The first season of the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

dramedy

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian t ...

'' began airing on September 28, 2006 and concluded on May 17, 2007. In addition to the twenty-three regular episodes in season one, a special, "The Beautiful World of Ugly Betty", was aired on April 12, 2007. Another special, which was a half-hour update recapping the first ten episodes, aired during the month of January 2007 on local ABC affiliates and various cable networks. Being produced in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, the success of the season would lead to the production of the show's second season.

Cast

For the first season of ''Ugly Betty'', nine characters were initially included in the main cast. Michael Urie and Kevin Sussman were originally credited as Special Guest Stars but were upgraded to regulars in episode 14. Although Sussman's character was written out almost immediately after, in episode 15, he was credited as a regular for the rest of the season. Rebecca Romijn was added to the show’s main cast in episode 13, after her character was initially played by (a heavily disguised) Elizabeth Payne.

Main Cast

* America Ferrera as

Betty Suarez Beatriz U. Suarez is the protagonist of the American comedy-drama series ''Ugly Betty''. She is portrayed by America Ferrera, who won a 2007 Golden Globe Award and 2007 Screen Actors Guild Award for her portrayal of the character, as well as the ...

* Eric Mabius as

Daniel Meade Daniel Meade is a fictional character in the American romantic drama-comedy series ''Ugly Betty.'' He is portrayed by Eric Mabius. Background Daniel (born in 1974) is the second child of magazine publisher Bradford Meade and Claire Meade. After ...

Alan Dale Alan Hugh Dale (born 6 May 1947) is a New Zealand actor. As a child, Dale enjoyed theatre and rugby. After retiring from the sport, he took on a number of occupations, before deciding to become a professional actor at age 27. Dale subsequentl ...

Bradford Meade Bradford Emerson Meade is a fictional character in the American dramedy series ''Ugly Betty'', portrayed by Alan Dale. Background Bradford Meade is a famous publishing mogul whose company, Meade Publications, publishes the popular fashion mag ...

Tony Plana José Antonio Plana (born April 19, 1952) is a Cuban actor and director. He is known for playing Betty Suarez's father, Ignacio Suarez, on the ABC television show ''Ugly Betty'' and for voicing Manuel "Manny" Calavera in the video game ''Grim ...

Ignacio Suarez Ignacio Suarez is a fictional character in the American dramedy series ''Ugly Betty'', portrayed by Tony Plana. Background Ignacio Suarez is the father of both Betty and her sister Hilda, and grandfather to Hilda's son Justin. Ignacio used to be ...

Ana Ortiz Ana Ortiz (born January 25, 1971) is an American actress and singer. Having pursued a career in ballet and singing from a young age, she eventually attended University of the Arts. Ortiz began her acting career in theatre, in early 2000s starred ...

Hilda Suarez Hilda Suarez-Talercio is a fictional character in the American dramedy series ''Ugly Betty'', portrayed by Ana Ortiz.Silvio Horta has said that Hilda is based on his older sister who according to him was "outgoing and popular" Background Hilda ...

* Ashley Jensen as

Christina McKinney Christina McKinney is a fictional character on the American dramedy ''Ugly Betty'', which aired on ABC between 2006 and 2010. Christina was portrayed by Ashley Jensen. Introduced as a seamstress for the fashion magazine ''MODE'', she is a close fri ...

* Becki Newton as

Amanda Tanen Amanda Tanen (born Amanda Sommers) is a fictional character in the American dramedy series ''Ugly Betty'' and spin-off web-series '' Mode After Hours''. She is played by Becki Newton. Like Henry Grubstick, Amanda shares a last name with a real-lif ...

Mark Indelicato Mark Indelicato (born July 16, 1994) is an American actor, singer, fashion blogger, and photographer best known for his role in the ABC comedy series '' Ugly Betty'', as Justin Suarez, the fashion-obsessed nephew of series protagonist Bett ...

Justin Suarez Justin Suarez is a fictional character on the American comedy-drama series ''Ugly Betty'' (2006–2010). Portrayed by actor Mark Indelicato, Justin is raised by his single mother Hilda, both of whom live with his aunt Betty and grandfather Ign ...

Vanessa L. Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. She gained recognition as the first African-American woman to receive the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She resigne ...

Wilhelmina Slater Wilhelmina Vivian Slater (born Wanda Slater) is a fictional character in the American dramedy series ''Ugly Betty''. She is played by Vanessa Williams, who received a supporting actress award at the 2007 and 2008 NAACP Image Awards, a Best TV Vil ...

* Michael Urie as Marc St. James *

Kevin Sussman Kevin Sussman (born December 4, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. He played Walter on the ABC comedy-drama ''Ugly Betty'' and Stuart Bloom on the CBS sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory''. Starting with the sixth season of ''The Big Bang Theory ...

as Walter * Rebecca Romijn as

Alexis Meade Alexis Meade (born Alexander Spencer Meade) is a fictional character from the ABC dramedy series ''Ugly Betty'', initially portrayed by Elizabeth Penn Payne (when she was listed in the credits as "Masked Lady") for the first twelve episodes of he ...

(episode 13-23)

Recurring Cast

* Kevin Alejandro as Santos * Bailey Chase as Beckett 'Becks' Scott * Brett Cullen as Ted LeBeau * Ava Gaudet as Gina Gambarro * Gina Gershon as Fabia *

Christopher Gorham Christopher Gorham (born August 14, 1974) is an American actor who is best known for the ABC series ''Ugly Betty''. He has also appeared in such series as '' Insatiable'', ''Popular'', ''Odyssey 5'', '' Felicity'', ''Jake 2.0'', '' The Magicians ...

Henry Grubstick Henry Grubstick is a fictional character portrayed by Christopher Gorham and featured in American comedy-drama ''Ugly Betty''. It is known that Grubstick has Dutch ancestry, due to the episode " Betty's Wait Problem", so that Grubstick is a Du ...

* Max Greenfield as Nick Pepper *

Salma Hayek Salma Hayek Pinault ( , ; born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez; September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well as the ...

as Sofia Reyes *

Jowharah Jones Jowharah Jones (born 1982) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her television role as Nico Slater, daughter of Vanessa Williams' character, on the series ''Ugly Betty'', which she played in the first season (that role was pl ...

as Nico Slater * Judith Light as

Claire Meade Claire Meade is a fictional character in the American dramedy series ''Ugly Betty'', portrayed by Judith Light. Light's performance as Claire has resulted in a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series at t ...

* Jayma Mays as Charlie * Elizabeth Payne as the Masked Woman *

Stelio Savante Stelio Savante is a South African American actor, filmmaker and producer best known for his roles as a South African journalist and undercover Mossad agent opposite Jim Caviezel and Claudia Karvan in the political thriller ''Infidel'', a Portu ...

as Steve * Octavia Spencer as Constance Grady

Guest Cast

* Kristin Chenoweth as Diane *

Jesse Tyler Ferguson Jesse Tyler Ferguson (born October 22, 1975) is an American actor. From 2009 to 2020, he portrayed Mitchell Pritchett on the sitcom ''Modern Family'', for which he earned five consecutive nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding ...

as Dr. Gabe Farkus *

Rebecca Gayheart Rebecca Gayheart (born August 12, 1971) is an American actress and model. She began her career as a teen model in the 1980s and subsequently appeared in a student short film by Brett Ratner, with whom she had an extensive relationship. In the ea ...

as Jordan Dunn *

Kathy Griffin Kathleen Mary Griffin (born November 4, 1960) is an American comedian and actress who has starred in television comedy specials and has released comedy albums. In 2007 and 2008, Griffin won Primetime Emmy Awards for her reality show '' Kathy ...

as Fasion TV Host * Leslie Jordan as Quincy Combs * Lucy Liu as Grace Chin *

Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theater. She has won three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, two Grammy Awards, and was a 2006 inductee to the American Theater Hall of Fa ...

as Mrs. Weiner * Debi Mazar as Leah Feldman *

AnnaLynne McCord AnnaLynne McCord (born July 16, 1987) is an American actress, activist, and model. Known for playing vixen-type roles, McCord first gained prominence in 2007 as the scheming Eden Lord on the FX television series ''Nip/Tuck'', and as the pampe ...

as Petra * Katharine McPhee as herself *

Ivana Milicevic Ivana ( sr, Ивана) is a feminine given name of Slavic origin that is also popular in southern Ireland, France, French-speaking Canada, the Mediterranean and Latin America. It is the feminine form of the name Ivan, which are both the Slavic ...

as Lena *

Rita Moreno Rita Moreno (born Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano; December 11, 1931) is a Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer. Noted for her work across different areas of the entertainment industry, she has appeared in numerous film, television, and thea ...

as Aunt Mirta *

Jerry O’Connell Jerry O'Connell (born February 17, 1974) is an American actor and television host. He is known for his roles as Quinn Mallory in the television series ''Sliders'', Andrew Clements in ''My Secret Identity'', Vern Tessio in the film '' Stand by M ...

as Joel *

Martha Stewart Martha Helen Stewart (, ; born August 3, 1941) is an American retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing pub ...

as herself *

Liz Torres Elizabeth Larrieu Torres (born September 27, 1947) is an American actress, singer, and comedian. Torres is best known for her role as Mahalia Sanchez in the NBC comedy series ''The John Larroquette Show'' (1993–1996), for which she received two ...

as Evelyn * Lorraine Toussaint as Yoga *

Angélica Vale Angélica María Vale Hartman (born November 11, 1975), known professionally as Angélica Vale, is a Mexican-American actress, singer, impersonator, comedian, and radio personality, known also as the daughter of Angélica María, "La Novia de Me ...

as Angelica

Episodes

Notes: *"Swag" was originally scheduled to be aired as the 4th episode, but was moved to 11th by the network. The change resulted in a number of continuity problems, which were "fixed" by making most of the episode a flashback and adding scenes with Betty telling Christina the bulk of the story. In Italy, Denmark, Spain, India and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, the episode is retained as the 4th episode. *On the season 1 DVD box set, "Swag" is listed as episode 4, without the scenes of Betty talking to Christina in a flashback. Other noticeable changes on the DVD were the reversed order of the show's episode chronology: "The Box and the Bunny", which is the second episode, is listed as the third episode, having swapped places with "Queens for a Day". However, "The Box and the Bunny" should be the second episode.''''

Ratings

United States

In the following summary, "Rating" is the estimated percentage of all televisions tuned to the show, and "Share" is the percentage of all televisions ''in use'' that are tuned in, "viewers" is the estimated number of actual people watching, in millions, while "ranking" is the approximate ranking of the show against all prime-time TV shows for the week (Sunday to Saturday).

United Kingdom

''Ugly Betty'' was aired on Channel 4 on a usual time of Fridays at 9.00pm.

DVD release

The 23 episodes, along with bonus footage and unaired extras, are featured in "Ugly Betty: The Complete First Season — The Bettyfied Edition", which is distributed internationally by Buena Vista Home Entertainment. According t
TV Shows on DVD
BVHE released the six-disc set on August 21, 2007 and is available in regions 1 (United States and Canada), 2 (European territories) and 4 (Asia and Australia). The features include a look at the show's best and worst fashions, a Spanish audio track, a discussion with the cast on the show's origins, and a behind-the-scenes documentary with commentary from the production, set, and costume designers on the program. The discs are presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and have a total running time of 992 minutes/946 minutes R4. Among the features: * "Becoming Ugly" ** America Ferrera and the cast discuss what it means to get Bettyfied * "A La ''MODE''" ** Behind-the-scenes with production, set and costume designers to discover how the world of ''MODE'' was created * "Green is the New Black" ** See the high fashion of Manhattan and coziness of Queens all created on a Hollywood sound stage * Deleted scenes * Audio commentaries * Bloopers

Soundtrack

Despite never having a physical or digital release a soundtrack of the series. This music was used during the first season of the series. *

Suddenly I See "Suddenly I See" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall from her debut studio album, ''Eye to the Telescope'' (2004). It was inspired by New York singer and poet Patti Smith, whose album cover for ''Horses (album), Horses'' (1975) a ...

KT Tunstall Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall (born 23 June 1975) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. She first gained attention with a 2004 live solo performance of her song " Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on '' Later... with Jools Holland''. Th ...

* I Like It A Lot by Princess Superstar *

She Works Hard for the Money "She Works Hard for the Money" is a song by American singer Donna Summer from her album '' She Works Hard for the Money'' (1983). The song was written by Michael Omartian and Summer, and produced by the former. It was released as the lead singl ...

Donna Summer LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her mus ...

* Wanna Fly by Vassy * In The Car Crash by Swayzak * Love Me or Hate Me by Lady Sovereign * Buttons by Pussycat Dolls *

Hips Don't Lie "Hips Don't Lie" is a Latin pop and reggaeton song by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, featuring Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean, released by Epic Records in 2006 as the second single from the reissue of Shakira's seventh studio album, ''Oral Fixa ...

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...

* La Cubanita by

Los Ninos De Sara LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service (transportation), Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a ...

* Keep Ya Body Movin' by Dance Dance Revolution * Can I Get Get Get by

Junior Senior Junior Senior were a Danish pop duo. The duo consisted of Jesper "Junior" Mortensen (vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass guitar, drums, percussion) (born 7 February 1977) and Jeppe "Senior" Laursen (vocals, programming) (born 25 December 1975). T ...

* Beauty and the Beast by

Angela Lansbury Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American film, stage, and television actress. Her career spanned eight decades, much of it in the United States, and her work received a great deal ...

* Right Back Where We Started From by Maxine Nightingale * Machine Gun by The Commodores * Latin Lover by Lemon * Season of the Witch by Luna * Bad Girls by Donna Summuer *

The Glamorous Life "The Glamorous Life" is a song written by Prince, recorded by American percussionist Sheila E. and produced by both. The song has lyrics which reflect a cynicism for the decadence and materialism of the song's protagonist, referred to in the thi ...

Sheila E Sheila Cecilia Escovedo (born December 12, 1957) better known under the stage name Sheila E., is an American percussionist and singer. She began her career in the mid-1970s as a percussionist and singer for The George Duke Band. After leaving t ...

* A Marshmallow World by

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

* Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town by

The Chipmunks Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally David Seville and the Chipmunks or simply The Chipmunks, are an American animated virtual band and media franchise first created by Ross Bagdasarian for novelty records in 1958. The group consists of three s ...

* Mambo Santa Mambo by

The Enchanters ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

* Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (Red Baron Remix) by Berlin Symphony Orchestra * Love Theme by

Jeff Beal Jeff Beal (born June 20, 1963) is an American composer of music for film, television, recordings, and the concert hall. Highly regarded as a jazz instrumentalist and versatile composer, Beal creates music that often incorporates a synthesis of im ...

* Broken heart by Jeff Beal * Bebot by

Black Eyed Peas Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo (rapper), Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie (singer ...

* We Share Our Mother's Health by The Knife * 9 to 5 by Lady Sovereign * The Weekend by Michael Gray * I Got You Babe by Sonny and Cher * Lovely 2 C U by Goldfrapp * Because I'm Awesome by

The Dollyrots The Dollyrots are an American punk rock band formed in 2000, composed of wife Kelly Ogden (bass, lead vocals) and husband Luis Cabezas (guitar, backing vocals). They have released six studio albums and are currently under their own label, Arrest ...

* Fame by

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

* Shake by Mainline * Ooh by Scissor Sisters *

I Know What Boys Like "I Know What Boys Like" is a song written by guitarist Chris Butler in 1978, while he was still a member of the rock band Tin Huey. It was recorded by Butler and released as a single in 1980, but beyond some club success, it did not appear on an ...

by The Waitresses * Kiss And Say Goodbye by Steve Brookstein * Tomorrow by

Aileen Quinn Aileen Marie Quinn (born June 28, 1971) is an American actress, singer and dancer. She is best known for her role as the title character in the 1982 film ''Annie''. Early life Quinn was born on June 28, 1971, and raised in Yardley, Pennsylvani ...

* What Goes Around...Comes Around by

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

* Super Freak by Rick James * You Give Me Something by James Morrison * Do Right Man by

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

Turn to Real Life Turn may refer to: Arts and entertainment Dance and sports * Turn (dance and gymnastics), rotation of the body * Turn (swimming), reversing direction at the end of a pool * Turn (professional wrestling), a transition between face and heel * Turn, ...

Shiny Toy Guns Shiny Toy Guns is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 2002. The band is composed of guitarist/vocalist Chad Petree, vocalist Carah Faye Charnow, keyboardist Jeremy Dawson, and drummer Mikey Martin. Their first studio alb ...

Boys Wanna Be Her "Boys Wanna Be Her" is a song written and recorded by the Canadian artist Peaches, released as the second single from her third full-length album, ''Impeach My Bush''. Track listing # "Boys Wanna Be Her" – 3:57 # "Boys Wanna Be Her" (The Flami ...

by Peaches * Orange Sky by Alexi Murdoch * Chariots of Fire by

Vangelis Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou ( el, Ευάγγελος Οδυσσέας Παπαθανασίου ; 29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), known professionally as Vangelis ( ; el, Βαγγέλης, links=no ), was a Greek composer and arranger of ...

* I Am Ready by

Counting Crows Counting Crows is an American rock band from San Francisco, California. Formed in 1991, the band consists of guitarist David Bryson, drummer Jim Bogios, vocalist Adam Duritz, keyboardist Charlie Gillingham, David Immerglück, bass guitarist Mil ...

* Colorblind by Counting Crows * Grace Kelly by

Mika Mika is a given name, a nickname and a surname. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People known just as Mika * Mika (singer) (born 1983), Lebanese-born British singer-songwriter Michael Penniman, Jr. * Mika (footbal ...

* Here I Come by Fergie * Hot Like Wow by Space Cowboy Feat. Nadia Oh * Running Away by Space Cowboy Feat. Nadia Oh * Glamorous (Space Cowboy Remix) by Fergie * We Luv You by Unkle Jam * Mas Que Nada by

Sergio Mendes Sergio may refer to: * Sergio (given name), for people with the given name Sergio * Sergio (carbonado), the largest rough diamond ever found * ''Sergio'' (album), a 1994 album by Sergio Blass * ''Sergio'' (2009 film), a documentary film * ''Se ...

feat. The Black Eyed Peas * Departure by William Bradford Mersereau Jr. * Eye of the Tiger by

Survivor Survivor(s) may refer to: Actual survivors * *Last survivors of historical events Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Survivors, characters in the 1997 ''KKnD'' video-game series * ''The Survivors'', or the ''New Survivors Found ...

* This is Not a Test by

Oppenheimer Oppenheimer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: In arts and media * Alan Oppenheimer (born 1930), American film actor * Andrés Oppenheimer (born 1951), Argentine author and journalist known for his analysis of Latin American p ...

* We Will Rock You by

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

* Sonido Total by Pinker Tones * La Gallina by Ozomatli * The Way We Were by Dave Koz feat. Vanessa L. Williams

References

{{GoldenGlobeTVComedy 1990–2009 Ugly Betty 2006 American television seasons 2007 American television seasons