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A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in
Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...
. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar
drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
genres around the world include '' teleserye'' (Philippines), ''
téléroman A téléroman ("telenovel" or ''annual drama series'') is a genre of French-language drama television series in Canada, similar to a soap opera or a Spanish language telenovela. In France, the ''téléroman'' genre is known as feuilleton télé ...
'' (Canada, specifically
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...
), 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. 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 Maria Blanca de Lizaur Guerra (born 1966), commonly known as Blanca de Lizaur, is a writer and researcher specialized in cultural studies, communications and literature. She was born in Mexico City, Mexico, to Spanish parents. She has a doctora ...
. 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 (''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 genre, but the majority of these telenovelas deal with the themes of the supernatural like demons,
witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have ...
, ghosts, and the occult. 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 ''El extraño retorno de Diana Salazar'' (English title: ''The Strange Return of Diana Salazar'') is a Mexican telenovela produced by Carlos Téllez for Televisa in 1988. It is an unusual example of a telenovela which addresses supernatural topic ...
, and
La chacala LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...
. *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 ''Yo soy Betty, la fea'' (English: I am Betty, the Ugly one), often referred to simply as ''Betty, la fea'', is a Colombian telenovela written by Fernando Gaitán which was broadcast from 25 October 1999 to 8 May 2001 by RCN. More than a dozen ...
'' (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 ''Rebelde'' (English: ''Rebel'') is a Mexican telenovela produced by Pedro Damián for Televisa, broadcast by Canal de las Estrellas (now known simply as Las Estrellas). It is a remake of the Argentine telenovela, ''Rebelde Way'', adapted for t ...
'' (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 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 Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
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); 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 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 Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to disc ...
''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), TVA,
Noovo Noovo is a Canadian French-language terrestrial television network owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc. The network has five owned-and-operated and three affiliated stations throughout Quebec, although it can also be seen over-the-a ...
, TFO *Latin America **Argentina *** Telefe, El Trece, Pol-Ka, Underground Producciones **Brazil *** Globo, RecordTV,
SBT sbt is an open-source build tool for Scala and Java projects, similar to Apache's Maven and Gradle. Its main features are: *Native support for compiling Scala code and integrating with many Scala test frameworks *Continuous compilation, te ...
, 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 (defunct) and Excelsior (defunct) **Chile *** TVN, Canal 13, Mega, Chilevisión **Colombia *** Caracol, RTI, RCN **Ecuador *** Ecuavisa,
TC Televisión TC Televisión is a state-owned television network in Ecuador. The network was founded in 1969 and was commercially funded for many years until 2011 when The Isaias Group went into a lawsuit and was sold to a state government unit, Since then the ...
**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, Inka Visión **Puerto Rico ***
WAPA-TV WAPA-TV (channel 4) is a Spanish-language independent television station in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is owned by Hemisphere Media Group, which is 84% owned by InterMedia Partners. WAPA-TV's studios are located on Avenida Luis Vigoreaux in Gu ...
, WKAQ-TV **Venezuela ***
Venevisión Venevisión () is a Venezuelan free-to-air television channel and one of Venezuela's largest television networks, owned by the Cisneros Media division of Grupo Cisneros. History The company's roots date back to June 1, 1953, with the establis ...
, RCTV (defunct), Marte TV, VTV, Televen *Europe **Spain *** Telecinco, Antena 3, EITB (in Basque), TV3 (in
Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...
) **Portugal *** RTP, TVI, SIC **Germany *** ARD ( Das Erste), ZDF, ProSieben, Sat.1, RTL **Croatia *** HRT, RTL, Nova TV **Serbia ***
RTS RTS may refer to: Medicine * Rape trauma syndrome, the psychological trauma experienced by a rape victim * Revised Trauma Score, a system to evaluate injuries secondary to violent trauma * Rubinstein–Taybi syndrome, a condition characterized by ...
, 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 Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
**Russia *** Channel One Russia, STS, NTV, VGTRK, Peretz, TNT,
REN TV REN TV (russian: РЕН ТВ) is a Russian free-to-air television network, was founded on 1 January 1997 by Irena Lesnevskaya and her son, Dmitry Lesnevsky, who had been running REN TV as a production house for other national Russian television ...
, TV-3 *Asia **Philippines ***
ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company unde ...
, 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,
Show TV Show TV is a nationwide television channel in Turkey owned by Albayrak Holding since 2018, acquired from Sadık Albayrak which in turn seized from Ciner Media Group after Turgay Ciner was forced to sell due to tax debts. The channel replaces Cin ...
, Kanal 7, TV8, Samanyolu TV (defunct) **South Korea *** KBS, MBC, SBS, tvN, OCN,
JTBC JTBC (shortened from ''Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company'' (; stylized as jtbc) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on 1 December 2011. JTBC ...
, Channel A, MBN, TV Chosun **Thailand *** Channel 3, Channel 7, Channel 8, One 31, GMM 25 **Pakistan *** Hum TV,
Geo TV Geo Television Network is a television channel based in Pakistan. It was established in May 2002 and is owned by the Jang Media Group. The channel began its test transmission on 14 August 2002, with regular transmission beginning on 1 October ...
, Geo Entertainment, PTV **India *** Zee TV, &TV, Zee Bangla, Zee Punjabi, Zee Telugu, Zee Kannada,
Zee Tamil Zee Tamil is an Indian Tamil language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. The channel started broadcasting on 2008 and is available internationally. The channel broadcasts from Guindy, Chennai ...
, ZEE5, Zindagi Sony Entertainment Television, Sony SAB, Colors TV,
Colors Bangla Colors Bangla, previously known as ETV Bangla, is an Indian general entertainment pay television channel broadcasting in Bengali language. It was launched in 2000 as ETV Bangla, owned by the Hyderabad-based ETV Network. It was later sold to TV ...
, Colors Marathi, Colors Tamil, DD Metro, DD National, StarPlus, Hotstar, Life OK, 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 wa ...
, Star Jalsha, Sun TV, Sahara One, Gemini TV, Imagine TV, ALTBalaji, Asianet


Telenovelas by country


Argentina

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
'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 in ...
or rebroadcast. Some well known youth telenovelas include '' Chiquititas'' ("Tiny Angels"), '' Rebelde Way'', ''
Floricienta ''Floricienta'' (; known in English as ''Flinderella'') is an Argentine juvenile musical telenovela based on the Cinderella story. It originally aired from 2004 to 2005, but since then it has been broadcast in many countries. Some internationa ...
'', Muñeca Brava ("Wild Angel"), Violetta and ''
Patito Feo ''Patito Feo'' (in English, Ugly Small Duck) is an Argentine telenovela produced by Ideas del Sur that aired on Disney Channel between July 2007 and March 2011 in Latin America, Europe and Asia. ''Patito Feo'' originally debuted in early April 20 ...
'' ("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 UNITEL (UNIVERSAL DE TELEVISIÓN) is a Bolivian commercial television network headquartered in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. It was founded in 1987. It is owned by businessman Osvaldo Monasterio Nieme. The company broadcasts sports, entertai ...
, Safipro and TeleArte.'' In Bolivia, 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), directed by Suhasini Manirathnam * ''Indira'' (1989 film), a Hindi film (Hema malini as Indir ...
'', '' Tierra Adentro'', '' La Virgen de las 7 calles'', '' Luna de Locos'' and '' Tres de Nosotras''. 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 The Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão (; SBT ; "Brazilian Television System") is a Brazilian television network founded on Wednesday, 19 August 1981, by the businessman and television personality Silvio Santos. The company was established afte ...
,
Rede Bandeirantes Rede Bandeirantes (, ''Bandeirantes Network''), or simply known as Band (), is a Brazilian free-to-air television network. It began broadcasting on May 13, 1967 on VHF channel 13 in São Paulo. Its founder was businessman João Saad with t ...
,
Rede 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 ...
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 ...
''
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
ian 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, drinking, drug abuse, 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 ''Belíssima'' is a Brazilian telenovela that was produced and aired by Globo between November 7, 2005, and July 7, 2006, as the 8pm telenovela of the station, with a total of 209 chapters. It was written by Sílvio de Abreu in collaboration with ...
'' ("Most Beautiful") in 2006, villainess Bia Falcão (played by Fernanda Montenegro) 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 Jardel Filho (24 July 1928 – 19 February 1983) was a Brazilian film actor. He appeared in 45 films between 1949 and 1982. Filmography External links * 1928 births 1983 deaths Brazilian male film actors Brazilian people of Ital ...
and in 2016, in ''
Velho Chico ''Velho Chico'' (English title: ''Old River'') is a Brazilian telenovela produced and broadcast by Rede Globo that premiered on 14 March 2016, replacing ''A Regra do Jogo'', and ended on 30 September 2016, being followed by '' A Lei do Amor''. ...
'' ("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 Television in Canada officially began with the sign-on of the nation's first television stations in Montreal and Toronto in 1952. As with most media in Canada, the television industry, and the television programming available in that country, a ...
'' In
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
, 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 The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the governmen ...
's
television network A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay television providers. Until the mid ...
, when CBC was the only television network in Canada (as per the 1949 Massey Commission). 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 viewers. As a consequence, Francophone television in Canada developed differently from Anglophone television. In 2003,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
's provincial French-language public television service, TFO, began broadcasting the first Franco-Ontarian téléroman, ''
Francoeur ''Francoeur'' was a Canadian television series, first aired by TFO in 2003. It was the first Franco-Ontarian téléroman. The series has produced 44 episodes to date. The series revolves around the Francoeurs, a Franco-Ontarian family in Eastern ...
''. 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

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...
an 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'' (Rapa Nui language, Rapanui: ''Hello'' and ''Goodbye'') is a Chilean telenovela produced by Televisión Nacional de Chile, TVN. It was written by Fernando Aragón, Arnaldo Madrid, Hugo Morales and Nona Fernández. Directed by Vicente S ...
'' (which took place on
Easter Island Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearl ...
). 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 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'' (1981) or '' Perdona Nuestros pecados'' (1953–1961).


Colombia

:''See Caracol TV, RTI Colombia, and RCN TV'' Colombian 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 ''El 0597 está ocupado'' ("0597 is busy") was a Colombian telenovela produced in 1959 by Producciones PUNCH. It is considered the first Colombian telenovela.
'', produced in 1959 by the ''
programadora In Colombian broadcasting, ''programadoras'' (literally ''programmer'') are companies that produce television programs, especially for the public-commercial Canal Uno (and, until 2003, Canal A/Segunda Cadena). The Colombian television model fro ...
'' 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 TeleVideo Corporation was a U.S. company that achieved its peak of success in the early 1980s producing computer terminals. TeleVideo was founded in 1975 by K. Philip Hwang, a Utah State University, Hanyang University graduate born in South K ...
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 ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombi ...
'') in which the franchise for the storyline was translated and adapted by over 30 networks around the world.


Croatia

The first
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...
n telenovela was '' Villa Maria'', made in 2004 by AVA Production. After Villa Maria, AVA made '' Ljubav u zaleđu'' (2005–2006), '' Obični ljudi'' (2006–2007), '' Ponos Ratkajevih'' (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 (Croatia), Nova TV. The series was created by Roman Majetić and Nikola Ivanda, while the story was written by Jelena ...
'' (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 ''Yo soy Betty, la fea'' (English: I am Betty, the Ugly one), often referred to simply as ''Betty, la fea'', is a Colombian telenovela written by Fernando Gaitán which was broadcast from 25 October 1999 to 8 May 2001 by RCN. More than a dozen ...
'' 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. ...
'' (2007). After that RTL made '' Ruža vjetrova'' (2011–2013), '' Tajne'' (2013–2014), '' Vatre ivanjske'' (2014-2015) and '' Prava žena'' (2016–2017). Ring Multimedia production made '' Sve će biti dobro'' (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 ''Larin izbor'' ( en, Lara's Choice) is a Croatian telenovela created by Jelena Veljača and written by Tomislav Hrpka. The series premiered on September 4, 2011 on Nova TV. Doris Pinčić and Ivan Herceg are main protagonists, while Ecija ...
'' (2011–2013), '' Zora dubrovačka'' (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 (Croatia), Nova TV on 10 September 2017. Cast

{, class="wikitable sortable" , - bgcolor=“#CCCCCC” ! Actor , ...
'' (2017–2018). Croatian telenovelas by AVA Production are very popular in
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...
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 The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
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 Bavaria Studios are film production studios located in Munich, the capital of the region of Bavaria in Germany, and a subsidiary of Bavaria Film. History The studios were constructed in the suburb of Geiselgasteig in 1919 shortly after the Fi ...
, Studio Hamburg Serienwerft and
Grundy UFA Grundy or Grundey may refer to: Places United States * Grundy, Virginia, a town * Grundy Center, Iowa, a city * Grundy County, Missouri * Grundy County, Illinois * Grundy County, Iowa * Grundy County, Tennessee Elsewhere * Grundy Mountain, New ...
'' In 2004,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
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 Bavaria Studios are film production studios located in Munich, the capital of the region of Bavaria in Germany, and a subsidiary of Bavaria Film. History The studios were constructed in the suburb of Geiselgasteig in 1919 shortly after the Fi ...
, 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 – Wege zum Glück (Bianca – Ways to Happiness)'' was the first German telenovela, developed by the TV production company Grundy UFA. It started on 1 November 2004 and ran until 5 October 2005 on the ZDF. The main characters were B ...
'' ("Bianca: Paths to Happiness"), ''
Wege zum Glück ''Wege zum Glück'' (English: ''Ways to Happiness'') is a German telenovela. The show was starting on October 6, 2005 on ZDF and originally was planned to have 250 chapters. Later the concept was changed and the title became a label to tell differ ...
'' ("Paths to Happiness"), '' Verliebt in Berlin'' ("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 and ProSieben all include telenovelas on their programme schedules.


India


Indonesia

In
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...
, a similar format exists called the '' sinetron'' (a
portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsminiseries-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 Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...
, 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 Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
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 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 The concept of an archetype (; ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main model that ...
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 t ...
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 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'' and ''
Maria la del Barrio Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial *170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...
'' – 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 The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the '' Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages, Gold being the first and the one during which the G ...
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,
immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, ...
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. 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

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
vian 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, Bolivia,
Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to t ...
and Uruguay.


Philippines

Domestically produced telenovelas first appeared on Philippine television in the 1960s, beginning with the
ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company unde ...
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 clichés. 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 Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Martia ...
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 ''Kung Mawawala Ka'' (International title: ''A World Without You'' / ) is a Philippine television drama romance series broadcast by GMA Network. Directed by Joel Lamangan, Soxie Topacio and Argel Joseph, it stars Sunshine Dizon and Cogie Doming ...
'', ''
Mula Sa Puso ''Mula sa Puso'' ( en, From the Heart) is a 1997 Philippine primetime melodrama romance television series originally aired by ABS-CBN from March 10, 1997, to April 9, 1999 (the series ended for 2 years in its long-run) replacing '' Maria Me ...
'' and '' Sa Dulo Ng Walang Hanggan''. Modern Philippine television dramas are usually termed ''teleserye'', a
portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsPangako 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 ''Morangos com Açúcar'' (lit. ''Strawberries with Sugar''; distributed internationally as ''Sweet Strawberries'') is a Portuguese teen drama. It was broadcast daily on the Portuguese TV station TVI between 30 August 2003 to 15 September 2012. ...
'', 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'' ("My Love"). In 2011, Portugal won its second consecutive International Emmy for a Telenovela with ''
Laços de Sangue ''Laços de Sangue'' (lit. ''Blood Ties'') is a Portuguese-Brazilian telenovela which broadcast on SIC from September 2010 to October 2011. It is a co-production between SIC and Brazilian Rede Globo. Laços de Sangue won the International Emmy Awar ...
'' ("Blood Ties"). Portugal also sells telenovelas to
Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whi ...
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 Von Marie Mendez (born September 8, 1950) is a Puerto Rican actress and restaurateur. Alongside such others as Iris Chacon, Millie Aviles, Sully Diaz, Giselle Blondet, Ivonne Goderich, Marilyn Pupo and others, she is remembered as one of the l ...
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. After that RTV Pink made Ljubav i mržnja (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 (usually between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law), and often complicated love triangles. 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 language Catalan (; autonym: , ), known in the Valencian Community and Carche as '' Valencian'' (autonym: ), is a Western Romance language. It is the official language of Andorra, and an official language of three autonomous communities in eastern ...
s. They are produced by EITB (in Basque) and TV3 (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 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'' internationally in Cambodia, followed by Singapore with '' Nang Tard'' 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 Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
trends in the country.


Turkey

Turkey began producing its own telenovelas, also known in Turkish 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 The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...
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 The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...
as well as the
Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
,
Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whi ...
,
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
, and
Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...
-
South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...
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 Ramadan 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 Women's empowerment (or female empowerment) may be defined in several ways, including accepting women's viewpoints, making an effort to seek them and raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy, and training.Kabeer, Nai ...
, which contrasts with their patriarchal 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 The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations ...
and
The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' :''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), launched on September 5, 2006, with two nightly serials. The inaugural series '' Desire'' 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 ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombi ...
'', 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 ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
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'', 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 NBCUniversal Media, LLC is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate corporation owned by Comcast and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. NBCUniversal is primar ...
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 RTI Colombia, also known as Radio Televisión Interamericana (Inter-American Radio an ...
'' (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 broadcas ...
''. 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''. 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 Telemundo Studios, formerly known as Telemundo Television Studios, is a division of NBCUniversal NBCUniversal Media, LLC is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate corporation owned by Comcast and headquartered at ...
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 American Venezuelan Americans ( es, link=no, venezolano-americanos or ) are Americans who trace their heritage, or part of their heritage, to the nation of Venezuela. The word may refer to someone born in the US of Venezuelan descent or to someone who h ...
s 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 Closed captioning (CC) and subtitling are both processes of displaying text on a television, video screen, or other visual display to provide additional or interpretive information. Both are typically used as a transcription of the audio po ...
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 Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
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'', ''
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 & Cat ...
'' (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 TeenNick is an American pay-TV channel that is operated by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Aimed primarily at teens and tweens, its programming includes a variety of live-action series inherited from sister channel Ni ...
.


Venezuela

:''See RCTV,
Venevisión Venevisión () is a Venezuelan free-to-air television channel and one of Venezuela's largest television networks, owned by the Cisneros Media division of Grupo Cisneros. History The company's roots date back to June 1, 1953, with the establis ...
and Televen'' Telenovelas in Venezuela are mainly produced by RCTV,
Venevisión Venevisión () is a Venezuelan free-to-air television channel and one of Venezuela's largest television networks, owned by the Cisneros Media division of Grupo Cisneros. History The company's roots date back to June 1, 1953, with the establis ...
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 ''Amor Comprado'' (English title: ''Love Contract'') is a telenovela written by Verónica Suárez and produced in Miami, Florida by Venevisión International in 2007. Elizabeth Gutiérrez and José Ángel Llamas starred as the protagonists wit ...
'', '' Dulce Enemiga'', '' Cara Sucia'', '' Bellisima'' and '' Pecado de Amor''. 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 ''El sol sale para todos'' (English title: ''The sun rises for everyone'') is a Venezuelan telenovela written by César Miguel Rondón and produced by Venevisión in 1986. Hilda Carrero and Eduardo Serrano starred as the main protagonists with ...
'', ''Natalia de 8 a 9'' and ''
La señora de Cárdenas ''La señora de Cárdenas'' is a Venezuelan telenovela written by José Ignacio Cabrujas and produced by RCTV in 1977. The telenovela became the first in a series of telenovelas referred to as the ''cultural telenovela'' because they reflected th ...
''. The most famous of such telenovelas was '' Por estás calles'' 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'', '' 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 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 Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William ...
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 ''Mundo de juguete'' (English: ''Toy World'') is a Mexican telenovela produced by Televisa. It is a remake of the 1973 Argentine telenovela ''Papá corazón''. It premiered on November 4, 1974, on Canal de las Estrellas and ended on February 25, ...
'' 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 Alberto Migré, pseudonym of "Felipe Alberto Milletari Miagro" (12 September 1931, Buenos Aires – 10 March 2006) was an Argentine TV screenwriter and producer, specialized on telenovelas. Family background Alberto was born in the barrio of A ...
) had also run for a few years. Telenovelas also have a different type of story from English-language 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 productions by South American television networks, whereas in the United States, other formats like sitcoms or drama series are more popular on English language networks.


See also

*
Arab television drama An Arab television drama or Arab soap opera (also known as musalsal ( ar, مسلسل), plural musalsalat ( ar, مسلسلات)) is a television form of melodramatic serialized fiction. The musalsalat are similar in style to Latin American telenove ...
*
Fantaserye Fantaserye or telefantasya is a genre of Philippine television programming which mixes soap opera, telenovela, fantasy, myth, magic and enchantment. The episodes are usually 30 minutes long and have a daily slot in the evening primetime row. U ...
– 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 Hong Kong television drama () refers to televised dramatic programming produced mainly by the territory's two free-to-air TV networks of Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) and Asia Television (ATV) until its license expired. Locally produced t ...
*
List of telenovelas This article contains a list of telenovelas sorted by their country of origin. Telenovela, Telenovelas are a style of limited-run television Soap opera, soap operas, particularly prevalent in Latin America. Angola * ''Windeck (telenovela), Winde ...
* Limited-run series * MyNetworkTV telenovelas * Serial (radio and television) – for a general discussion of the serial format, including soap operas and telenovelas * Taiwanese Drama * Teleserye * Korean drama *
Indian soap opera Indian television drama (in Indian English Indian serials) are television programs written, produced, and filmed in India, with characters played by Indians and episodes broadcast on Indian television. India's first television drama was '' H ...
* Japanese television drama ** Asadora *
Téléroman A téléroman ("telenovel" or ''annual drama series'') is a genre of French-language drama television series in Canada, similar to a soap opera or a Spanish language telenovela. In France, the ''téléroman'' genre is known as feuilleton télé ...
– 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, P ...
– 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