Ugly Betty — Page 3

Thanks for mentioning this was a based on a Colombian series. I just checked Wikipedia, though apparently it was quite popular. I've never seen it on Univison.

I'm very glad it predates Prada! It has a lot more heart and quirkiness that film/book lacks.

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Here is some info from Wikipedia(SPOILERS though they are kinda predictable typical telenovela):

Yo soy Betty, la fea ("I am Betty, the Ugly One") was a popular telenovela (soap opera) filmed in Colombia, written by Fernando Gaitán and produced by the Colombian network RCN. It aired on Telemundo in the United States.

The show's main character, Beatriz Pinzón Solano (aka: Betty), is an unattractive but intelligent woman working for a fashion design company called Ecomoda. She constantly faces the scorn of her prettier workmates, but eventually she is promoted to a senior job, becomes involved with her boss, and gets a makeover.

The show was so popular that was aired to a wide latinoamerican audience. Its success spawned a short and unsuccessful sequel called Ecomoda, filmed in Colombia and produced by RCN and Univision. Some scenes from the first episode were filmed in Buenos Aires, Argentina and some scenes for the opening sequence were filmed in Miami, Florida. Then an animated series called Betty Toons was released.

Ugly Betty's World Domination!


Germany

In February 2005, the German TV network, SAT 1, began airing a version called Verliebt in Berlin (Being in Love in Berlin), starring local soap opera star Alexandra Neldel as Lisa Plenske and Swiss actor Mathis Künzler as David. Due to its immense popularity (5 million viewers daily), the show was extended beyond its initial 250 episode run in early 2006. A few weeks later it was announced that the show would be renewed for a second season, but without Neldel and Künzler. The focus will shift onto a male lead character named Bruno Plenske (Lisa's half-brother, played by Tim Sander). Verliebt in Berlin is also broadcast in a dubbed version in Hungary (as Lisa csak egy van).


Greece

Mega Channel in Greece is preparing its own version for the autumn of 2006, titled Glikia mou Asximi
India

In 2003, Sony Entertainment Television India licensed the show and adapted it to local contexts to create the popular, Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi ("There Is No One Like Jassi"), which concluded in 2006.


Israel

In 2003, Keshet broadcasting adapted a local version for Israel titled, Esti Ha'mechoeret.


Mexico

The Mexican company, Televisa, is producing its own version named La fea más bella ("The most beautiful ugly woman"). This version is currently airing on Univision in the United States, where it made its debut on April 24, 2006. In this version, the main character is named "Lety".


Netherlands

In 2006, the Dutch TV network Talpa began airing Lotte, starring Nyncke Beekhuyzen as the main character and Lars Oostveen as Vico Maesland.


Russia

STS broadcasting in Russia created a hugely popular version of the show called, Ne Rodis' Krasivoy (Be Not Born Beautiful, a reference to the Russian proverb, "be not born beautiful but be born happy"), starring Nelli Uvarova in the title role of Katya. This version is also broadcast throughout the former Soviet Union.

Spain

Telecinco, in Spain, launched an adaptation called Yo soy Bea in July, 2006. The Spanish adaptation screens weekdays at 4:45pm and pulls in an average of 2.5 million viewers (a 28-30% share of the audience) and has become Spain's No.1 rated daytime programme. Ruth Núñez, known to Spanish viewers for her portrayal of a Yugoslav student in teen soap, Compañeros, plays the heroine.


United States

In 2004, actress Salma Hayek, through her production company and a joint venture with Touchstone Television, acquired the licensing rights to Betty La Fea, with plans to turn it into an English-language comedy-drama series. The American version has been picked up by ABC under the title, Ugly Betty. Initially, the show was slated for broadcast in the summer of 2006 as a daily series (five shows per week), but given the buzz and positive feedback ABC decided to go with a weekly series instead.[2] The show will run for thirty minutes every Thursday at 8:00pm (Eastern time) and the first episode aired on September 28, 2006. America Ferrera plays the title character - an unattractive but efficient secretary working at a fashion magazine. The series will also air in Canada on CHUM Limited's Citytv and A-Channel stations.


Other Countries

The original Colombian version of the show has been dubbed and broadcast in Romania, Brasil, Malaysia, Philippines, Hungary, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic and China. French and Belgian versions are also planned (to be titled, Le Destin de Lisa).

Updated On: 9/29/06 at 04:49 PM

'Ugly Betty' on ABC is TV's top-rated


By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television WriterSat Sep 30, 6:48 PM ET
America may be falling for America Ferrera, the star of ABC's "Ugly Betty," an underdog that has become the most-watched new series of the fall television season so far.

The comedy, which stars Ferrera as a plain Queens girl who pushed her way into the fashion world, was seen by 16.1 million people in its ABC debut on Thursday night, according to Nielsen Media Research.

All but about a half-dozen of the 24 new series the broadcast networks are introducing this fall have made it onto the air already, and so far "Ugly Betty" stands at No. 1.

The show did it without the advantage of a strong program airing ahead of it. Shows like "Shark" and "Brothers & Sisters" that have had strong debuts were helped because they followed "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "Desperate Housewives." "Ugly Betty" opened the night at 8 p.m. ET.

It was ABC's largest audience in the time period with a scripted show since "Matlock" in 1995, according to Nielsen Media Research.

ABC, owned by The Walt Disney Co., had some inkling that "Ugly Betty," an American version of a popular Spanish-language telenovela, was attracting attention even before the first episode aired. It had originally scheduled the show for Friday nights — one of the slowest nights on TV — before switching it to Thursday over the summer.

With "Grey's Anatomy" seen by 23.3 million at 9 p.m., ABC is suddenly a player on a night considered television's most valuable because advertisers are eager to be seen there, a night it has been off the ratings radar for years.

CBS, which has dominated Thursday the past few years, had 23.5 million viewers for "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and 16.6 million viewers for "Survivor: Cook Island."

The "Survivor" episode, only its third of the season, was notable for breaking up the segregated tribes that caused some hubbub weeks ago.

This season began with separate "tribes" of black, white, Asian and Latinos on "Survivor." The segregation drew criticism, with some New York City Council members accusing CBS Corp. of promoting divisiveness.

But on Thursday the reality show producers merged those four tribes into two multi-race gangs. It wasn't in response to any of the criticism; the "Survivor" episodes were filmed before CBS had even announced the cast members.

The show had begun the season missing a few advertisers that it had in past seasons, including General Motors, although the advertisers denied that they left because of the segregation experiment.

The average viewership of the first two episodes was essentially the same as "Survivor" last year, even up slightly.
Source

Updated On: 10/4/06 at 01:24 PM