unturned to make sure that this kiligserye will be a good show. The show is given a big budget and this is very visible in the glossy production values, the costumes, the sets and it’s many big scenes. Our best wishes for Allen and Sofia and the whole cast of “Luv Is: Caught in His Arms”.