In every story, it’s usually the protagonists and antagonists who get all the glory for why a certain movie or series became a huge hit or got really remarkable. However, not enough credit nor appreciation is given to the ‘sidekicks,’ who, we believe, deserve to be recognized too. Their unwavering loyalty, support, and bravery to stand by the sides of either the bida or the kontrabida through whatever, as well as their impressive wisdom and humor, are essential in making the narrative more interesting, relatable, and even entertaining.

Thus, in this feature, we pay tribute to some of the most admirable sidekicks from the teleseryes of recent years – which can be a best friend, a sibling, or a colleague/subordinate – that indeed proved how having a strong and reliable support system is fundamental for us to achieve our goals as the main character of our lives!

Opening this roster is Rowena, the straightforward best friend of Maja Salvador’s character Nicole in the highly controversial 2014 series The Legal Wife, impressively portrayed by the “Best Friend ng Bayan” Matet de Leon. Others may tend to be blind supporters of their besties even in immoral deeds, but definitely not Rowena, as she gave Nicole some “real talk” and reminded her to act according to her label as the mistress of a married man. We certainly stan a friend like her!

Unfortunately, it’s not the same case with Carla, the trustworthy right-hand of Erich Gonzales’ character Janine, played by Melai Cantiveros in the 2014 series Two Wives. Although she was completely aware that Janine was the “other woman,” she still firmly defended her from the friends of her rival, Yvonne (Kaye Abad). While the scene was pretty intense and serious, Melai’s comedic chops still shone through the funny punchlines and clapbacks that she delivered.

The youngest on this list, Xymon Pineda is undoubtedly one of the cutest sidekicks we’ve ever seen on modern TV. Taking on the role of Onyok, the naughty yet lovable juvenile friend of Cardo (Coco Martin) in FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, he never failed to make us fall for his charms, especially when he projected himself as if he’s already a full-fledged adult or uttered his remarkable tagline, “hay naku!”

Another funny sidekick that graced our TVs was James, portrayed by comedian Empoy in the 2018 series Since I Found You. Piolo Pascual’s character, Nathan, was indeed fortunate to have him as a dependable righthand and friend, especially during those times when he was struggling to express his romantic feelings for Dani (Arci Muñoz), for James willingly served as his wingman.

We can apparently say the same about Barry, the palabang best friend of Jericho Rosales’ character, Lino, in the highly talked-about 2018 series Halik, impressively depicted by Christian Bables. Seeing how Lino terribly suffered after what his philandering wife, Jade (Yam Concepcion), did to him despite being loyal to her, Barry decided to step in when she attempted to talk to her husband again and brutally rebuked her and her best friend Marissa (Niña Dolino).

While we had certainly seen a slew of showdowns between their bosses-slash-friends Daniela (Dimples Romana) and Romina (Beauty Gonzalez) throughout the successful two-year run of Kadenang Ginto from 2018 to 2020, their right-hands also made sure to give us riveting face-offs. Playing the roles of Bonita and Savannah, respectively, Kat Galang and Kim Molina indeed gave viewers a run for their money through their tarayan moments that could sometimes be on par with those of the lead female characters.

Of course, who would Darna be without her ever-reliable younger brother, Ding? At some point, it was him who kept the magical stone that would transform his Ate Narda into the mighty heroine. As Narda (Jane de Leon) got into a breathtaking fight against Klaudio (Joko Diaz) in the 2022 teleserye remake of the classic superheroine tale, Ding, impeccably taken on by Zaijian Jaranilla, was there to assist his sister in his own little way. We love a supportive sibling, indeed!

Another onscreen sidekick that brought comic relief to the series he’s part of was Pepe Herrera, whose character, Poseidon, provided good vibes and laughter to the intense and action-packed scenes of The Iron Heart. Poseidon might not have had an amicable relationship with Apollo (Richard Gutierrez) at first since they started off on the wrong foot, but he turned out to be one of the most dependable people that the protagonist would ever come across in his life.

Aside from the kilig brought by her team-up with Donny Pangilinan in Can’t Buy Me Love, we also found ourselves delighted by the friendship that Belle Mariano’s character Caroline shared with Chie Filomeno’s Jersey. In addition to supporting her with her plans and giving her some advice, there were also instances when Jersey became her reliable accomplice in some of her personal missions.

And lastly, the friendship between Victor and Jimboy, played by Paulo Avelino and Benj Manalo in the controversial series Linlang, proved that having someone to talk to and a strong support system could really help someone who’s going through a rough patch in life, such as a terrible breakup. Victor was indeed fortunate to have a friend like Jimboy and Coach Badong (Jaime Fabregas) by his side when his wife Juliana (Kim Chiu) cheated on him with his brother Alex (JM de Guzman).

These teleserye sidekicks are proof that each one of us needs constant people in our lives who would support and accompany us in many things that we do, give us some pep or real talk that we need based on our situation, provide us laughter and consolation when we’re downcast, and even defend and protect us from people who would try to harm or pull us down.