History Main / Telenovela

* ''Los ricos también lloran'' ("The Rich Also Cry"), which was the first soap opera that Televisa exported to countries outside of the American continent. [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff It became very famous in the ex-USSR countries]] and brought fame to Verónica Castro, the actress who played the female lead. ''MariaLaDelBarrio'' is technically a remake of this one.

* ''[[Series/TheHouseOfFlowers La casa de las floras]]'' (''The House of Flowers''), a Netflix original.

* ''Series/APassionForRevenge'' (known as ''Tierra de Reyes'' in Spanish)
* ''Series/{{Deceptions}}''
[[/index]]

See also: SoapOpera, KoreanDrama, and {{Dorama}}.

* ''Series/{{Teresa}}'': Another Mexican telenovela where the [[VillainProtagonist main character]], desperate to leave a life of poverty, becomes a manipulative GoldDigger. The original story, aired in 1959, has had one film version and four television remakes (the latest and most popular reamke was aired in 2010).

* ''Cartas de Amor'' (''Love Letters''): A Colombian telenovela, recognizable for its comedy and salsa-based soundtrack. SweetPollyOliver [[TheMatchmaker Cupido]] is called to a small Barrio to help people with their love lives but ends falling in love with local ladykiller and owner of "El buen catre" (the good bed), Manuel Tirado, who doesn't love any woman but struggles with his [[SweetOnPollyOliver attration]] towards Cupido.

* ''[[Series/TheHouseOfFlowers La casa de las floras]]'' (''The House of Flowers'), a Netflix original.

Latin America's answer to the SoapOpera, '''telenovelas''' (also known as simply '''novelas''') are perhaps a mini-series version, not running more than five years -- the current record is just over four years and the average is six to ten months -- but they make up for this with ten times the drama and melodramatic acting and plot twists that would pain any drama teacher. If you want shouting, cheating, secret relatives, murder, faked deaths, and fainting in Spanish, this is where you should go. They're very passionate, which is likely why many have "Passion" in the title.

Spanish and Portuguese speakers often run their soaps in PrimeTime in countries where those are the major languages, like Commonwealth countries do of soaps. This is important compared to the US, where they won't make it to regular programming in daylight hours, let alone a good time slot. This means that Creator/{{Univision}} and other Spanish networks (e.g. Creator/{{Telemundo}}) can easily broadcast their novelas in the US whenever they want, which can include [[ArchiveBinge marathons all week]] if they so please, which understandably makes the target audience (supposedly elderly Latin American women with nothing else to do) very happy. This may also be helped by there being a significant US-led telenovela market, with many being produced in Miami. There's also a cable channel dedicated exclusively to showing telenovelas, [[http://tvpasiones.com/ Pasiones TV]] ("Passions TV"), which is broadcast in Latin America and the US.

* ''La casa de las floras'' (''Series/TheHouseOfFlowers''), a Netflix original.

The word "telenovela" does literally translate as [[ElNinoIsSpanishForTheNino "TV novel(la)"]], but in Spanish "novela" is rarely used for actual novels (which would be "literatura"), instead often used as slang for [[RomanceNovel Harlequin/Mills and Boon-type novellas]], which telenovelas share a lot of tropes with, and an obvious reason for why the 'tele-' can be dropped and not confuse anyone. In some countries, like Chile, they may be called "teleseries", which obviously shows how prevalent they can be.

-->-- Intro to '''Music/CamilaCabello''' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ0mxQXmLsk "Havana"]] video[[note]]Honestly, he could be proposing to her, her friend, the maid, his brother, someone's grandma behind the curtain, a secret agent behind the other curtain, he could be about to kill any of the above, or just about any other trope imaginable. Damn abuela turning the TV off.[[/note]]

* ''Series/{{Deceptions}}''

In some places the genre is referred to as "culebrón", which comes from 'culebra', a word for snake, alluding to their length. Of note is how the telenovela has influenced similar productions worldwide, with an Arabic genre arising that bears more than a passing resemblance, possibly because of many Middle Eastern immigrants in Latin America raving about telenovelas to their relatives, or the fact that their shorter run than soaps and high melodrama fit in better with pre-existing Eastern productions and Bollywood.

The telenovela has two main styles: the classical, or "pink", and the "modern". The first style centers on classic and melodramatic pure love stories with poor, NaiveEverygirl heroines that are often TooDumbToLive, while the second tries to [[GenreBusting use resources from other genres]] and explore modern social issues without neglecting the love story side. Stereotypically, the pink telenovela is a Mexican and Venezuelan staple, the modern style is predominant in Colombia and Brazil (though Mexicans and Venezuelans occasionally try their hand at it), and Chilean telenovelas are a mix of both. In the United States, the telenovelas brought over to cater to the large (and growing) Spanish-speaking population tend to be almost entirely of the "pink" variety. Curiously, a variant of telenovelas is also predominant in the Philippines that's partly influenced by Japanese, Taiwanese and Korean dramas.[[note]]telenovelas are very notorious for their [[LatinLover passionate declarations of love and steamy sex scenes]], which are reduced or removed in the Asian dramas.[[/note]] These historically tend to be similar to the pink style, though the current batch of series has experimented more towards the modern style, with emphasis towards class conflict, topics normally taboo to Philippine society, and an emphasis of teaching Christian values to the audience.

Spanish-speaking countries ([[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers and Portugese-speaking Brazil]]) often run their soaps in PrimeTime, like Commonwealth countries do of soaps. This is important compared to the US, where they won't make it to regular programming in daylight hours, let alone a good time slot. This means that Creator/{{Univision}} and other Spanish networks (e.g. Creator/{{Telemundo}}) can easily broadcast their novelas in the US whenever they want, which can include [[ArchiveBinge marathons all week]] if they so please, which understandably makes the target audience (supposedly elderly Latina women with nothing else to do) very happy. This may also be helped by there being a significant US-led telenovela market, with many being produced in Miami. There's also a cable channel dedicated exclusively to showing telenovelas, [[http://tvpasiones.com/ Pasiones TV]] ("Passions TV"), which is broadcast in Latin America and the US.

* ''Series/NovoMundo'' ("New World") is a Brazilian telenovela based on the Italian immigrant wave at the beginnings of 19th century, few time after Brazil got the independence from Portugal.

* ''Roque Santeiro'': An small town in northwest Brazil worships the titular character, a man who according to the urban legend was killed while defending the local church from bandits; what they doesn't know is that Roque is actually alive, just waiting to strike his revenge on the people who betrayed him and the ones who are profiting on his image.. Originally conceived (and canned by censorship) at the height of Brazil's military regime, this one got a new version in the mid-80's, achieving ratings close to 100% in Brazil and some other countries. The largest open-air market in Africa is named after it.

->'''Camila:''' Juan! How could you?! With my best friend, María ''(gasps)'' and the maid! ''(sobs)''
->'''Juan:''' [appearing from closet] Wait! [...] That is my twin brother, Rodrigo!
->'''Rodrigo:''' It is I, Rodrigo! ''(smolders at camera)''
->'''Juan:''' [takes out a ring] I've been waiting for the right moment, for a long time...

Latin America's answer to the SoapOpera, '''telenovelas''' (also known as simply '''novelas''') are perhaps a mini-series version, not running more than five years -- the current record is just over four years and the average is six to ten months -- but they make up for this with ten times the drama and melodramatic acting and plot twists that would pain any drama teacher. If you want shouting, cheating, secret relatives, murder, double murder, and fainting in Spanish, this is where you should go. They're very passionate, which is likely why many have "Passion" in the title.

* ''Series/LaMadrastra'' ("The Stepmother"), another Chilean soap but better known from its Mexican remake, about a woman who, while attempting to solve the MiscarriageOfJustice which left her in prison for two decades, ends becoming the stepmother of her own children (who were told she died and were too young to remember her when she was sent to jail). And that's before the plot becomes truly convoluted.

Spanish-speaking countries ([[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers and Portugese-speaking Brazil]]) often run their soaps in PrimeTime, like Commonwealth countries do of soaps. This is important compared to the US, where they won't make it to regular programming in daylight hours, let alone a good time slot. This means that Creator/{{Univision}} and other Spanish networks (e.g. Creator/{{Telemundo}}) can easily broadcast their soaps in the US whenever they want, which can include [[ArchiveBinge marathons all week]] if they so please, which understandable makes the target audience (supposedly elderly Latina women with nothing else to do) very happy. This may also be helped by there being a significant US-led telenovela market, with many being produced in Miami. There's also a cable channel dedicated exclusively to showing telenovelas, [[http://tvpasiones.com/ Pasiones TV]] ("Passions TV"), which is broadcast in Latin America and the US.

* ''La Impostora'' ("The Impostor"): A rich woman tricks a poor lookalike into taking her place so she can be free to have an affair. One of the most popular novelas ever, it's been remade several times, the most popular version being the one done in The Nineties.
* ''Roque Santeiro'': An small town in northwest Brazil worships the titular character, a man who according to the urban legend was killed while defending the local church from bandits; what they doesn't know is that Roque is actually alive, just waiting to strike his revenge on the people who betrayed him and the ones who are profiting on his image.. Originally conceived (and canned by censorship) at the height of Brazil's military regime, this one got a new version in the mid-80's, achieving ratings close to 100% in Brazil and some other countries. The largest open-air market in Africa is named after it.
* ''Kassandra'', a classic tale of SwitchedAtBirth which become the most famous telenovela in the world during the early Nineties.
* ''Crystal'': two women who raised themselves out of their CinderellaCircumstances, mother and daughter, cross paths; tragedy ensues as the former ruins the life of the latter while unaware of their real relationship. Remade several times.
* ''Esmeralda'' (and its similarly-titled imitators ''Topacio'' and ''Ruby''): all are about poor, blind women named after gemstones.
* ''El derecho de nacer'' ("The Right to Be Born"), which was born on the radio and has had countless TV remakes. The plot is centered in Alberto Limonta, a young doctor, and the complications that ensue when he unknowingly becomes closer to his very rich biological family.
* ''Senda de gloria'' (Path of Glory): A historical soap opera. It was one of the first telenovelas that did not shy away from [[DarkerAndEdgier showing]] [[WarIsHell how brutal]] UsefulNotes/TheMexicanRevolution was, and how it shaped modern UsefulNotes/{{Mexico}}. Notable also for the fact that Televisa [[DoingItForTheArt took a lot of pains]] [[ShownTheirWork to ensure they got everything right]]. It was ScrewedByTheNetwork due to a political problem between the ruling party and the son of one of the presidents shown there[[note]] Also, the fact that it got murdered in the ratings (a very rare ocurrence for Televisa at [[TheNineties the time]]) certainly didn't help.[[/note]].
* ''Los ricos también lloran'' ("The Rich Also Cry"), which was the first soap opera that Televisa exported to countries outside of the American continent. [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff It became very famous in the ex-USSR countries]] and brought fame to Verónica Castro, the actress who played the female lead. ''MariaLaDelBarrio'' is technically a remake of this one.
* The "Trilogy of the Marías" (''Maria Mercedes'', ''Marimar'', and ''Series/MariaLaDelBarrio'') , a group of soaps with "Maria" in some part of their title with plots based in their titular characters' RagsToRiches, that catapulted their shared main actress, Mexican singer Thalia, from mere local fame to international superstardom.
* ''Escrava Isaura'' ("Isaura the Slave"), a late 1970's soap about a white slave in Colonial Brazil. Exposed the [[UsefulNotes/ColdWar Eastern Bloc]] to Latin soaps. [[TheShowOfTheBooks It is based on a book by Bernardo Guimaraes.]]

[[/index]]
* ''Chocolate com Pimenta'' ("Chocolate with Pepper"), famous Brazilian soap taking place in the 1920's.
* ''Vale Tudo'' ("Anything Goes"), famous '80s Brazilian soap. Raquel, an incredibly honest woman, is the mother of Maria Fatima, an unrepentant GoldDigger who runs out of home after selling the family house behind her mother's back. The plot runs the parallel stories of Fatima trying to get her MealTicket thorough betrayal and backstabbing, and Raquel's reinvention and success thorough hard work.
* ''O Clone'' ("The Clone"), Brazilian soap about [[ActingForTwo a guy, his twin brother]] and [[UpToEleven his clone]], along with some stereotypes of Arab culture and very narmy soundtrack.
* ''Pobre diabla'' ("Poor She-Devil") (In Spanish "poor devil" means "loser"), an Argentinian classic from the 1970's, made internationally famous with a 1990 version (it also has a peruvian and a mexican remake). A young poor woman falls in love and marry with an older, richer gentleman. The guy was secretly dying, and manages to die just before introducing his new wife to his family, but not before changing his will to leave her half of his fortune. The other half he left it to an illegitimate son he had with a servant a couple of decades ago, and the condition for themn to receive their inheritance is that both inheritors must live together for a year. You can see where this is coming.
* ''Pasión de gavilanes'' ("Passion of the Sparrowhawks"): The three Reyes brothers, first looking {{Revenge}} against the Elizondo family for their sister's death, end falling in love with the three Elizondo sisters. Complications ensues thanks to the sisters' very uptight and classist mother and Fernando Escandon, the ex-husband of the elder sister who holds a grudge against the Reyes. A HotterAndSexier remake of Colombian soap ''Las Aguas Mansas''.
[[index]]

[[/index]]
* ''Café con aroma de mujer'' ("Coffee with the scent of a woman"), the previous most successful soap and a classic of TheNineties, set in Colombian coffee plantations.
[[index]]

[[/index]]
* ''Anjo mau / Angel malo'': Another telenovela which has a GoldDigger {{Anti Hero}}ine, but now set in Brazil (or Chile, if we see its remake).
* ''Franchise/{{Zorro}}: La espada y la rosa'' ("The Sword and the Rose"). Yes, there was a Zorro telenovela (loosely inspired by Isabel Allende's HotterAndSexier version).
* ''Dónde está Elisa?'' ("Where Is Elisa?") is a Chilean ''night telenovela'' (a new telenovela format in which the series is aired around 10 PM so it can be DarkerAndEdgier[=/=]HotterAndSexier than the standard) about what happens when the daughter of a powerful family disappears. Includes actress Paola Volpato's ''incredibly'' scary {{Yandere}} Consuelo, bringer of a HUGE twist: [[spoiler: Elisa was not only was kidnapped by a lover ''who is also her uncle'' as well as Consuelo's husband, [[TheHeroDies but she actually]] ''[[TheHeroDies gets shot to death]]''.]]
[[index]]

[[/index]]
* ''Los títeres'' ("The Marionettes"). Classic Chilean ''telenovela'' from TheEighties in which a Greek girl named Artemisa Mykonos gets [[BreakTheCutie thoroughly broken and humiliated]] by her evil cousin Adriana and her friends in TheSixties, and returns twenty years later as a BrokenBird -- both to have revenge on Adriana and to face her own ghosts. Famous due to the incredibly well-done script (written by Chilean playwright Sergio Vodanovic), the ShockingSwerve of an end that the BigBad [[spoiler: [[GoMadFromTheRevelation lost her mind]] when her plans failed, and then [[ManChild mentally reverted to a childish mindset]] ]], and the enormously creepy [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF6wKNJQGwI OP sequence]].
* ''Nada personal'' ("Nothing Personal"). Made in TheNineties. Noteworthy only because it was the first Mexican soap to try and deal with then-current national politics.
* ''El maleficio'' ("The Curse"). A Mexican production from the Eighties. This one is notable for its STRONG [[{{Horror}} supernatural]] elements.
[[index]]

* ''Cartas de Amor'' (''Love Letters''): A Colombian telenovela, recognizable for its comedy and salsa-based soundtrack. SweetPollyOliver [[TheMatchmaker Cupido]] is called to a small Barrio to help people with their love lives but ends falling in love with local ladykiller and owner of "El buen catre" (the good bed), Manuel Tirado, who doesn't love any woman but struggles with his [[SweetOnPollyOliver attration]] towards Cupido.

See also: SoapOpera, KoreanDrama, and {{Dorama}}. %%test text

See also: SoapOpera, KoreanDrama, and {{Dorama}}.

->'''Camila:''' Juan! How could you?! With my best friend, Mari'a ''(gasps)'' and the maid! ''(sobs)''

In some places the genre is referred to as "culebro'n", which comes from 'culebra', a word for snake, alluding to their length. Of note is how the telenovela has influenced similar productions worldwide, with an Arabic genre arising that bears more than a passing resemblance, possibly because of many Middle Eastern immigrants in Latin America raving about telenovelas to their relatives, or the fact that their shorter run than soaps and high melodrama fit in better with pre-existing Eastern productions and Bollywood.

* ''Los ricos tambie'n lloran'' ("The Rich Also Cry"), which was the first soap opera that Televisa exported to countries outside of the American continent. [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff It became very famous in the ex-USSR countries]] and brought fame to Vero'nica Castro, the actress who played the female lead. ''MariaLaDelBarrio'' is technically a remake of this one.
* The "Trilogy of the Mari'as" (''Maria Mercedes'', ''Marimar'', and ''Series/MariaLaDelBarrio'') , a group of soaps with "Maria" in some part of their title with plots based in their titular characters' RagsToRiches, that catapulted their shared main actress, Mexican singer Thalia, from mere local fame to international superstardom.

* ''Pasio'n de gavilanes'' ("Passion of the Sparrowhawks"): The three Reyes brothers, first looking {{Revenge}} against the Elizondo family for their sister's death, end falling in love with the three Elizondo sisters. Complications ensues thanks to the sisters' very uptight and classist mother and Fernando Escandon, the ex-husband of the elder sister who holds a grudge against the Reyes. A HotterAndSexier remake of Colombian soap ''Las Aguas Mansas''.

* ''Cafe' con aroma de mujer'' ("Coffee with the scent of a woman"), the previous most successful soap and a classic of TheNineties, set in Colombian coffee plantations.

* ''?vDo'nde esta' Elisa?'' ("Where Is Elisa?") is a Chilean ''night telenovela'' (a new telenovela format in which the series is aired around 10 PM so it can be DarkerAndEdgier[=/=]HotterAndSexier than the standard) about what happens when the daughter of a powerful family disappears. Includes actress Paola Volpato's ''incredibly'' scary {{Yandere}} Consuelo, bringer of a HUGE twist: [[spoiler: Elisa was not only was kidnapped by a lover ''who is also her uncle'' as well as Consuelo's husband, [[TheHeroDies but she actually]] ''[[TheHeroDies gets shot to death]]''.]]

* ''Series/SinSenosNoHayParaiso'' ("Without Breasts There Is No Paradise"): The series is based on investigative journalist Gustavo Bolivar's debut novel "Sin tetas no hay parai'so" which has the same title except using a more vulgar expression; it features an attractive young prostitute who desires to have massive breast implants in order to attract a rich cocaine smuggler. It is based on a true story.

* ''Los ti'teres'' ("The Marionettes"). Classic Chilean ''telenovela'' from TheEighties in which a Greek girl named Artemisa Mykonos gets [[BreakTheCutie thoroughly broken and humiliated]] by her evil cousin Adriana and her friends in TheSixties, and returns twenty years later as a BrokenBird -- both to have revenge on Adriana and to face her own ghosts. Famous due to the incredibly well-done script (written by Chilean playwright Sergio Vodanovic), the ShockingSwerve of an end that the BigBad [[spoiler: [[GoMadFromTheRevelation lost her mind]] when her plans failed, and then [[ManChild mentally reverted to a childish mindset]] ]], and the enormously creepy [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF6wKNJQGwI OP sequence]].

* ''Series/LaReinaDelSur'', adapted from a novel by Arturo Pe'rez Reverte, is a telenovela about a poor woman who ends up becoming the biggest drug trafficker in Mexico. It was so popular that it got an English language remake, ''Series/QueenOfTheSouth''.

Not sure why we don't have a page for this, currently telenovela often links to SoapOpera, but they're not exactly the same.
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[[index]]

[[redirect:SoapOpera]]