Is America Ready To Fall In Love With The Telenovela?

*Years ago, before the birth of the Univision behemoth, I worked master control at the Spanish International Network, in San Antonio, TX. We used to load one-inch telenovela reels to playback machines and keep track of the commercials. In other words, I was paid to watch telenovelas. They were, and still are a huge hit. I think America is past ready – it’s prime for the taking. VL

By Brenda Salinas, NPR Code Switch

Most reviews of the CW’s Jane The Virgin mention that it was loosely adapted from a Venezuelan telenovela called Juana La Virgen. Then they predictably misrepresent a telenovela as a Latin American soap opera.

True, telenovelas and soap operas are daily shows targeted toward child-bearing women. They also tend to rely on amnesia and other questionable plots. But their formats and their roles in popular culture are completely different. To understand why Jane The Virgin feels so refreshing, you have to understand why telenovelas are unlike anything else on American TV.

Don’t Call It A Soap Opera

To start, telenovelas are miniseries. Writers always have an ending in sight, and that ending is almost entirely predictable.

Click HERE to read the full story.

[Photo courtesy of the CW]

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