Telenovelas Set In Pernambuco
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A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' (Philippines), '' téléroman'' (Canada, specifically Quebec), and '' sinetron'' (Indonesia). Commonly described using the American colloquialism Spanish soap opera, many telenovelas share some stylistic and thematic similarities to the soap opera familiar to the English-speaking world. The significant difference is their series run length; telenovelas tell one self-contained story, typically within the span of a year or less whereas soap operas tend to have intertwined storylines told during indefinite, continuing runs. This makes them shorter than most other television series, but still much longer than a
miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...
. This planned run results in a faster-paced, more concise style of melodrama compared to a typical soap opera. Episodes of telenovelas usually last between 30 and 45 minutes, and rarely more than an hour, except for final episodes. The telenovela combines drama with the 19th-century '' feuilleton'', and naturally evolved from the Latin American radionovela, according to Blanca de Lizaur. The medium has been used frequently by authorities in various countries to transmit sociocultural messages by incorporating them into storylines. By the 1950s, Brazil became one of the first countries to produce novelas with high budgets and aimed both to the national and international markets. Mexico soon followed, and by the 1970s and 1980s the country started to engage more profusely in using telenovelas to shape behavior. This was particularly successful in introducing the idea of family planning. The 1990s played a key role in the international export of telenovelas, thus the so-called 'Telenovela Craze' that spread in many regions in the world. By 2018, some signs of fading popularity had emerged.


History

Brazil is considered the pioneer of the telenovela genre. In 1951 Brazil produced '' Sua vida me pertence'' ("Your Life Belongs to Me"), the first telenovela in the world. In 1952 Cuba released ''Senderos de amor'' ("Paths of Love") and Mexico released '' Ángeles de la calle'' ("Angels of the Street"), shown once a week. Between 1957 and 1958 Mexico produced its first drama serial in the modern telenovela format of Monday to Friday slots, '' Senda prohibida'' ("Forbidden Path"), written by Fernanda Villeli. The first global telenovela was '' Los ricos también lloran'' ("The Rich Also Cry", Mexico, 1979), which was exported to Russia, China, the United States and other countries.


Genres

Telenovelas tend to fall within these seven categories: *Working-class melodrama, which is the most popular to date, easy to understand and contains less explicit content. This is heavily reliant of the common rags-to-riches plot, typically featuring a poor woman who falls in love with a rich man whose family spurns her, such as the ''Las Tres Marias'' ("Maria Trilogy", 1992, 1994 and 1995). *Historical romance is set in the past, such as the colonial period (''Martín Garatuza'', 1986), the restoration of the Republic (''El carruaje'' "The Carriage", 1972), the late 19th Century (''El vuelo del águila'' "The Flight of The Eagle", 1994) the
Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...
(''Bodas de odio'' "Weddings of Hate", 1982), and the 20th-century military dictatorships (such as ''
Anos Rebeldes ''Anos Rebeldes'' (''Rebel Years'') was a popular telenovela which first aired on the Brazilian television Rede Globo on July 14, 1992. It was the first serial drama to highlight themes and stories of political violence and the repressed who were ...
'' "Rebellious Years", 1992) *Teen drama, which portrays the lives of high school teenagers and their issues with sex, drugs and other coming-of-age topics. This genre started with ''Quinceañera'' in 1987. *Mystery/thriller is a category of telenovela that is more cold-hearted than the other subgenres. It may portray a mysterious death or disappearance, which may tear couples, even families apart, such as ''Cuna de Lobos'' ("Wolves Crib"), ''La Casa al Final de la Calle'' ("The House at the Street End"), ''La Mujer de Judas'' ("The Woman of Judas"), ''¿Dónde está Elisa?'' ("Where's Elisa?"), ''El Rostro de la Venganza'' ("The Face of Revenge") or ''La Casa de al Lado'' ("The House Next Door"). Chile has produced this genre. *Horror is a subgenre of telenovelas that is rarer than the rest, it can deal with anything of the
horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction ** Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction **Korean horror, Korean horror fiction * Horror film, a film genre *Horror comics, comic books focusing o ...
genre, but the majority of these telenovelas deal with the themes of the
supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
like
demons A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, anime, ...
, witchcraft,
ghosts A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...
, and the
occult The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...
. It is one of the few subgenres that use special effects. It always portrays the main protagonist trying to find out the truth while at the same time confronting frightening events and the main antagonist which is always a witch or a warlock, demon, evil or vengeful ghost, or the devil itself such as El maleficio, El Extraño Retorno de Diana Salazar, and La chacala. *Romantic comedy, which portrays love stories with some or much comedy such as ''Las tontas no van al cielo'' "Fools Don't Go to Heaven" or '' Yo soy Betty, la fea'' (the most successful telenovela in history). *Pop band story portrays the lives of aspiring popstars such as in '' Alcanzar una estrella'' ("Reaching a Star", 1990) and its sequel '' Alcanzar una estrella II'' (1991), as well as '' Rebelde'' (2004), which spawned a multi-platinum pop group, RBD. Some, though not all, of these type of telenovelas are geared towards a teenage and/or pre-teen audience. *Narcotraffic Recently narcotrafficer telenovelas have become frequently produced. Besides these, another category of series that has become popular in recent years is the youth telenovela, which borrows some elements of the teen drama format but is usually more family-oriented in structure, contains comedic elements and sometimes maintains a high concept or
supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
plotline (such as '' 11:11: En mi cuadra, nada cuadra'' and '' Chica vampiro''). Telenovelas have geographically diverged into two major groups – the Latinovelas, and the Asianovelas, portmanteaus of Latin and Asian with ''novelas''. Telenovelas, in particular, are the most popular non-English-speaking scripted forms of entertainment in the world to date. Novelas made in Spain and the Spanish-speaking Americas are widely popular in spanish-speaking countries and communities. Novelas made in Portugal and Brazil are highly popular in Lusophone countries, with Angolan novelas also making their way recently. Some novelas also have a huge following in Europe's Mediterranean and eastern countries, as well as in Asia and Oceania. Latinovelas are primarily responsible for the telenovela trend in regions outside of Latin America, which is known as the biggest producer of telenovelas up until the early 2000s. The Asianovelas are dominating television programming through most of Africa and Eurasia, and have recently made inroads in the Latinovelas-dominated television in the Americas. In the Arab world, telenovelas are very popular with families taking breaks during the day from midday onward to watch these shows, whose content often reflects many of the moral and social issues faced in cultures like Morocco, Algeria and Egypt. The medium has been used repeatedly to transmit sociocultural messages by incorporating them into storylines.


Millennial telenovela

In the 2010s, the terms "millennial telenovela" and "modern telenovela" have been coined to describe an emerging genre related to the telenovela. Based in the same culture, the target audience is much younger (the
millennials Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the Western demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000 ...
); the typical storylines and melodrama were recreated to better appeal to this demographic. Commenters have written that a millennial telenovela will contain many of the following themes: it fits into contemporary politics and culture; has positive representations of LGBT+ people when present; features themes of female empowerment and the sexualization of the male body; involves use of social media; presents characters of moral ambiguity rather than in black and white, and with more complexity; contains intentionally comedic moments; and is centered on an unconventional family. Though the term "millennial telenovela" was first used in 2016 when
BuzzFeed BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Ken ...
and Telemundo co-produced a short series to cater for the emerging Latin American millennial market, it became more widely used in 2018 after the success of the Netflix black comedy ''The House of Flowers''. The development of the genre may be a response to a controversial market practice of importing telenovelas to US channels, with a Univision and Televisa deal having to be renegotiated when traditional telenovelas fell in popularity around 2016; at this point, the majority of Hispanic people in the US were millennials, and "drawn to edgier and more fast-paced programs than traditional telenovelas." Though Univision did not start making its own hybrid shows, they began investing in online and multimedia programming, and bought into Netflix's original Mexican programming. ;Series described as millennial telenovelas * '' Jane the Virgin'' * ''Much Ado About Nada'' * ''The House of Flowers'' * '' Luis Miguel: The Series''


Major producers of telenovelas

Some of the world's major producers of telenovelas include the following: *North America **United States *** Telemundo, Univision **Canada *** CBC (
Ici Radio-Canada Télé Ici Radio-Canada Télé (formerly known as Télévision de Radio-Canada) is a Canadian French-language free-to-air television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (known in French as Société Radio-Canada), the national pub ...
), TVA, Noovo,
TFO TFO is a Canadian French language educational television channel and media organization serving the province of Ontario. It is owned by the Ontario French-language Educational Communications Authority (OTELFO), a Crown corporation owned by the ...
*Latin America **Argentina *** Telefe, El Trece, Pol-Ka, Underground Producciones **Brazil ***
Globo Globo (meaning ''globe'' in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian) may refer to: *Grupo Globo, a Brazilian conglomerate primarily in mass media **TV Globo, a television network ***GloboNews, a television 24-hour news channel ***Globo (Portuguese TV cha ...
, RecordTV, SBT, Band,
Manchete Rede Manchete (; lit.: Headline Network; also known as TV Manchete or only Manchete) was a Brazilian television network that was founded in Rio de Janeiro on 5 June 1983 by the Ukrainian-Brazilian journalist and businessman Adolpho Bloch. The ne ...
(defunct),
Tupi Tupi may refer to: * Tupi people of Brazil * Tupi or Tupian languages, spoken in South America ** Tupi language, an extinct Tupian language spoken by the Tupi people * Tupi oil field off the coast of Brazil * Tupi Paulista, a Brazilian municipalit ...
(defunct) and Excelsior (defunct) **Chile *** TVN, Canal 13,
Mega Mega or MEGA may refer to: Science * mega-, a metric prefix denoting 106 * Mega (number), a certain very large integer in Steinhaus–Moser notation * "mega-" a prefix meaning "large" that is used in taxonomy * Gravity assist, for ''Moon-Earth ...
, Chilevisión **Colombia *** Caracol, RTI, RCN **Ecuador *** Ecuavisa, TC Televisión **Mexico *** Televisa, TV Azteca,
Argos Comunicación Argos Comunicación is a television and film production company owned by Epigmenio Ibarra based in Mexico City. Profile The company started as the telenovela-production unit for TV Azteca with '' Nada personal'' and has since then produced many ...
**Peru *** América Televisión,
ATV ATV may refer to: Broadcasting * Amateur television *Analog television Television stations and companies * Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra * ATV (Armenia) * ATV (Aruba), NBC affiliate * ATV (Australian TV station), Melbourne * ATV (Austria) * AT ...
, Inka Visión **Puerto Rico *** WAPA-TV, WKAQ-TV **Venezuela *** Venevisión,
RCTV Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV) was a Venezuelan free-to-air television network headquartered in the Caracas neighborhood of Quinta Crespo. It was sometimes referred to as the Canal de Bárcenas. Owned by Empresas 1BC, Radio Caracas Televisió ...
(defunct), Marte TV, VTV, Televen *Europe **Spain *** Telecinco,
Antena 3 Antena 3 may refer to: * Antena 3 (Portugal), a national radio channel produced by the Portuguese public broadcasting entity Rádio e Televisão de Portugal *Antena 3 (Romania), a Romanian television channel owned by Intact Media Group *Antena 3 (Sp ...
, EITB (in Basque),
TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to: Television *Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso *Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala *Channel 3 (Algeria), a public Algerian TV channel owned by EPTV ...
(in Catalan) **Portugal *** RTP, TVI, SIC **Germany *** ARD (
Das Erste Das Erste (; "The First") is the flagship national television channel of the ARD association of public broadcasting corporations in Germany. ''Das Erste'' is jointly operated by the nine regional public broadcasting corporations that are member ...
), ZDF,
ProSieben ProSieben (, ''sieben'' is German for "seven"; often stylized as Pro7) is a German free-to-air television network owned by ProSiebenSat.1 Media. It was launched on 1 January 1989. It is Germany's second-largest privately owned television company ...
,
Sat.1 Sat.1 is a German free-to-air television channel that is a part of the ProSiebenSat.1 Media Group. It is considered the first privately owned television network in Germany, having been launched in January 1984 as ''PKS'' ''(Programmgesellschaf ...
, RTL **Croatia *** HRT, RTL, Nova TV **Serbia *** RTS, BK TV,
Prva Prva (; sr-Cyrl, Прва) or Prva Srpska Televizija ( sr-Cyrl, Прва српска телевизија, lit=First Serbian Television), is a Serbian commercial television network with national coverage. Launched on 31 December 2006 at 7&nbs ...
, Pink **Russia *** Channel One Russia, STS, NTV, VGTRK, Peretz, TNT, REN TV, TV-3 *Asia **Philippines *** ABS-CBN, GMA, TV5 **East Timor *** RTTL **Turkey ***
TRT The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT; Turkish : ) is the national public broadcaster of Turkey, founded in 1964. TRT was for many years the only television and radio provider in Turkey. Before the introduction of commercial radio i ...
, Kanal D, Star TV,
ATV ATV may refer to: Broadcasting * Amateur television *Analog television Television stations and companies * Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra * ATV (Armenia) * ATV (Aruba), NBC affiliate * ATV (Australian TV station), Melbourne * ATV (Austria) * AT ...
, Show TV, Kanal 7, TV8, Samanyolu TV (defunct) **South Korea *** KBS, MBC, SBS, tvN, OCN, JTBC, Channel A, MBN, TV Chosun **Thailand *** Channel 3,
Channel 7 Channel 7 or TV7 may refer to: Television networks, channels and stations ;Algeria *TV7 (Algerian TV channel) ; Argentina *Channel 7 (Argentina), a government-owned Argentine TV station * Channel 7 – Bahía Blanca, an Argentine TV station in Bue ...
, Channel 8, One 31, GMM 25 **Pakistan ***
Hum TV Hum TV is a 24-hour Urdu General Entertainment TV channel based in Karachi, Pakistan. It was founded by Sultana Siddiqui and Duraid Qureshi. It is owned by Hum Network Limited and traded on Pakistan Stock Exchange as (HUMNL). Hum Network Limi ...
, Geo TV,
Geo Entertainment ''Geo Entertainment HD'' or Geo Drama is a Pakistani entertainment television channel owned by Geo Television Network was established in May 2002. Its test transmission started on 14 August 2002 on the PAS 10 digital satellite whereas on 1 Octob ...
, PTV **India ***
Zee TV Zee TV (stylised as ZEE TV) is a Hindi general entertainment pay television channel in India. It was launched on 2 October 1992, as the first privately owned TV channel in the country. It is owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Zee TV also ...
, &TV, Zee Bangla, Zee Punjabi, Zee Telugu, Zee Kannada, Zee Tamil, ZEE5, Zindagi Sony Entertainment Television,
Sony SAB Sony SAB (formerly SAB TV) is an Indian pay television channel owned by Culver Max Entertainment. History Sony SAB was launched as SAB TV by Gautam Adhikari and Markand Adhikari under their company Sri Adhikari Brothers (thus the acronym) on ...
,
Colors TV Colors TV is an Indian general entertainment broadcast network owned by Viacom18. The network's programming consists of family dramas, comedies, youth-oriented reality shows, shows on crime and television films. History It was launched on 2 ...
, Colors Bangla, Colors Marathi, Colors Tamil, DD Metro, DD National,
StarPlus StarPlus is an Indian Hindi language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly ''Star India''), a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. The network's programming consists of Soap opera, family dramas, ...
, Hotstar,
Life OK Life OK was an Indian pay television channel owned by Star India. It was launched on 18 December 2011 replacing Star One. It also started airing in the United States on 1 March 2012, and in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 28 May of that same ...
, Star One, Star Vijay,
Star Bharat Star Bharat is an Indian Hindi language General Entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly ''Star India''), a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. It telecasts dramas, crime and comedy shows. The channel was l ...
, Star Jalsha, Sun TV, Sahara One,
Gemini TV Gemini TV is an Indian Telugu language general entertainment pay television channel. It was launched on 9 February 1995 by Gemini Group, owned by A. Manohar Prasad (grandson of L. V. Prasad), in association with Sun TV Network. In 1996-97, Sun ...
, Imagine TV, ALTBalaji, Asianet


Telenovelas by country


Argentina

Argentina's telenovelas generally focus on melodramatic twists of traditional middle class life, with touches of comedy. Many telenovelas are broadcast by the main television networks, Canal 13 and Telefe. Many popular "youth telenovelas", aimed primarily at children and teenagers, are produced in Argentina. Several youth telenovelas have become hits in other countries, where they have been
remade Bas-Lag is the fictional world in which several of English author China Miéville's novels are set. Bas-Lag is a world where both magic (referred to as "thaumaturgy") and steampunk technology exist, and is home to many intelligent races. It is inf ...
or rebroadcast. Some well known youth telenovelas include ''
Chiquititas ''Chiquititas'' (literally translated as "Little Girls", known in English as ''Tiny Angels'') is a children's musical Argentina, Argentine soap opera, created and produced by Cris Morena. It starred Morena's daughter Romina Yan and Agustina Cher ...
'' ("Tiny Angels"), '' Rebelde Way'', '' Floricienta'', Muñeca Brava ("Wild Angel"), Violetta and '' Patito Feo'' ("Ugly Duckling").


Bolivia

:''See
Red ATB ''Red ATB'' (Asociación Teledifusora Boliviana) is a television channel in Bolivia. Its origins date back to 20 October 1984 in La Paz, when Paceña de Television (Channel 9) began broadcasting. In the late 1980s the name was changed to ATB and ...
,
Bolivisión Bolivisión is a commercial Bolivian television station based in Santa Cruz. The channel was launched on June 17, 1997.Unitel Bolivia, Safipro and TeleArte.'' In
Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
, themes of drama, romance, music, natural landscapes, remote situations and adventure are common. Some are based on novels, historical and factual events. Such melodramas produced in Bolivia include '' Las Tres Perfectas Solteras'', ''
Indira __NOTOC__ Indira may refer to: People * Indira (name) Films and books * ''Indira'', an 1873 novella by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee * Indira (film), ''Indira'' (film), directed by Suhasini Manirathnam * Indira (1989 film), ''Indira'' (1989 film), a ...
'', ''
Tierra Adentro Tierra may refer to: Astronomy *Earth in the Spanish and Asturian language Computing and games * Tierra (computer simulation), a computer simulation of life by the ecologist Thomas S. Ray * Tierra Entertainment, now known as AGD Interactive, a ...
'', '' La Virgen de las 7 calles'', ''
Luna de Locos Luna commonly refers to: * Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin * Luna (goddess), the ancient Roman personification of the Moon Luna may also refer to: Places Philippines * Luna, Apayao * Luna, Isabela * Luna, La Union * Luna, San Jose Romania ...
'' and ''
Tres de Nosotras Tres may refer to: * Tres (instrument), a Cuban musical instrument * Tres, Trentino, municipality in Italy * "Tres" (song) by Juanes * "Tres", a song by Líbido from their album '' Hembra'' * TrES, the ''Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey'' * Templ ...
''. The country has made over 15 telenovelas so far, and most of the productions take place in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The majority of telenovelas shown on domestic television networks are international productions (imported from Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Mexico). A lot of Bolivian telenovelas are produced by independent producers, since many producers are more dedicated to the country's film industry.


Brazil

:''See TV Globo, RecordTV, Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão, Rede Bandeirantes, Rede Manchete and
Rede Tupi Rede Tupi (; in English, Tupi Network) was a Brazilian television network free-to-air. Its parent broadcaster, located in the city of São Paulo, was the first TV station to operate in the country, being inaugurated on 18 September 1950 by jo ...
'' Brazilian telenovelas (more often "novelas") are both more realistic and apt to broach controversial subjects. These programs tend to showcase realistic depictions of middle class, working class and upper class individuals in society. Brazilian productions are the highest-budget telenovelas in South America. '' Escrava Isaura'' (1976) was a major hit in South America, the Eastern Bloc, Africa and China. ''Novelas'' usually last six to eight months at most in Brazil. One of the longest-running telenovelas in the country, however, is the teen-oriented '' Malhação'' (''Young Hearts''), which had aired from 1995 until 2020; as such, it is commonly classified as a Western-format soap opera instead. Brazilian telenovelas often have convoluted subplots involving three or four different settings. Usually, there is a rich setting, a poor setting and one or more settings in which the characters of both settings can interact. There is no clear-cut line between "good" and "evil" characters, with protagonists often displaying weaknesses such as
promiscuity Promiscuity is the practice of engaging in sexual activity frequently with different Sexual partner, partners or being indiscriminate in the choice of sexual partners. The term can carry a moral judgment. A common example of behavior viewed as pro ...
, drinking,
drug abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...
, stupidity and excessive ambition, among others. Antagonists equally show positive features or motivations, including abuses suffered in the past, family problems and poverty. It is not uncommon for a villain to attract the sympathy of the public, or even to have their storylines conclude with a satisfactory ending. For instance, in the novela '' Belíssima'' ("Most Beautiful") in 2006, villainess Bia Falcão (played by
Fernanda Montenegro Arlette Pinheiro Esteves Torres ONM (née da Silva; born 16 October 1929), known by her stage name Fernanda Montenegro ( /feʁˈnɐ̃dɐ mõtʃiˈnegɾu/), is a Brazilian stage, television and film actress. Considered by many the greatest Brazil ...
) escaped a police siege and fled to France, where she settled with a boyfriend, living using a secret bank account in Switzerland that she had maintained prior. As well as this, it is not uncommon for a hero to be relegated to a secondary role due to an actor's lack of charisma. Besides the convoluted plots, Brazilian telenovelas also approach sensitive social issues and try to present some of the country's actual culture, occasionally in an idealized way. Another important characteristic of Brazilian telenovelas is that they rely less on individual stars than other South American works. A Brazilian telenovela may have a permanent cast of more than 40 actors, of which some seven or eight are considered "central" to the show. The chief reason for this is that telenovelas are not shot in advance (instead chapters are shot around two weeks before their airdate) so that they can respond to public reaction. Under this scheme, the occasional death or poor performance of the actor playing the main character may turn the production into a flop, which happened with the 1982 telenovela '' Sol de Verão'' ("Summer Sun") after the death of main star Jardel Filho and in 2016, in '' Velho Chico'' ("Old River"), after the death of lead-actor
Domingos Montagner Domingos Montagner Filho (26 February 1962 – 15 September 2016) was a Brazilian actor, playwright and entrepreneur. He began his career in theaters and circuses, through the course of interpretation of Myriam Muniz. In 1997, Montagner formed La ...
.


Canada

:''See Culture of Quebec, Television of Quebec and Television in Canada'' In Canada, telenovelas are known as ''téléromans'' in French and are a part of the culture of the Francophone province of Quebec. Nearly all television stations in the country that broadcast in the French language carry téléromans. The first téléroman was '' La famille Plouffe'' ("The Plouffe Family"), which was broadcast on Radio-Canada in the 1950s. The téléroman was created during the earliest days of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's television network, when CBC was the only television network in Canada (as per the 1949
Massey Commission The Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences, otherwise known as the Massey Commission, chaired by Vincent Massey, was founded in 1949. The Massey Commission examined Canada's cultural needs. Massey had long belie ...
). Whereas theoretically, CBC's main English-language television network could broadcast English-language shows from American stations (and also was forced to compete with U.S. television networks), CBC's Radio-Canada network had to develop its own programmes for
French-Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fr ...
viewers. As a consequence, Francophone television in Canada developed differently from Anglophone television. In 2003, Ontario's provincial French-language public television service,
TFO TFO is a Canadian French language educational television channel and media organization serving the province of Ontario. It is owned by the Ontario French-language Educational Communications Authority (OTELFO), a Crown corporation owned by the ...
, began broadcasting the first
Franco-Ontarian Franco-Ontarians (french: Franco-Ontariens or if female, sometimes known as ''Ontarois'' and ''Ontaroises'') are Francophone Canadians that reside in the province of Ontario. Most are French Canadians from Ontario. In 2016, the Government of On ...
téléroman, '' Francoeur''. Beginning with its tenth season in 2010, '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' was produced and broadcast in a style similar to the telenovelas format. This lasted until episode 21 of the twelfth season in 2012. '' Degrassi: Next Class'' also adapts this format for its broadcast on Family Channel.


Chile

Chilean telenovelas typically focus on both traditional drama and middle-class life, with some touches of comedy. Often, these programs show life outside of the capital, like with the TVN novela ''
Iorana ''Iorana'' (Rapanui: ''Hello'' and ''Goodbye'') is a Chilean telenovela produced by TVN. It was written by Fernando Aragón, Arnaldo Madrid, Hugo Morales and Nona Fernández. Directed by Vicente Sabatini, Patricio González and Rodrigo Sepúlveda ...
'' (which took place on Easter Island). Telenovelas in the country are usually produced and broadcast by Canal 13, and the public broadcaster Televisión Nacional de Chile (TVN), which debut their main telenovelas in March each year with a few days between their premiere dates, which have led marketing to a "telenovela war" of sorts. Lately, other Chilean television networks such as
Mega Mega or MEGA may refer to: Science * mega-, a metric prefix denoting 106 * Mega (number), a certain very large integer in Steinhaus–Moser notation * "mega-" a prefix meaning "large" that is used in taxonomy * Gravity assist, for ''Moon-Earth ...
and Chilevisión are joining the so-called "telenovela war". Many of the most successful telenovelas in Chile are set in a historical era such as '' Pampa Ilusión'' (1935), '' El Señor de la Querencia'' (1920), ''Los Pincheira'' (1918), ''
Secretos en el jardín ''Secretos en el jardín'' (lit: ''Secrets in the garden''), also known as ''Secrets In The City'', is a Chilean television series created by Julio Rojas and Matías Ovalle, that aired on Canal 13 from November 24, 2013, to June 9, 2014, starrin ...
'' (1981) or ''
Perdona Nuestros pecados ''Rosso relativo'' is Tiziano Ferro's debut album, released in autumn of 2001 in Italy and EU. The album was later released in the rest of the world in 2002 and 2003. The first single of the album was " Xdono", which became a #1 hit in his home c ...
'' (1953–1961).


Colombia

:''See Caracol TV, RTI Colombia, and RCN TV''
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
n telenovelas such as '' Betty la fea'' ("Betty, the ugly one") often focus on comedic storylines. However, some are of a more realistic vein or are adaptations of novels. The first Colombian telenovela was '' El 0597 está ocupado'', produced in 1959 by the '' programadora'' Producciones PUNCH. From then until the late 1990s arrival of private television in the country, a variety of ''programadoras'' produced and aired their own telenovelas, such as those from Colombiana de Televisión, TeVecine,
Cenpro Televisión Cenpro Televisión was a Colombian ''programadora'' that operated between 1969 and 2000. History In 1973, Cenpro used Japanese equipment to produce Colombia's first color television broadcast, during an educational seminar. However, regular color t ...
(the producer of '' Perro amor'', which was popular in the late 1990s). Telenovelas produced by RTI Colombia and Telemundo are usually shown and produced on Caracol, while Televideo and
Fox Telecolombia TIS S.A. (also known as The Independent Studios and formerly known as Fox Telecolombia and TeleColombia S.A.) is a major Colombian television production company in Spanish, founded in 1995 as the ''programadora'' Producciones Bernardo Romero ...
produce some of RCN's telenovelas. Caracol and RCN also produce and broadcast their own shows. Currently, four or five Colombian telenovelas are usually broadcast from 6:00 to around 11:00 p.m. on those networks. It is notable that many novelas designed and written by Colombians sell outside the country well, as a prime export. Other countries then localize them by creating novelas based on the same story, barely changing names, settings and, more often than not, mixing the cast with Colombian actors to respect ownership/property agreements and copyright laws. One fine example is ''Betty, la fea'' (adapted by ABC in the United States as '' Ugly Betty'') in which the franchise for the storyline was translated and adapted by over 30 networks around the world.


Croatia

The first Croatian telenovela was '' Villa Maria'', made in 2004 by AVA Production. After Villa Maria, AVA made ''
Ljubav u zaleđu Ljubav may refer to: * ''Ljubav'' (Ekatarina Velika album), 1987 * ''Ljubav'' (Trigger album), 2007 {{Disambiguation ...
'' (2005–2006), '' Obični ljudi'' (2006–2007), ''
Ponos Ratkajevih Ponos or Ponus (Ancient Greek: Πόνος ''Pónos'') is the personification of hardship or toil. Family Hesiod According to Hesiod's ''Theogony'' (226–232), "painful" Ponos was the child of Eris (Strife), with no father, and the brother of ...
'' (2007–2008) and ''
Zakon ljubavi "Zakon ljubavi" (literally, ''The law of love'') is a Croatian telenovela, which began screening on 22 September 2008 on Nova TV. The series was created by Roman Majetić and Nikola Ivanda, while the story was written by Jelena Veljača and N ...
'' (2008). Telenovelas made by AVA were aired in more than 25 countries. With Serbian FOX Televizija, RTL Televizija made Serbo-Croatian version of '' Yo soy Betty, la fea'' called ''
Ne daj se, Nina ''Ne daj se, Nina'' (''Don't Give Up, Nina'') is a Croatian and Serbian television series, a re-made version of Colombian television series ''Yo soy Betty, la fea''. The show had its premiere on 29 October 2007 in Serbia, on Fox televizija. RTL ...
'' (2007). After that RTL made '' Ruža vjetrova'' (2011–2013), '' Tajne'' (2013–2014), ''
Vatre ivanjske ''Vatre ivanjske'' (''Midsummer Fires'') is a Croatian telenovela produced by RTL Televizija. It is an original story, produced in 2014, and starring Nevena Ristić, Slaven Španović Slaven Španović (born 23 August 1988) is a Croatian act ...
'' (2014-2015) and '' Prava žena'' (2016–2017). Ring Multimedia production made ''
Sve će biti dobro SVE may refer to: * Scalable vector extension, a feature of microprocessor ARM architecture * Société de Véhicules Electriques, a joint venture for the development of hybrid vehicles * Soil vapor extraction, an ''in situ'' process for soil re ...
'' (2008–2009), ''
Dolina sunca ''Dolina Sunca'' was a Croatian soap opera that aired on Croatian Radiotelevision from 2009 to 2010. Plot Eva Kralj, a beautiful widow, wishing to start a new life, moves from Zagreb to the lively place of Jablanovo. Upon arrival in Jablanovo, Eva ...
'' (2009–2010) and '' Pod sretnom zvijezdom'' (2011) for Nova TV. Nova TV itself made some telenovelas too: '' Najbolje godine'' (2009–2011), '' Larin izbor'' (2011–2013), ''
Zora dubrovačka ''Zora dubrovačka'' (''Dawn of Dubrovnik'') is a Croatian telenovela produced by Nova TV. It is an original story, produced in 2013, and starring Barbara Bilić, Boris Ler and Vanessa Radman. The series, set during the 1991-92 Siege of D ...
'' (2013–2014), '' Kud puklo da puklo'' (2014–2016), ''
Zlatni dvori Zlatni dvori (Golden Palace) is a Croatian telenovela produced by Nova TV. It is an original story, produced in 2016, and starring Katarina Baban, Matko Knešaurek as main protagonists, Petra Kraljev and Ivan Herceg co-star, while Ana Majhen ...
'' (2016–2017) and ''
Čista ljubav ''Čista ljubav'' (), is a Croatian television drama. The show was created by Nataša Buljan and first broadcast on Nova TV on 10 September 2017. Cast {, class="wikitable sortable" , - bgcolor=“#CCCCCC” ! Actor , , Character , - , ...
'' (2017–2018). Croatian telenovelas by AVA Production are very popular in Serbia too, so AVA created a branch office, AVA Film, in Serbia. AVA Film's first project is a Serbian telenovela called '' Zaustavi vreme''.


Dominican Republic

Television networks in the Dominican Republic have started to produce their own novelas through Venevision International, Iguana Productions and Antena Latina Productions. The first Dominican telenovela, ''María José, oficios del hogar'' ("María José, Housewife"), was produced by Venevision and television station Color Visión, which formed the first Dominican telenovela company (now inactive) in 1986. Comedy-drama series such as ''Catalino el Dichoso'' and sequel ''En La Boca de los Tiburones'' were also considered telenovelas during the early 1990s. The telenovela '' Tropico'' was produced by Venevision International, Iguana Productions, and Antena Latina Productions, in 2007 with mostly Dominican actors and a few from Venezuela and Peru. It aired domestically on Antena Latina 7 and in United States on Univision. There are currently plans for more telenovelas to be filmed and produced in the Dominican Republic.


Germany

:''See Bavaria Film Studios, Studio Hamburg Serienwerft and Grundy UFA'' In 2004, Germany began producing its own telenovelas. All German telenovelas are formatted as melodramatic love stories. With the exception of '' Storm of Love'' ("Sturm der Liebe"), which is produced by Bavaria Film Studios, and '' Rote Rosen'' which is produced by Studio Hamburg Serienwerft, every German telenovela is produced by Grundy UFA. The most successful ones, '' Bianca – Wege zum Glück'' ("Bianca: Paths to Happiness"), '' Wege zum Glück'' ("Paths to Happiness"), ''
Verliebt in Berlin ''Verliebt in Berlin'' (German pun for ''In Love in/with Berlin''; abbreviation: ViB) is a Golden Rose-winning German telenovela, starring Alexandra Neldel, along with Mathis Künzler, Tim Sander, and Laura Osswald. It premiered on 28 February 2 ...
'' ("In Love in Berlin"/"In Love with Berlin"), ''Storm of Love'' and ''Rote Rosen'', were also syndicated in Italy, France and other European countries; ''Verliebt in Berlin'' was also syndicated in Canada. German television channels ARD, ZDF,
Sat. 1 Sat.1 is a German free-to-air television channel that is a part of the ProSiebenSat.1 Media Group. It is considered the first privately owned television network in Germany, having been launched in January 1984 as ''PKS'' ''(Programmgesellschaf ...
and
ProSieben ProSieben (, ''sieben'' is German for "seven"; often stylized as Pro7) is a German free-to-air television network owned by ProSiebenSat.1 Media. It was launched on 1 January 1989. It is Germany's second-largest privately owned television company ...
all include telenovelas on their programme schedules.


India


Indonesia

In Indonesia, a similar format exists called the '' sinetron'' (a portmanteau of ''sine'', short for cinema and ''tron'', from "elec''tron''ic"), which are essentially soap operas in a
miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...
-style format. While most English-language soap operas can continue indefinitely, almost all Sinetrons have a predetermined duration, usually running for only five-, six- or seven days a week and in total for more than five months. Sinetrons are usually made by production companies such as SinemArt and MD Entertainment. These programmes are usually broadcast on national television networks during the country's designated primetime period (6.00 to 11.00 pm), often a priority since these programme earn significant ratings, attracting advertisers.


Malaysia

In Malaysia, the equivalent of telenovela for a local language drama is '. The drama may last for 13 episodes for a weekly drama and more than 15 episodes if broadcast by a daily basis, usually three to five days a week. However, since almost all television broadcasters that air domestically produced dramas also air foreign dramas, Malaysian television dramas are less prolific compared to Indonesian, Philippine, South Korean or Turkish dramas.


Mexico

Mexico was one of the first countries in the world to become known for producing telenovelas aimed at shaping social behavior – one issue of which is
family planning Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. Things that may play a role on family planning decisions include marita ...
during the 1970s. The Mexican model of telenovelas – quick to be replicated by other telenovela-producing countries in Latin America and Asia for most of the 1990s – usually involves a romantic couple that encounters many problems throughout the show's run including a villain. One common ending archetype consists of a wedding and the villain dying, going to jail, becoming permanently injured or disabled, or losing their mind. The use of sexually themed episodes starring the leading couple of the story has been a common element through most Mexican (and Latin American) telenovelas. Televisa and TV Azteca are the largest producers and exporters of Mexican telenovelas. Their main competitor is independent company
Argos Comunicación Argos Comunicación is a television and film production company owned by Epigmenio Ibarra based in Mexico City. Profile The company started as the telenovela-production unit for TV Azteca with '' Nada personal'' and has since then produced many ...
. Telenovelas produced by U.S.-based network Telemundo tend to follow the Mexican model. Previously, telenovelas were often thought to be used as a government tool to distract citizens from national issues, a reason cited for temporary decrease in their credibility and popular appeal. Nowadays, Mexican television has managed to counteract government influence in its telenovelas. In particular, around 1990, Televisa found an enormous market for its telenovelas in regions such as Brazil and parts of Latin America, post-
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
Eastern Europe and Asia. This precipitated the so-called 'Telenovela Craze'. Credited by media experts to Televisa's move in the early 1990s of exporting its telenovelas, it rivalled the wave of
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 ...
sitcoms A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use new ...
that were broadcast worldwide in the same period. During the peak of the global success of Latin American telenovelas in the 1990s and 2000s, several prominent Mexican actors and actresses gained huge following for the telenovelas that they starred in. For example, Verónica Castro's international fame grew when the novela she had starred in many years earlier, ''Los Ricos Tambien Lloran'' in 1979, became a major hit in Russia. In the same period, Thalía earned the title as the "Queen of Soap Operas" after starring in the so-called ''Las Tres Marias'' or the "Maria Trilogy" telenovelas – '' Maria Mercedes'', ''
Marimar ''Marimar'' is a Philippine television drama romance series broadcast by GMA Network. The series is based on a 1994 Mexican television series of the same title. Directed by Joyce E. Bernal and Mac Alejandre, it stars Marian Rivera in the title ...
'' and '' Maria la del Barrio'' – and '' Rosalinda'', converting her into one of the world's foremost television icons, as her telenovelas were broadcast in Mexico and more than 180 other countries to almost 2 billion viewers worldwide, earning the all-time highest television ratings both in Mexico and other regions. Due to the international success of the telenovelas broadcast in and out of Mexico, by the late 1990s, it was claimed that telenovelas were Mexico's leading export product. Many consider the period from 1958 to 2004 to be Televisa's Golden Age of telenovelas. At the same time the Mexican government loosened its control over television. Telenovelas, primarily those produced by Argos Comunicación, consequently addressed new themes, including poverty,
political corruption Political corruption is the use of powers by government officials or their network contacts for illegitimate private gain. Forms of corruption vary, but can include bribery, lobbying, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, parochialism, patronage, in ...
, immigration and drug smuggling. However, with American drama and comedy series becoming increasingly popular among Mexican audiences through cable or satellite television and unlicensed copying, the television companies opted to adapt stories from Argentina, Colombia and Brazil. These used veteran actors in order to decrease expenses. Currently, the most successful telenovelas are being created by Argos and Telemundo and are rebroadcast (or adapted) by the main companies. The most successful one, '' La Reina del Sur'', based on the book by
Arturo Perez Reverte Arturo is a Spanish and Italian variant of the name Arthur. People * Arturo Álvarez (footballer, born 1985), American-born Salvadoran footballer * Arturo Álvarez (footballer, born 1959), Mexican footballer *Arthuro Henrique Bernhardt (b. 1982), B ...
, is based on the true story of a female drug trafficker in
Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is d ...
. Though it was censored somewhat due to the Drug War and was broadcast on a low-rated channel, it achieved higher viewership than other programs in the same timeframe.


Pakistan


Peru

Peruvian telenovelas, like other telenovelas, revolve around the character's personal lives. There are usually slight touches of comedy, drama and suspense. '' Al Fondo Hay Sitio'' has become one of the most famous telenovelas of Peru and has been shown around South America in Ecuador,
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, Paraguay and Uruguay.


Philippines

Domestically produced telenovelas first appeared on Philippine television in the 1960s, beginning with the ABS-CBN program ''Hiwaga sa Bahay na Bato''. The format of Philippine telenovelas is almost the same as Spanish and Mexican telenovelas, as they have borrowed many elements including many
cliché A cliché ( or ) is an element of an artistic work, saying, or idea that has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, even to the point of being weird or irritating, especially when at some earlier time it was consi ...
s. However, Philippine telenovelas, which portray the reality of Filipino (as well as much of other Asian) societies, have evolved through decades and feature specific characteristics distinct from most of the world's telenovelas. The late 1980s and 1990s coincided with the end of martial law and the resulting expansion of commercial television networks as the Philippine government loosened controls over the press and media. With the help of simultaneous nationwide programming across the Philippines and the advent of the "telenovela craze" precipitated by Mexican telenovelas broadcast worldwide, previously dominant Filipino sitcoms had been largely replaced by domestically produced drama series airing on primetime television to encourage more competition among networks and reach out to more audiences across the nation. Examples of such classic telenovelas include '' Flordeluna'', '' Villa Quintana'', '' Mara Clara'', '' Esperanza'', '' Valiente'', '' Kung Mawawala Ka'', '' Mula Sa Puso'' and '' Sa Dulo Ng Walang Hanggan''. Modern Philippine television dramas are usually termed ''teleserye'', a portmanteau of the Filipino words "''telebisyon''" ("television") and "''serye''" ("series"). The term "teleserye" originated in the 2000s from the ABS-CBN-produced '' Pangako Sa 'Yo'', dubbed by the Philippine media as the first true teleserye as well as the most widely exported and most watched single Philippine television series abroad. In the 21st century, teleseryes may belong to one or several genres such as fantasy, suspense, action, or comedy, but featured several new variations from the previous Philippine telenovelas of the preceding century. In 1997-2004, the International Channel from comcast aired Telenovelas such as ''Pangako Sa 'Yo'', ''Basta't Kasama Kita'', ''Mula Sa Puso'', ''Recuerdo de Amor'', ''Saan Ka Man Naroroon'', and ''Flames'' on its international simulcast. The last series to air on its AZN network were ''Krystala'' and ''Marina''


Portugal

The first Portuguese telenovela was ''Vila Faia'', in 1982. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, almost all Portuguese telenovelas were broadcast by RTP. However, since the start of the 21st century, TVI has emerged as the most prolific broadcaster of Portuguese telenovelas. '' Morangos com Açúcar'', one of its most successful telenovelas, lasted for nine seasons. SIC, which usually imported telenovelas from Brazil's Rede Globo, has also started to produce its own telenovelas. Portuguese telenovelas have since exceeded telenovelas from neighboring Spain in terms of international popularity by the 2010s. In 2010, Portugal won the first Emmy for a Telenovela, with ''
Meu Amor ''Meu Amor'' (''My Love'') is a Portuguese ''telenovela'' (soap opera) which aired from October 19, 2009 to October 23, 2010 on TVI. The show won the 2010 International Emmy award for best ''telenovela''. Synopsis In the midst of the beautiful f ...
'' ("My Love"). In 2011, Portugal won its second consecutive International Emmy for a Telenovela with '' Laços de Sangue'' ("Blood Ties"). Portugal also sells telenovelas to Eastern Europe and America.


Puerto Rico

The telenovela genre was historically popular in the U.S. territory and there still is some interest to this day. The serials in days past were usually broadcast on domestic television stations three days a week at 6:30pm, with hour-long telenovelas airing at 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. during prime time. Production of telenovelas in Puerto Rico began in the 1950s with "Ante la ley" in 1955. Successful novelas to have come out of Puerto Rico have included La Mujer de aquella Noche, El Hijo de Angela Maria, El Cuarto Mandamiento, ''Tomiko'', Cristina Bazan, El Idolo, ''
Yo Se Que Mentia ''Yo'' is a slang interjection, commonly associated with North American English. It was popularized by the Italian-American community in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the 1940s. Although often used as a greeting and often deployed at the ...
'', ''Vivir Para Ti'', '' Tanairi'', ''Tres Destinos'' and many others. During the 1980's, Sully Diaz, Ivonne Goderich,
Millie Aviles Milagros "Millie" Aviles (alternatively known as Milly Aviles; born November 20, 1964, in Santurce, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican actress and singer. She is better known as a telenovela actress from the golden era of telenovelas in Puerto Rico, wh ...
, Giselle Blondet and Von Marie Mendez were generally considered as "the five queens" of Puerto Rican telenovelas. (in Spanish)


Russia

Telenovelas were first introduced to Soviet viewers in 1988, when a stripped-down version of ''Escrava Isaura'' (running only 15 episodes) was shown on central television channel. The adaptation of that series was very popular with the Soviet viewers. An even bigger success was '' Los Ricos También Lloran'', shown shortly afterwards. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russian TV channels commenced broadcasting telenovelas (usually those imported from Brazil) on a regular basis. Today, Latin American telenovelas are usually replaced by Russian-made alternatives.


Serbia

The first Serbian telenovela was made in 2004 by BK TV and its name is
Jelena Jelena, also written Yelena and Elena, is a Slavic given name. It is a Slavicized form of the Greek name Helen, which is of uncertain origin. Diminutives of the name include Jelica, Jelka, Jele, Jela, Lena, Lenotschka, Jeca, Lenka, and Alena. Not ...
. After that RTV Pink made
Ljubav i mržnja Ljubav may refer to: * ''Ljubav'' (Ekatarina Velika album), 1987 * ''Ljubav'' (Trigger album), 2007 {{Disambiguation ...
(2007–2008). AVA Film (branch office of Croatian AVA Production) made Zaustavi vreme 2008, but it wasn't aired. A Serbian version of Graduados, Istine i laži, was made by Prva Srpska Televizija and Smart Media Production. It currently airs on Prva Srpska Televizija.


South Africa

The first telenovela in South Africa was Inkaba, which was aired on Mzansi Magic. Inkaba was canceled after it flopped to lure in viewers. Isibaya was the first ever successful telenovela on the channel of Mzansi Magic. The most successful South African telenovela is Uzalo. ''Uzalo'' has over 10.25 million viewers in South Africa. ''Uzalo'' tells the story of two families in the township of Kwa-Mashu: the Mdletshe family which plays a significant role in the management of the Kwamashu Kingdom Church and the Xulu family which runs a car theft syndicate. The connection between the families is that their eldest sons were switched at birth during the period when Nelson Mandela was released from prison. Uzalo details the relationships and conflict between members of the two families as part of a complex story. Following the trend, other telenovelas started to flood in, with Mzansi Magic holding the monopoly of the genre with shows like Isithembiso, The Queen and The River among others. Other channels, such as e.tv and SABC, launched productions such as Keeping Score, Giyani: Land of Blood, High Rollers, Ashes To Ashes, Gold Diggers and Broken Vows.


South Korea

Korean telenovelas are often similar to a soap opera but without a neverending plot and frank sexual content. These dramas typically involve conflicts around dating and marital relationships, money problems, relationships between family members and
in-laws ''In-Laws'' is an American sitcom television series created by Mark Reisman, that aired on NBC from September 24, 2002 to January 14, 2003. The series starred Bonnie Somerville, Jean Smart, Elon Gold, and Dennis Farina. Plot The protagonist has ...
(usually between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law), and often complicated
love triangle A love triangle or eternal triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with so ...
s. The heroine usually falls in love with the main character who may treat her badly for a while unlike the person who always cares for her. Korean telenovelas tend to run for 100+ episodes (rarely exceeding 200) and air from Monday to Friday. The main broadcasters and producers are KBS, MBC and SBS. South Korea became one of the world's largest Asian-based television drama producers at the start of the 21st century. Korean dramas have been exported globally and have contributed to the Korean Wave phenomenon known as '' Hallyu''.


Spain

Spanish telenovelas are known in the nation as ''culebrones'' (Spanish of "long snakes") because of their convoluted plots. Broadcasters of telenovelas in the country are Telecinco, Antena3, and La 1; there are regional telenovelas produced in Basque and Catalan languages. They are produced by EITB (in Basque) and
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(in Catalan). However, Spain is not a producer of telenovelas so much as it is an importer of these programs. Telenovelas have also aided in the formation of a transnational 'Hispanic' identity, as the Venezuelan scholar Daniel Mato has suggested. The appeal of the genre lies in the melodramatic and often simplistic narrative which can be understood and enjoyed by audiences in a wide variety of cultural contexts. Bielby and Harrington have argued that this reverse flow has influenced soap operas in the United States, leading to "genre transformation", especially with daytime soaps.


Thailand

Thailand began producing its own telenovelas, also known in
Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...
as ''Lakorn'', in the 1990s at the same time as the Philippines, Turkey and South Korea began exporting their own television dramas as well in parts of Asia. The first Thai soap opera is ''
Dao Pra Sook Dao Pra Sook (; ; literally: ''Venus'') is a Thai lakorn which has been remade several times. The latest of which aired on Thailand's channel 7 in 1994 and was one of the most popular lakorns in the country. It starred Sornram Teppitak Sornram Te ...
'' internationally in Cambodia, followed by Singapore with ''
Nang Tard ''Nang Tard'' ( th, นางทาส, , , means ''The Slave Girl'' but its international title is ''The Slave'') is a Thai period drama lakorn, remade from a 1993 lakorn of the same name. The lakorn stars Suvanant Kongying and Vee Veerapat in the ...
'' and '' Love Destiny'' and the Philippines with '' You're My Destiny''. Likewise, Thai content have also gained considerable following in the Philippines, with numerous Thai series such as '' 2gether: The Series'' and '' The Gifted'' regularly topping Twitter trends in the country.


Turkey

Turkey began producing its own telenovelas, also known in
Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...
as ''televizyon dizileri'', in the late 1990s at the same time that as the Philippines and South Korea began exporting their own television dramas as well in parts of the world. The storylines of Turkish dramas are usually based from the country's classic novels as well as historical settings (mostly during the Ottoman Empire period), and are known to have episodes lasting at least two hours each, much longer than an ordinary telenovela episode. These drama shows, in general, are of miniseries type, typically lasting for less than half a year, and are broadcast either as canned series or simultaneous telecasts in Turkey's key television markets with subtitles in multiple languages depending on the country outside Turkey where it has been aired. Turkish telenovelas have gained wide popularity and appeal among viewers especially in the Arab world as well as the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Russia, and
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- South Asia due in part to the picturesque cinematography. This exportation of dramas has been cited as one of Turkey's foremost strategies in boosting their popularity in these regions by promoting Turkish culture and tourism. As a result, these make up one of its most economically and culturally important international exports. International media experts have cited the 2010s as the biggest turning point of Turkish television production, which shifted to a balance of export of religious shows that were often widely viewed in these predominantly Muslim-majority countries (with
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known to be the most lucrative month of every television season in most Islamic countries for imported Turkish television shows) and secular shows tackling national issues of Turkey and even of the rest of the Islamic world. Some of the most internationally prominent Turkish television dramas include '' Muhteşem Yüzyıl'', '' Fatmagül'ün Suçu Ne?'', '' Aşk-ı Memnu'', '' Binbir Gece'', '' Dolunay'', and ''
Erkenci Kuş ''Erkenci Kuş'' (English title: ''Daydreamer'') is a Turkish television series that aired on Star TV from June 26, 2018 to August 6, 2019. The series stars Demet Özdemir and Can Yaman. Plot Sanem is a young woman who aspires to be a writer ...
''. The rise of Turkish television drama on the international market attracted worldwide attention during this decade when it began gaining more viewers in Latin America, which is cited as a difficult market for foreign shows to be broadcast as its own produced telenovelas dominate programming there since the 1990s. Islamic conservatives in many Arab countries, however, condemn these Turkish shows as "vulgar" and "heretical" to Islam, as most of the prominent secular Turkish television series often have political undertones as well as a noticeable trend on emphasis of female empowerment, which contrasts with their
patriarchal Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of Dominance hierarchy, dominance and Social privilege, privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical Anthropology, anthropological term for families or clans controll ...
interpretation of Islam. Nonetheless, Turkish television drama broadcasts reach 1 billion viewers from approximately 100 countries in the world, helping it surpass Latin America by the 2010s as the second largest exporter of television series worldwide after the United States.


United States

:''See English language producers Fox Broadcasting Company and The CW'' :''See Spanish language producers Univision and Telemundo'' :''See MyNetworkTV telenovelas'' In the United States, the telenovela concept has been adapted into the English language. The first American telenovela was the soap opera '' Port Charles'', which, although starting off as a traditional soap when it debuted in 1997, adopted a 13-week telenovela-style storyline format beginning in 2000 which continued in use until the show's cancellation in 2003. MyNetworkTV, an upstart network launched by News Corporation (now owned by
21st Century Fox Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., doing business as 21st Century Fox (21CF), was an American multinational mass media corporation that was based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was one of the two companies formed on June 28, 2013, f ...
), launched on September 5, 2006, with two nightly serials. The inaugural series ''
Desire Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of aff ...
'' and '' Fashion House'' were moderately successful, however, ratings began to decline. The second pair of telenovelas, '' Wicked Wicked Games'' and '' Watch Over Me'' had decent ratings but were not as successful as its two predecessors. By the time the third batch of serials, '' American Heiress'' and '' Saints and Sinners'' debuted, ratings had declined significantly to where the network scaled back and eventually dropped the novela format in favor of reality-based series and specials by the fall of 2007. In contrast, ABC's adaptation of ''Betty la Fea'', '' Ugly Betty'', proved to be successful; however, the network opted to develop the show as a standard weekly series with elements of the comedic telenovela. An adaptation of the Venezuelan comedic telenovela '' Juana la virgen'', '' Jane the Virgin'', aired to success on The CW beginning in 2014, airing in a weekly format similar to other American series. NBC developed an adaptation of the racy Colombian telenovela '' Sin tetas no hay paraíso'' called ''
Without Breasts There Is No Paradise ''Without Breasts There Is No Paradise'' was the working title of an NBC drama series produced by Universal Media Studios which was to be adapted from a 2006 Colombian telenovela called ''Sin tetas no hay paraíso''. However, with the departur ...
'', however, it was never picked up to series. In 2001, after it was purchased by NBC (which later merged with Vivendi Universal to form NBCUniversal in 2003), Telemundo decided to stop importing Latin American telenovelas and produce its own. The network collaborated with RTI Colombia and Argos Comunicación to co-produce its telenovelas, which follow the Mexican model, though Telemundo is a Puerto Rican firm. In order for its telenovelas to be recognized by the U.S. and Latin American audiences and even Spanish audiences, Telemundo chose to hire established telenovela actors from Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and other Latin American countries; the network's novelas have since also hired American-born Hispanic actors. Telemundo's first telenovela co-productions were ''
Amantes del Desierto ''Amantes del Desierto'' (''Desert Lovers''), is a Spanish-language telenovela produced by the United States-based television network Telemundo, RTI Colombia and Caracol Television Caracol is a large ancient Maya archaeological site, locate ...
'' (with RTI) and ''
Cara o Cruz ''Cara o cruz'', is an American telenovela created and produced by Telemundo and Argos Comunicación in 2001. Cast * José Ángel Llamas - ''Ismael Serrano'' * Ana de la Reguera - ''Mariana Medina / Aída'' * José María Yaspik - ''Armando ...
'' (with Argos) in 2001. The network also co-produced the 2002 novela '' Vale Todo'' in conjunction with Rede Globo, that series did not fare well in the ratings. In 2003, Telemundo began producing its novelas stateside in Miami, beginning with the RTI co-production ''
Amor Descarado ''Amor Descarado'' (''Barefaced Love'') is a telenovela produced by RTI Producciones and Spanish-language United States-based television network Telemundo, this is a US Hispanic version of Chilean telenovela '' Amores de Mercado.'' It was bro ...
''. Telemundo has experienced increasing success with its telenovelas, which have also been syndicated to Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, and Chile. Argos ended its co-production deal with Telemundo on December 31, 2006, with the last such co-production being ''
Marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...
''. Telemundo continues to co-produce telenovelas with RTI but has also started to produce these serials on its own. In 2005, the network opened Telemundo Television Studios in Miami, as a production studio for its telenovelas; '' Dame Chocolate'' also became the first telenovela to be fully produced by Telemundo. In 2006, Telemundo broadcast two telenovelas not created by the network or its partners, '' Amor Mío'' (co-produced by Televisa and Telefe) and '' La Esclava Isaura'' (produced by Rede Record).
Cisneros Media Distribution Cisneros Media (abbreviated as CM, formerly known as Venevision International) is an entertainment company that broadcasts Spanish content in the United States and in other locations around the globe. CMD is a Spanish-language Entertainment com ...
(formerly Venevisión International) has also produced American-based telenovelas, which follow the Venezuelan story pattern and aired on Telemundo competitor Univision in the U.S. (in addition to being carried by main Venevisión network in Venezuela); its telenovelas portray the lives of Venezuelan Americans in the United States. Although a Venezuelan-owned company, Cisneros Media not only hired established telenovela actors from Venezuela, but also from other Latin American countries like Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Puerto Rico, etc. like in Telemundo, in order for its telenovelas to be recognized by the U.S., Latin American, and Spanish audiences. In recent years, Univision has also begun producing its own telenovelas for its primetime schedule. Some Spanish-language telenovelas are now translated into English. Univision and Telemundo provide closed captioning in English in order to attract English-speaking American viewers (primarily American-born Mexicans who are not fluent in Spanish), carried as the second or third caption channel depending on the station. Xenon Pictures also includes English subtitles on its DVD releases of Mexican serials. The sudden interest in English telenovelas can be attributed to the appeal and successful ratings of the genre. Producers also see this as a way to attract the fast-growing Mexican population, most notably the female sector of this demographic. In addition, telenovelas break the traditional production format in the United States, in which a television program runs for 20–25 episodes a season, on a once-weekly basis. Since 2010, Nickelodeon and its sibling networks have aired several programs produced in the style of telenovelas. These shows are usually broadcast in a daily-strip format over a one-month period. '' House of Anubis'', based on a drama produced by its Dutch counterpart, was the first show produced for the network to adopt this format. Nickelodeon has since produced adaptions of some of its Latin American counterpart's telenovelas, including '' Every Witch Way'' (based on ''
Grachi ''Grachi'' was a Spanish language American fantasy series produced by Nickelodeon Latin America, Nickelodeon created by Mariela Romero. The series stars Isabella Castillo as Grachi and Andrés Mercado as Daniel; also featuring and Kimberly Dos ...
'', ''
Talia in the Kitchen ''Talia in the Kitchen'' is an American telenovela-formatted teen sitcom that premiered on Nickelodeon on July 6, 2015. It was an adaptation of the Nickelodeon Latin American telenovela, ''Toni, la Chef'', and was created by Mariela Romero & Cath ...
'' (based on ''Toni la chef'', and '' I Am Frankie'' (based on '' Yo soy Franky''. The popular Canadian drama series, '' Degrassi'', periodically used this format and aired daily during summer runs on Teennick.


Venezuela

:''See
RCTV Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV) was a Venezuelan free-to-air television network headquartered in the Caracas neighborhood of Quinta Crespo. It was sometimes referred to as the Canal de Bárcenas. Owned by Empresas 1BC, Radio Caracas Televisió ...
, Venevisión and Televen'' Telenovelas in Venezuela are mainly produced by
RCTV Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV) was a Venezuelan free-to-air television network headquartered in the Caracas neighborhood of Quinta Crespo. It was sometimes referred to as the Canal de Bárcenas. Owned by Empresas 1BC, Radio Caracas Televisió ...
, Venevisión and Televen. Like Televisa in Mexico, Venevision controls a large portion of the entertainment industry in that country. Some of Venevision's telenovelas were also broadcast on Univision in the United States until the late 2000s. Some major telenovelas produced in Venevision include '' Amor Comprado'', '' Dulce Enemiga'', '' Cara Sucia'', '' Bellisima'' and ''
Pecado de Amor Pecado de amor may refer to: * Pecado de amor (film), a 1961 Argentine musical drama film * Pecado de amor (1978 TV series), a Mexican telenovela * Pecado de amor (1995 TV series) ''Pecado de Amor'' (English title:''Sin of Love'') is a Venezuelan ...
''. Venezuela is one of the largest producers of telenovelas in the world, with up to 279 serials of this style have aired to date. Many of the major productions have been syndicated to Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Spain, Italy, Japan, and the United States, among other countries. In the beginning, Venezuelan telenovelas followed the ''telenovela rosa'' format of a poor Cinderella who falls in love with Prince charming. Later in the 1980s, writers began writing realistic telenovelas that reflected everyday life of the common citizens where the audience could relate with the characters with telenovelas such as '' El sol sale para todos'', ''Natalia de 8 a 9'' and '' La señora de Cárdenas''. The most famous of such telenovelas was ''
Por estás calles ''Por estas calles'' (English: ''On These Streets'') is a Venezuelan telenovela broadcast by Radio Caracas Televisión between 1992 and 1994. It was extremely popular in Venezuela, due to its very realistic approach to the day-to-day life of the ...
'' which ran from 1992 to 1994. Another popular telenovela genre was the mystery telenovela which involved a serial killer with telenovelas such as ''
Angélica Pecado ''Angelica'' is a genus of herbs, especially the cultivated species ''Angelica archangelica'' Angelica or Angélica may also refer to: Arts and media Film and television * ''Angelica'' (1939 film), a French-Italian film * ''Angelica'' (2015 fil ...
'', '' La Mujer de Judas'' and '' La viuda joven'' which became successful during their original run and were sold to several countries around the world. In recent years, telenovela production has declined in the country especially after the closure of
RCTV Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV) was a Venezuelan free-to-air television network headquartered in the Caracas neighborhood of Quinta Crespo. It was sometimes referred to as the Canal de Bárcenas. Owned by Empresas 1BC, Radio Caracas Televisió ...
which was a major telenovela producer and exporter. Channels such as Venevisión end up producing only one national production per year. Government sanctions and regulations on media content has led to self-censorship of telenovela writers, also leading to reduced telenovela production.


Awards

The most important Telenovela award shows are the Mexican TVyNovelas Award, hosted by the Televisa-owned '' TVyNovelas'' magazine, and the award presented by '' Contigo'' in Brazil. ''TVyNovelas'' also has editions in Colombia, Chile, Puerto Rico, and the United States, while ''Contigo'' has an edition in Chile. In 2008, International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (IATAS) created a new International Emmy Award category for telenovelas produced and initially aired outside of the United States.


Comparison with soap operas

The standard American, British or Australian soap opera is of indefinite length, sometimes running for decades, with an ever-rotating cast of players and characters. However, most Latin American telenovelas have an average run of six months up to a year. The show's duration is pre-planned at the show's inception, with the overall story arc and conclusion also known by the show's creators and producers at its inception. '' Mundo de Juguete'' is one exception to the rule, with a total of 605 episodes (1974–1977), and a few cast changes during the course of the serial. Some earlier Argentine telenovelas (most of them written by Alberto Migré) had also run for a few years. Telenovelas also have a different type of story from
English-language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...
soaps, the typical telenovela story being focused on a rivalry between two or more people or families in romance or business. Many of them use stock themes like a Cinderella (who is a rival of the male protagonist's evil girlfriend), two brothers after one woman (or two sisters after one man) or mistaken/unknown parentage. Typically, the hero gets shot (or some form of fate equivalent to that).phorum – Amarte Así (Frijolito) forum
. Foro.telenovela-world.com. Retrieved July 21, 2013. Telenovelas comprise the great majority of the
dramatic Dramatic may refer to: * Drama, a literary form involving parts for actors * Dramatic, a voice type classification in European classical music, describing a specific vocal weight and range at the lower end of a given voice part * Dramatic soprano, ...
productions by South American television networks, whereas in the United States, other formats like
sitcoms A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use new ...
or drama series are more popular on English language networks.


See also

* Arab television drama * Fantaserye – a genre of teleserye *
Fotonovela Photo comics are a form of sequential storytelling that uses photographs rather than illustrations for the images, along with the usual comics conventions of narrative text and word balloons containing dialogue. They are sometimes referred to ...
– the magazine equivalent, a sort of photo-comic book usually with a romantic theme. * Hong Kong television drama *
List of telenovelas This article contains a list of telenovelas sorted by their country of origin. Telenovelas are a style of limited-run television soap operas, particularly prevalent in Latin America. Angola * ''Windeck'' Argentina * '' Alas, Poder y Pasión' ...
* Limited-run series * MyNetworkTV telenovelas *
Serial (radio and television) In television program, television and radio programming, a serial is a show that has a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode-by-episode fashion. Serials typically follow main story arcs that span entire television seasons or even t ...
– for a general discussion of the serial format, including soap operas and telenovelas * Taiwanese Drama * Teleserye * Korean drama * Indian soap opera * Japanese television drama ** Asadora * Téléroman – the French-Canadian equivalent * Thai television soap opera * Turkish television drama *
Webnovela {{Unreferenced, date=May 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) A webnovela or foronovela is a phenomenon in Latin American and European countries like Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Puer ...
– movement on the Internet, which is equivalent to the simulation of telenovelas.


Notes


References


Further reading

*Castellot de Ballin, Laura (1993). ''Historia de la televisión en México. Narrada por sus protagonistas''. México: Alpe. *Covarrubias, Karla; Angélica, Bautista y Ana B. Uribe (1994). ''Cuéntame en qué se quedó. La telenovela como fenómeno social''. México: Trillas. * de Lizaur Guerra, María Blanca (2002). ''La telenovela en México 1958–2002: Forma y contenido de un formato narrativo de ficción de alcance mayoritario''. Master's degree dissertation in Mexican Literature. Univ. Nal. Autónoma de México.» *Roura, Assumpta (1993). ''Telenovelas, pasiones de mujer. El sexo en el culebrón''. España: Gedisa. *Trejo Silva, Marcia (2011). ''La telenovela mexicana. Orígenes, características, análisis y perspectivas''. México: Trillas. *Uribe, Ana B. (2009). ''Mi México Imaginado: telenovelas, televisión y migrantes''. México: Porrúa *Varios autores (2007). ''El gran libro de las telenovelas. 50 años de historia''. México: Editorial Televisa. * Verón, Eliseo y Lucrecia Escudero Chauvel (comp.) (1997). ''Telenovela, ficción popular y mutaciones culturales''. España: Gedisa. *Villanueva Solorio, Mario (1997). ''Para una tipología de villanos telenoveleros en México''. Tesis profesional. México: ENEP (FES) Acatlán. Mención Honorífica. {{Authority control * Television genres Soap operas by genre