Success in Telenovela Remakes
What makes a successful remake of a telenovela? Throughout the history of the series, there have been several successful shows, beloved by millions of fans across the world, some of which are remade, to continue the excitement surrounding the original show for years to come.
We know that Yo soy Betty, La Fea has been remade many times, in many countries. Some remakes have been successful, and some have not. But what differentiates success and failure?
Another telenovela remake in 2021 based on the original series, Café con Aroma de Mujer, was not reviewed well. However, this is most likely because the original is perceived as a classic. People especially from Colombia love the original. The problem with this is people begin to base the value of the remake off of how successful the original is. People are loyal to the original actors, and if new cast members do not align significantly with the original cast, viewers are quick to write them off.
An example of this is a remake of Niña Amada Mía. The original was a story of three sisters who were the daughters of a man who owned race-competition horses. The show follows the lives of the three daughters who have their own love interests. The father is an especially important figure because of his relationship with a rival family. One of his daughters ultimately falls in love with the son of this family, Romeo and Juliet style.
The writers of Las Amazonas decided to buy the script from Niña, leading to a remake. Though horses still have some presence in the story, they are not as important as in the original. Still, the main elements are present: important father, three sisters, love stories. An article from Latin Times, 'Las Amazonas" Vs Niñ Amada Mía,' describes casting as "stellar." In the article, side by side comparison photos are featured. The audiences were already excited for the show's debut before its release. This is an instance where casting made a true difference; had the new cast not been respectful of the old (while also incorporating some of the original cast into the first episodes of the show to set it up) the hype would not have been as high.
Some elements of remakes involve more progressive political viewpoints, as well as the incorporation of diversity and politically correct language. Telenovela writers are becoming increasingly aware of how the language is perceived.
In the telenovela that I have been watching this semester, the bionovela, Celia, has aggressive derogatory language that is expressed towards characters of color. These instances are slightly justifiable, as the novela attempts to depict real-life aggression and racism. However, in older novelas, this language is not appropriate or explainable.
Another element of success is if the plot is exceptionally interesting. We see this in several series, including remakes of the American version of the series, "The Good Doctor." Yo soy Betty is also commonly remade because the plot is somewhat relatable and intriguing.
¡Hola Elizabeth! Es realmente interesante ver todos los remakes diferentes y ver que solo algunos tienen éxito, incluso si son prácticamente el mismo programa. Creo que los remakes de programas exitosos en diferentes países tienen más probabilidades de tener éxito porque hay una barrera del idioma. Por lo general, las personas no pueden ver ambos y hacer comparaciones con el primero. Estos también tienden a ser más secretos. Por ejemplo, mi telenovela, El Clon, es un remake de Telemundo de O Clone. Tal vez la gente vio ambos porque hablan ambos portugués y español. Ellos pueden comparar y juzgar ambas telenovelas, eligiendo su favorita (que por lo general era la original).
ReplyDeleteHi Elizabeth! I'm writing about a similar topic in my final paper, and I think you make a lot of good points here. When I think of telenovela remakes, there are definitely some flops, but I think some of them work to grab the attention of a younger generation than before. For example, Sin senos no hay paraíso was popular when it aired in the late 2000s, and then ten years later they came out with a spinoff called Sin senos si hay paraíso. I think that waiting so long to produce a remake was the producers hoping that it would catch the attention of the original audience and a new, younger audience all at once.
ReplyDeleteIt is very interesting to see the differences of movies/shows based on the time they were made in. It bears similarities to when a movie/show is rebooted with different casts and stories, but mostly the same overall plots. Oftentimes movies are rebooted to also have more progressive standpoints, however the reboots usually have worse reviews as people are satisfied with and prefer the original versions.
ReplyDeleteThis commitment to the originals really does often blind viewers from considering the quality of a movie, merely because they don't want to like it. I imagine this happens very often with telenovelas remakes, where viewers refuse to even give it a chance since it isn't their original.
Considering how we, as readers/viewers, tend to interpret content differently, I think remakes are very neat when properly done with new perspectives, because it allows for new points of views and thoughts on the media. Even for the shows less liked, there will always be a few people who appreciate the different versions and the remakes just allow for greater audiences to get involved in the shows, thus making even the bad remakes relevant to growing the telenovela audience overall. Even if it is out of interest in how bad it is.
Hi Elizabeth! It is so interesting to see what leads a Telenovela to be remade and if they successfully rebottle and sell that same magic from before. I love how you mentioned that a lot of Telenovelas have evolved to fit modern day standards and transition into a more progressive narrative. I think this is very important for the future of Telenovelas, like with the Rubi remake that features a lot more representation. Additionally, it’s such a good point how you explained that casting makes all the difference! A miscast can totally ruin a remake despite a good script or storyline, actor chemistry really carries the magic of the show.
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