Telenovelas and Their Impact

The telenovelas of Latin America are very different from the soap operas that we are used to in the U.S. For starters, these series are not endless and are run for only a short amount of time. Basically, telenovelas are mini soap operas. The word telenovela means “Novel” or story for the “Television.” The origins of modern day telenovelas come from the combination of ancient melodrama, feuilletons (19th century French stories), and radionovelas from Latin America. The first telenovelas were produced in Brazil, Cuba, and Mexico in the early 1950s. The first telenovela that went global was Los Ricos También Lloran which was from Mexico in 1979 and became popular all over the world. The head of development of Telemundo (a Spanish channel prevalent in the U.S.), Patricio Wills describes telenovelas as follows:

“The plot is always the same. In the first three minutes of the first episode the viewer already knows the novela will end with that same couple kissing each other. A telenovela is all about a couple who wants to kiss and a scriptwriter who stands in their way for 150 episodes.”

Televisa is the largest producer and exporter of telenovelas in Mexico and has made many remakes of telenovelas in other countries such as La Fea Mas Bella (remake of the Colombian, Yo Soy Betty la Fea). Telenovelas have hit all over the world including Europe, the Americas, and Asia.


Telenovelas are popular in many Latin American countries. Argentina's Código Postal telenovelas focus on melodramatic twists of traditional middle class life, with touches of comedy. Some well known youth telenovelas are Chiquititas ("Little Angels"), Rebelde Way ("Rebel's Way"), and Floricienta. Brazil's telenovelas (more often novelas) are both more racy with ample nudity and apt to broach controversial subjects. Malhação ("Working Out") is one of the longest-running telenovelas in Brazil. Novelas usually last eight months at most in Brazil, but Malhação has been on the air since 1995.
In the Dominican Republic, the telenovela Tropico was produced in 2007 with mostly Dominican actors and a few from Venezuela and Peru. It is being aired by Antena Latina 7 in the Dominican Republic and on Univision in United States. There are currently plans for more telenovelas made, filmed, and produced in the Dominican Republic.
In México, telenovelas are often traditional. María la del Barrio is a working class melodrama which features a poor girl who falls in love with a rich man whose family spurns her. Another is a remake of the previously mentioned Argentinean telenovela, Rebelde Way. Rebelde was a worldwide phenomenon and before it was replaced in 2006 with Código Postal, one of the series' major plot lines revolved around a group of students forming a pop band. The actors, who play the members of this band, are also in a real band, abbreviated as RBD to distinguish it from the show. RBD performs most of the music used on the show, and has been extremely successful in its own right, becoming one of the most popular acts in Mexico and touring internationally.

Throughout their establishment, telenovelas have become an important part of Latin American and Caribbean popular culture. From the elderly to young children, families gather around the television every day of the week to watch the ongoing daily telenovela episodes. As a most common and popular venue of entertainment, telenovelas have not only been embedded into the culture, but also the history and traditions of numerous individuals.

Although accepted by all Latin American cultures, as these productions became globalized into international markets, critics began to raise questions about the distinct similarities within the themes and plots of these productions. Telenovelas, such as Maria Isabel and Al diablo con los guapos, are some examples of the productions based on the typical representative themes which critics argued to be the most prevalent in the entertainment market of Latin America.

For example, Maria Isabel, portrays the struggles, fantasies, realities and interactions of an indigenous woman living in Mexico. The protagonist, Maria Isabel, ends up falling in love with a rich man who employs her at his mansion as a servant. She continues to struggle through the differences in social culture and image while fighting for her love of this man. In the end, she ends up marrying her true love and living happily ever after away from her indigenous, or barbaric culture—as it was portrayed.

In similar ways, the telenovela, Al diablo con los guapos, also portrays the story of a young orphan woman, Milagros, who grows up in a convent. She is employed by a rich businessman and moved into his mansion as a maid. There, she ends up falling in love with his son and earns the love of his grandmother, the owner of the family’s riches. After she passes away, Milagros is left as the sole proprietor of the family’s fortune to later find out that she is the daughter of the rich businessman who brought her into the family. After numerous obstacles and twists, this telenovela ends up just like every other one, with a happy ending. The protagonists live happily ever after in wealth and the antagonists live in misery.

The similarities among the themes of most productions always seem to be predictable from the moment the telenovela commences. However, one must ask why is it that most people in Latin America and the Caribbean love to watch telenovelas if they already know the plot and most importantly the ending?!

Telenovelas are immensely popular throughout Latin America and other countries such as Germany, Canada and even the United States, attracting millions of viewers. They typically air six days a week and are fixtures in many Latin American households. The dramatic (and at times, unrealistic) storylines usually appeal to middle-aged and elderly female audiences. Since they are regularly watched they are important marketing tools – millions will watch every advertisement shown during the Telenovelas.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telenovela