ABS-CBN’s iWant series ‘Nurse the Dead’ unveils first looks

Philippine media giant ABS-CBN’s premium streaming platform iWant is betting on supernatural comedy in the workplace with “Nurse the Dead,” a half-hour bilingual series currently in production in Los Angeles. The first looks have been revealed.

The dark comedy follows Noa Reyes, a passionate Filipino nurse supervisor whose ability to see ghosts – also known as her ‘third eye’ – makes her the permanent companion in a hospital ward full of restless ghosts. Combining demanding appearances, staff burnout, family pressure, and a colleague who seems to know more about her than expected, the series bases its supernatural premise on the cultural specificity of the Philippine healthcare experience.

The project marks a significant expansion for iWant and marks the streamer’s first bilingual English-Tagalog series to be produced on U.S. soil. Production is underway in Los Angeles and is expected to wrap in the second week of February.

Mark Labella serves as showrunner, creator, writer and director of the series, with Wesley Villarica and Drea Castro directing the episodes in a collaborative approach throughout the season.

“’Nurse the Dead’ is a dark comedy rooted in something very real: the Philippine healthcare experience,” Labella said. “Filipino nurses make up about 4% of the U.S. nursing workforce, yet have been disproportionately represented among nurse deaths in the COVID era—and that reality has stuck with me. We use the supernatural and workplace mayhem to explore grief, resilience, and legacy with sharpness, humor, and heart.”

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

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

The main cast is completed by Sydney Bollenbeck (DonDon), Kyle Rezzarday (George) and Natalie Orsi (Archangel Yolanda).

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

iWant serves a global audience with strong penetration into Filipino communities in North America, offering original series, movies and select live programming in addition to library content from ABS-CBN.