Why I love Telenovelas

Ah, the Telenovela. The art of excessive drama, unrealistic plot twists and never-ending stories…what’s not to love! Similar to soap operas, telenovelas are the Latin American dramas that kept housewives and the middle-class entertained during the early half of the 1900s. Then they grew into a phenomenon.

The American hit comedy Ugly Betty was inspired by the wildly popular telenovela “Yo Soy Betty, La Fea.” Recently, Jane the Virgin took viewers by storm in a comedic dramatization of the telenovela. I have always been fascinated by the story lines behind Days of Our Lives and Dynasty. I’m OBSESSED with the remake of Dynasty right now on the CW, starring my acting queen, Liz Gillies. Remember when her dramatic strut became a quotable meme on Twitter for a month? It was iconic. But even with these soap opera style dramas, the true Latin telenovela brings an extra edge to storytelling and the flair for the dramatic.

I love telenovelas because I love the drama fix. People who love drama are usually deemed crazy, so let me be clear…I do not put up with any ounce of ridiculous drama in my own life…and that’s exactly why I love to watch it so much!

Last night, one of my favorite reality shows, The Bachelor, used a group date to create a telenovela. “El Amor de Pedro” was hands down the best five minutes of this otherwise boring season (I’ll save that story for another time.) This clip is anything but a waste of time.

Seriously, isn’t that hilarious?! What I love most it that telenovelas take creative storylines and run with them. The writers rarely leave any crazy plot point unexplored and I respect that. From long lost identical twins, to faked deaths, to kidnappings and forbidden love, the unrealistic events in telenovelas give me the drama of a crazy life in an entertaining way…without ever having to experience the true stress of wild drama. It’s really a win win situation, and if you haven’t seen any of the shows I mentioned, it’s worth checking out at least a few of them. Just to see if you’re a secret drama junkie too!