Telenovela

The telenovela is a type of serialized television show that originated in Latin America and rose to become one of the world's most popular television formats. Since its first emergence in the 1950s, the telenovela has evolved into an entirely unique television genre with its own distinct characteristics. Often compared to soap operas, telenovelas are dramatic programs that mostly focus on romantic and other interpersonal relationships. Unlike their long-running English-language counterparts, however, telenovelas typically have shorter runs and are presented like miniseries. Most telenovelas are produced in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Argentina, and other Latin American regions where their popularity remains strongest. As that popularity has grown over the years, telenovelas have been imported into countries across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and elsewhere. Telenovelas have inspired related spin-off genres, including South Korea's K-dramas.

Background

Telenovelas are one of the world's most unique and successful types of television programming. In many of the Latin American countries where they are most popular, telenovelas air in prime time six days a week and often attract a wide audience that includes viewers of all ages and genders. In many cases, telenovelas draw strong ratings and demand some of the highest advertising rates of any popular programming. As a result, these shows are often as profitable as they are popular.

When compared to other television show formats, telenovelas are most similar to American-style soap operas in terms of content and style. However, some key differences do exist. The most notable difference is the way in which telenovelas are produced. While both soap operas and telenovelas are produced in a serialized, rather than an episodic format, telenovelas typically have a much shorter life span. Soap operas usually are long-running shows that stay on the air for years, and sometimes even decades, before they are eventually canceled. Telenovelas, on the other hand, are produced more like miniseries. Most telenovelas air 180 to 200 episodes over the course of about six months before they ultimately come to a climactic conclusion.

Another key difference between telenovelas and soap operas is the narrative focus of each genre. Most soap operas are constructed around a dramatic narrative thread that is centered on a family or some other group of people. Telenovelas typically rely on a single couple engaged in a romantic relationship as their narrative center. Most early telenovelas specifically focused on the main couple's struggle to overcome the various hurdles that threaten the survival of their relationship. In addition to their focus on a central couple, many telenovelas incorporate dramatic elements such as family feuds or the abrupt return of long-lost relatives. Audiences generally like a happy ending, so most telenovelas end with a grand finale built around the featured couple's wedding.

Finally, telenovelas differ from soap operas in terms of presentation. While most soap operas unfold in a relatively straightforward style that differs little from other types of television drama, telenovelas usually feature over-the-top performances, attractive actors, and far-fetched storylines.

Overview

The development of the telenovela began with a type of nineteenth-century serialized novel called the feuilleton. Published in weekly installments in newspapers and magazines, feuilletons were exciting mystery and suspense stories featuring eccentric characters, illicit romances, family quarrels, and other melodramatic events. Popularized by authors such as Victor Hugo and Honoré de Balzac, these novels originated in France before eventually finding an enthusiastic readership on both sides of the Atlantic. They remained popular until the debut of cinema in the 1910s, but their signature melodramatic elements survived as they were incorporated into the radio dramas that subsequently rose to prominence in the 1920s and 1930s. In Latin America, these radio dramas became known as radionovelas. After first becoming popular in Cuba, the radionovela gradually spread into Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil through the 1940s.

The telenovela first emerged in the 1950s as television began to supplant radio as most families' favorite form of home entertainment. From the outset, telenovelas incorporated many of the same elements from feuilletons that their radio predecessors did. As such, telenovelas were defined by their highly romanticized subjects, melodramatic execution, and use of structural narrative devices such as cliffhangers. When the first telenovelas began to appear on television in Cuba, Brazil, and Mexico, they typically aired once or twice a week. As they became more popular over time, they started airing every weekday. Many early telenovelas were adaptations of novels and other existing literary works. It was not until the 1960s and 1970s that screenwriters first began developing totally original telenovela scripts. Since that time, telenovelas have evolved into a multimillion-dollar industry that continues to thrive both in Latin America and around the world.

Many notable telenovelas have been produced over the years. Among the most popular is Yo Soy Betty, la Fea, a show that first aired in Colombia in 1999 and quickly became a hit that spawned numerous international versions, including the American sitcom Ugly Betty. The American television network Telemundo has produced a number of successful telenovelas, including La Reina del Sur (2011), which was later turned into an English-language drama called Queen of the South (2016). Other notable telenovelas include Rosa Salvaje (1987), Marimar (1994), and Café, con Aroma de Mujer (1994).

Telenovelas' success has led to the development of variations of the format around the world. One of the best-known variations is South Korea's K-dramas, which have become popular with both Eastern and Western audiences alike. The importation of Latin American telenovelas also led broadcasters in the Middle East to begin producing shows that put their own spin on the format. Among these, Turkish telenovelas emerged as a favorite among South American viewers. In addition, the traditional telenovela has been spun off into a new type of show called a narconovela, which specifically focuses on drama within the illegal narcotics trade. La Reina del Sur, El Señor de los Cielos, and other narconovelas have found great success in meshing the over-the-top telenovela approach with the gritty reality of crime dramas.

Bibliography

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