Telenovelas—Latin American Soap Operas

A Review of Popular Spanish-language Dramas

Aug 2, 2009

Telenovelas, Latin American soap operas, are popular because of their entertaining characters, interesting plots, and heavy dose of romance.

Telenovelas, Latin American soap operas, are so popular because of their compelling characters, intriguing storylines, and high production value. Some are historic, some serious, some campy, and all are infused with a heavy dose of romance and plot twists to keep them interesting. And unlike American soap operas, telenovelas end, so they’re more like a mini-series.

All of the telenovelas profiled here are available on DVD, slightly abridged and with English subtitles.

In this Cinderella story, the poor but spirited girl Maria is adopted by a wealthy family and finds love with her prince, the family’s handsome son Luis Fernando. But in a fit of insanity, she gives their son to a stranger on the street and spends years trying to find him. When they are finally reunited, her husband’s first wife returns to destroy the family.

This is a remake of the popular telenovela Los Ricos Tambien Lloran. It was also the last of the Maria trilogy, three basically unrelated telenovelas in which the Mexican singer/actress Thalia plays a girl named Maria who is raised from extreme poverty to extreme wealth and finds love.

In this Columbian telenovela, the three Reyes brothers vow revenge on the rich landowner who destroyed their sister, determined to seduce and destroy his three daughters. But when they get to know the beautiful and spirited Elizondo sisters, the Reyes brothers begin to fall for their conquests and have to choose between revenge and love.

Although viewers soon realize that this revenge pact will end in triple love, it is still fun to watch the tension as these brothers, each with different personalities, fall for these equally diverse sisters.

Rubi wants her friend Maribel’s life of wealth and privilege, so she dumps Alejandro, the love of her life, and seduces Maribel’s fiancé. But when Alejandro becomes wealthy, Rubi wants him back. This fuels many twists and turns as Rubi continually bounces between these two men, trying to get what she wants and destroying people’s lives in the process.

This is one of the few telenovelas in which the main character is the villain. Viewers are torn between rooting for the compelling Rubi to get what she wants and hoping for the good characters to realize how selfish she is and finally reject her.

Hipolita’s husband is impotent, so her scheming mother-in-law arranges for a handsome stranger to impregnate her. When she learns of the deception, Hipolita flees her marriage and travels to Mexico. There she falls in love with the handsome aristocrat Luis, not knowing that he is the father of her son and the man she has vowed revenge on.

Set in colonial Panama and Mexico, this historic telenovela features beautiful sets and costumes.

In this ugly duckling story, ugly Lety falls in love with her boss Fernando, a womanizer who is using her intelligence to save his company. But complications ensue when she learns of the deception and Fernando realizes that he is actually in love with Lety.

This telenovela and the American comedy-drama Ugly Betty are both based on the Columbian telenovela Yo Soy Betty, la Fea (1999–2001). Like its other versions, this telenovela is a light-hearted, campy story with many funny characters and few real villains.

The copyright of the article Telenovelas—Latin American Soap Operas in TV Soap Operas is owned by Emily Chauviere. Permission to republish Telenovelas—Latin American Soap Operas in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.