ABS-CBN’s iWant Series ‘Nurse the Dead’ Unveils First Looks

Philippines media big ABS-CBN‘s premium streaming platform iWant is betting on supernatural office comedy with “Nurse the Dead,” a bilingual half-hour sequence at the moment in manufacturing in Los Angeles. First seems to be have been unveiled.

The darkish comedy follows Noa Reyes, a pushed Filipina nurse supervisor whose ability to see ghosts — known as her “third eye” — makes her the go-to handler for a hospital ward teeming with stressed spirits. Juggling demanding apparitions alongside employees burnout, household pressures and a coworker who appears to know more about her than anticipated, the sequence grounds its supernatural premise in the cultural specificity of the Filipino healthcare experience.

The project represents a big expansion for iWant, marking the streamer’s first bilingual English-Tagalog sequence produced on U.S. soil. Production is underway in Los Angeles and is slated to wrap during the second week of February.

Mark Labella serves as showrunner, creator, author and director on the sequence, with Wesley Villarica and Drea Castro directing episodes in a collaborative method across the season.

“‘Nurse the Dead’ is a dark comedy rooted in something very real: the Filipino healthcare experience,” Labella said. “Filipino nurses make up about 4% of the U.S. nursing workforce, yet were disproportionately represented among COVID-era nurse deaths — and that reality stayed with me. We’re using the supernatural and workplace chaos to explore grief, resilience, and legacy with bite, humor, and heart.”

The sequence stars Jelynn Malone as Noa Reyes. Malone, a Filipina American actor, host and Mostra Coffee co-founder, leads an ensemble forged that bridges Filipino and American leisure. Gigette Reyes, who seems in Disney’s “Freakier Friday,” performs Mami Tess, while Johari Johnson (“American Crime Story: Impeachment,” “9-1-1: Lone Star”) portrays Jane.

Anthony Jennings, the ABS-CBN breakout lately seen in the record-breaking “Hello, Love, Again,” takes on the position of Grim. The forged also options iconic multi-platinum Filipino recording artist and actor Tootsie Guevarra as Zeny, longtime “Eat Bulaga!” fixture Ruby Rodriguez as Ros, and award-winning Filipino actress Princess Punzalan as Camille.

Rounding out the principal forged are Sydney Bollenbeck (DonDon), Kyle Rezzarday (George) and Natalie Orsi (Archangel Yolanda).

Jolly Estaris, head of iWant and ABS-CBN Integrated Digital Sales, positioned the sequence as a part of the platform’s broader strategy to succeed in Filipino diaspora audiences. “At iWant, we’re focused on building boldly Filipino storytelling with global reach,” Estaris said. “‘Nurse the Dead’ reflects that ambition – and producing our first bilingual series in Los Angeles marks a major step in iWant’s quest to connect with generations of audiences across the diaspora.”

iWant serves a global viewers with strong penetration across Filipino communities in North America, providing authentic sequence, movies, and choose live programming alongside library content from ABS-CBN.