Kalyeserye was a soap opera parody segment that was aired live on the Filipino noontime variety show Eat Bulaga! on GMA Network. The mini-show, as it had evolved, focused on AlDub, the fictional couple pairing — or "love team" as it is more commonly known in the Philippines — of Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza's "Yaya Dub" character in which the two only communicate through lip-syncing to various pop songs and movie audio clips as well as written messages, and interact only on the show's split-screen frame. Richards is usually based in Broadway Centrum studio of Eat Bulaga! in Quezon City, Metro Manila while Mendoza travels around to a different external location.
With an initial runtime of a few minutes, the show soon expanded to over a half-hour for each episode, with specials running even longer and for more segments. Runtimes ranged from about 55 minutes on weekdays to about 1 hour and 15 minutes on Saturdays. The show featured live improvisation from Alden Richards, Maine Mendoza, Wally Bayola, Jose Manalo and Paolo Ballesteros, who all played various roles while the other hosts of Eat Bulaga! in the studio served as live commentators (usually as a live "panel" consisting of 3–4 hosts) that interact with the characters and also with the audience. Kalyeserye had elements of comedy-drama, parody, romantic comedy and reality television. According to Anna Leah Sarabia, a Filipino anthropologist, the segment uses fairy tale and soap opera tropes. The term "Kalyeserye" is a play on the Filipino word teleserye (television series) and is a portmanteau of the Tagalog words kalye (street, from Spanish calle) and serye (series, serie). It was coined by Joey de Leon, one of the primary hosts of Eat Bulaga!, to refer to the location outside the studio, which was usually shot out on the streets of Metro Manila or in the provinces of the Philippines that serve as the remote setting of the parody segment.
The portion proved to be a success in both broadcast television and social media, resulting in a significant increase in viewership and popularity of Eat Bulaga! in its 36th year in Philippine entertainment. In addition, it has contributed immensely to the rise of the careers of Richards and Mendoza.
Kalyeserye temporarily ended on September 3, 2016 and returned on October 15, 2016, after a month-break. The segment went on a hiatus on September 3, 2016, and the entire segment concluded on December 17, 2016.
Overview
The show follows the love story of Yaya Dub (Mendoza), a girl who converses only in dubsmash (lip-syncing to phrases from songs and other audio clips), and Alden Richards, a regular guest on the "Juan for All, All for Juan" television segment, during which they begin flirting with each other by dubsmashing and exchanging waves. Yaya Dub's employer, Lola Nidora (Bayola), is initially against the couple's budding romance. Lola Nidora then reveals her Book of Secrets/Secret Diary which contains various reasons for her disapproval. The appearance of other characters like the luxurious Frankie Arenolli (from the word arinola, "chamber pot") (Manalo) and the socialite DuhRizz (Bayola) make things even more complicated for the amorous pair. As the story unfolds, characters from Lola Nidora and Yaya Dub's past are revealed as a part of their backstory. Lola Nidora turns out to be one of the triplet children of the Zobeyala family (a parody of the Zóbel de Ayala family); the three are collectively known as the "de Explorer Triplets/Sisters" (in reference to Dora the Explorer). During the course of the series, Alden must prove his trustworthiness and love for Yaya Dub by engaging in several challenges.
From its return for "Season 2", it not only focused on the continuation of the AlDub story as a fictional married couple but also focused on the De Explorer sisters who become hosts for a cooking show, with their real-life mothers as guests, who can cook.