Telenovelas vs. American Television

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Since the beginning of the semester, I’ve been very talkative about telenovelas, especially with my friend group. Some of them, upon initiating the topic, shout out, “OH! I love Jane the Virgin!” I politely inform them that it is not, in fact, a telenovela. However, the idea and themes of telenovelas are apparent throughout popular television shows in the United States, especially the long-running ones. 

 

I’ve received many questions from my friends, some of which ask what kind of category these popular shows fit into, such as Grey’s Anatomy, Gossip Girl and Gilmore Girls. My friends love the topic, themes and settings of these series. Because they’ve already watched them, they often ask me for recommendations. 

 

I’m not a huge television watcher myself, but with a little research and the knowledge I’ve gotten from this class, I did a little digging.  As we have been learning about consumption, I’ve been especially interested in target audiences. I believe that my friends, if they were exposed to telenovelas, would watch them obsessively. 

 

 

My suggestions:

 

 

For fans of Grey’s Anatomy – A Corazón Abierto

 

This telenovela is a Colombian-produced telenovela with two seasons. However, there are over 200 episodes to watch. It follows the life of an aspiring surgeon (María Alejandra Rivas) who starts as an intern at a hospital (similar to Meredith Grey). Both characters, Meredith and María, have mothers who were famous surgeons but had to retire early due to early onset Alzheimer’s. Both series’ follow the love lives and journeys of the women as they become successful surgeons.

 

For fans of One Tree Hill/90210/Gossip Girl – Rebelde



 

This Mexican produced telenovela carries several of the themes propelled throughout many popular American tv shows. It carries the wealthy vs. poor high school student trope and their relationships with one another. However, the all bond through music. Rebelde ran for 3 seasons with a total of 440 episodes. 

 

For fans of Princess Diaries – Yo soy Betty, la fea



 

This Colombian produced telenovela parallels the popular movie series, The Princess Diaries. The protagonist, Betty, begins as an “ugly” (and I say this, not meaning truly ugly. The actress follows normative beauty standards and has a large amount of makeup on to make her appearance different. I also do not believe that Betty is ugly in general) but slowly transitions to become more “beautiful” by the end of the season. The theme of transformation is seen throughout many American television series and movies. 

 

I’ve recommended several shows to my friends, and some of them have started watching the telenovela that I am studying this semester, Celia, with me! I’m excited to have opened their eyes to a new and interesting world of television. 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

  1. Anna WallerNovember 9, 2022 at 9:45 PM

    ¡Qué bueno que estás ayudando a tus amigos a ampliar sus horizontes y ver cosas nuevas! "The Princess Diaries" es una de mis películas favoritas (principalmente porque me amo a Anne Hathaway pero también porque amo su transformación de una estudiante impopular a una princesa literal). También crecí amando las películas de Selena Gomez, y recuerdo su película "A Cinderella Story," que es una "Cinderella" moderna que también muestra una transformación. Creo que cuando era niña me encantaba ver las chicas promedio convertirse en las estrellas de los espectáculos y siempre terminar con el chico adecuado. Como me encantaron estas películas, debería ver "Yo soy Betty, la fea" porque parecen tener algunas características muy similares!

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  2. Alexa ConnollyNovember 10, 2022 at 2:41 PM

    I loved this blog post, Elizabeth! I grew up watching Rebelde and I think it's a great recommendation for someone who likes Gossip Girl. Your other recommendations also seem spot on in my opinion, and I'm sure this was a fun list to compile! I've never seen A Corazón Abierto, but now I'm inclined to watch it because I love Grey's Anatomy. My friends have also had the misunderstanding of what a telenovela actually is, and I enjoy being able to explain it to them.

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  3. Lauren WaltonNovember 29, 2022 at 12:29 AM

    Hi Elizabeth! I think this is a super fun, interesting post. It really goes to show that even though different countries have a lot of cultural differences, we are all still entertained in similar ways. I think that the typology we talked about in class has a lot to do with it. TV shows that follow simple storylines like Cinderella or The Prince and the Pauper can change a lot of the details around it to match the culture of the country it is based in. I find it super fascinating and would love to see what other American shows are similar to telenovelas.

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  4. Daniella BustosNovember 30, 2022 at 12:02 PM

    Elizabeth I love how you gave us the telenovela dupes to some American favorites in this post! There were a lot of American shows growing up that although I loved, I didn’t see myself represented in. It’s fun for me to watch their Telenovela counterparts and feel a little more identified and also enjoy the change of humor in the Spanish language. I’m Colombian and I had no idea there was a Colombian show so similar to Grey’s; I’ll definitely be checking it out!

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