Ben X Jim
Ben x Jim is a 2020 Philippine boy's love web series produced by Regal Entertainment. Written and directed by Easy Ferrer, it stars Teejay Marquez and Jerome Ponce as childhood friends who fall in love years later in a reunion amid the confining space of quarantine in their neighborhood amid the pandemic.
The series premiered on YouTube on October 15, 2020, airing every Thursday at 8:00 PM PST and ran for seven episodes. A second season for the series was released on February 12, 2021 via Upstream.PH.
Cast and characters
Main
- Teejay Marquez as Benjamin "Ben" Mendoza, Jim's childhood friend and currently living alone next door
- Jerome Ponce as Jimson "Jim" Alcantara, Ben's childhood friend and car enthusiast from Davao
Supporting
- Sarah Edwards as Yana, Jim's girlfriend
- Kat Galang as Flo Guimary, Ben's very close friend
- Ron Martin Angeles as Olan, motorcycle rider for Deliver Lover
- Johannes Rissler as Leo Portugues, Ben's ex-boyfriend
- Christina Simon as Elma Magtibay, Ben's neighbor and housekeeper next door, also Jim's former nanny
- Royce Cabrera as Roy, Ben's current boyfriend
- Vance Larena as Val, Jim's boss
Development
Series 2
On November 26, 2020, after the premiere of the Season 1 Finale, Teejay Marquez announced via his YouTube channel on the comment section of Episode 7 that the series will have its second season.A second season for the series was announced on January 16 by Regal Entertainment. The official trailer for the second season was also released the same day in celebration for Regal Entertainment's Youtube Channel surpassing the 2 Million Subscriber mark. The actors from the first season, Teejay Marquez, Jerome Ponce, Sarah Edwards, Ron Angeles and Kat Galang, reprised their roles along with new cast members Vance Larena, Royce Cabrera, Ejay Jallorina, Miko Gallardo, Darwin Yu, Anika Dela Cruz, Jomari Angeles. The season is set to release on February 12, 2021.
Release
Television
On September 8, GMA Network announced that it is set to bring the hit BL series ‘Ben X Jim’ starting September 26, 2021, through Heart of Asia Channel in Digital TV Box Nationwide.Reception
Viewership
YouTube views as of August 4, 2021:| Episode | Number of views |
| 1: Love Returns | 2,529,758 |
| 2: Banter Banter | 1,991,725 |
| 3: Getting Closer | 2,827,166 |
| 4: The Third Party | 1,852,930 |
| 5: Jealous Moments | 2,056,582 |
| 6: Dark Night of the Soul | 1,829,944 |
| 7: The Final Chase | 1,606,350 |