Darna is a Philippine television drama action fantasy series broadcast by GMA Network. The series is based from Mars Ravelo's fictional Philippine superheroine of the same title. Directed by Dominic Zapata and Don Michael Perez, it stars Marian Rivera in the title role. It premiered on August 10, 2009 on the network's Telebabad line up replacing Zorro. The series concluded on February 19, 2010 with a total of 140 episodes. It was replaced by Panday Kids in its timeslot.

Cast and characters

Production

Principal photography commenced in June 2009.

Reception

Ratings

According to AGB Nielsen Philippines' Mega Manila household television ratings, the pilot episode of Darna earned a 44.1% rating. While the final episode scored a 32.9% rating.

Critical response

Darna opened with positive reviews, writer Nestor Torre of Philippine Daily Inquirer said the pilot episode is "loud and livid". Torre continues to mention "...two performances stand out because they’re 'different'. The first is Janice de Belen’s portrayal of Consuelo, the mother of Valentina. De Belen’s characterization is outstanding, because it’s deeply felt, while not being over-the-top..." and "the other interesting performance thus far is turned in by Iwa Moto as Valentina. With some help from creative scripting, her character is more tragic and conflicted than past versions of the story had it".