Caray, Caray!

Thanks, Urban, for taking the time to do this. I LOVED the 25 episode strategy. I am sure I posted once before that I believe it put the writers under pressure to write a tighter and better story without the useless and often mindless subplots that seem to bloat otherwise good novelas. That being said, the originator of this series is no longer in charge, so that is how it goes.
 

It seems that Univision would prefer having 25 episodes for the foreseeable future.


 

Thank you so much Urban!

Jarifa,your "it put the writers under pressure to write a tighter and better story without the useless and often mindless subplots that seem to bloat otherwise good novelas" nailed it. I also liked the fact that committing to 25 episodes is a bit easier than committing to 70, 80, or longer.

Not having seen the original Cuna, I can only surmise that Catalina, in that version, wielded cruelty but perhaps not sexuality as a weapon. I mean no disrespect but the story line must have been quite different.

I wasn't too sure about Paz initially (too many visions of Spanglish dancing in my head). But, like Sandra in LU (who I doubted too), she has been wonderful! Totally believable. It's too bad that this couldn't have been embraced as simply a different version of a story. Conversely, it would seem that if a "woman of a certain age" (of which I am one) had been cast, the cries might even have been louder, thinking the original casting was better. Just sayin'.

I think your suggestion for Ximena Roma for Rubi was excellent. That said, if prior casting is any indication I think Camila Sodi (whom I've not seen) will be great.

Diana
 

Thanks, Urban. you are really on a roll... with 3 recaps and now this for the week.

I like the idea of the 25 episodes, but it does make the pace a little too fast. Could Univision compromise and maybe go for 40 episodes?

Urban, of the list, I only saw "El Privilegio de Amar" and I agree that it was perfect; and oh my what a cast--Adela Noriega, Rene Strickler, Helena Rojo, Cesar Evora and Cynthia Klitbo just to name a few. I think I would be very critical of a remake with only 25 episodes.

Diana, I didn't see the original Cuna either. But I think Paz Vega is knocking it out of the park here...she makes hating her so easy! And that's because I luurved her in "Spanglish."
 

I think this format would work for new stories but I have issues with the idea of compressing a story that needed 150 episodes to tell before. Cuna de Lobos had 85 hours of story in the original, which makes the current version about 30% of that. Better than the less than 10% on the DVDs.
 

Thank you, Urban Anthropologist, for this excellent article about Uni's efforts to revamp their telenovela strategy.

I'm active on the Telemundo part of the blog. I've enjoyed three of their shorter novelas and like the style: Falco with Michel Brown; Jugar con Fuego with Carlos Ponce as a villain; No te Puedes Esconder with Blanca Soto, Eduardo Noriega, and Iván Sánchez.

I enjoyed No te Puedes Esconder especially for most of it taking place in Spain, giving me practice in understanding European Spanish accents. Plus, the scenes in Madrid were wonderful and reminded me of my visit there several years ago.

I'm sorry to hear about the bad reaction to Cuna de Lobos. Everyone says that the original was fabulous. I'd seen pictures of the original protagonist (antagonist, really) and the svelte sexy one I saw in the first episode struck me as wrong. The rest of it sits on my DVR. A lot of World Series and NBA games have taken precedence.
 

I'm enjoying the new Cuna but I can't picture the rest of this list in only 25 episodes. El Privilegio de Amar needed 155 episodes because of the nature of the story. It had very little filler, if any. It was also perfectly cast, with the first pairing of Helena Rojo and Adele Noriega as mother and daughter.
 

Thank you Urban for this little tidbit
That Uni has cooked up.
I myself love the idea of shorter tns.
I don't know if its age or what, but I
Find myself Loosing interest in Some
Tns. I think they must have to hit a certain spot to peak my interest. Was
Thinking that would happen with Cuna, but it didn't. All that killing is a turnoff for me.
I was reading some of the large number of episodes of some of those novelas, 324 episodes, wow thats almost a year.
How in the world would they possibly
Shrink that to 25 episodes? But I think thats one you said they tanked.

I actually prefer 25 episodes, but if they wanna go say........35 even 40 that wouldnt be bad. Cuna is cold and dark. Not to appealing to me these days. I like funnyRomantic, dramatic &
Romantic, mystery & romantic. Cold and dark (cuna)No. Nobody is happy in that show. It's nice to escape the dark headlines of reality, but then look at something that's as dark?...But what's that saying? Tv depicts real life or is that the movies? Whatever. I like 25 Episodes. That way I won't run the risk of Loosing interest. Cuz that's happened before too.

Thanks Urban.

 

I think that the 324 quoted for El Maleficio is in half-hours. The only novela I've ever heard of that hit 300 hours was Yo Amo a Juan Querendon, a comedy.

I'm not nuts about comedies but those have been longer because they are more easily lengthened or shortened and they look cheaper to produce.
 

There also is “La fea más bella” (my all time favorite), another comedy, that clocks in at 301 hour episodes.
 

I read that telenovelas were originally 60 episodes.
 

The first version of Corazon Salvaje in 1966 was 60 half-hour episodes. That seems to have been the norm at the time. Novelas started going to hour-long episodes in the 70s and the second version of it in 1977 was 60 one-hour episodes. The 1993 version had 80 episodes, all but one being an hour long. The 2009 one was 135 hour-long episodes because it was fused with Yo Compro Esa Mujer, whose 1991 original had been shown in 160 half-hours.

The 1993 CS was to have been the model for the proposed 25-episode remake, but it was perfect. What is the issue with people rejecting classic programs?
 

I would have liked to have seen a remake with Diana Bracho who played Leonor in the original as Catalina Creel given Diana Bracho’s career experience and talent in playing the villain. That would have been poetic!
 

I felt the same way until I read that she didn't want to. In view if that I thought that Rosa Maria Bianchi would have been the right choice if the network wanted to keep Catalina matronly. Obviously, they had another plan in mind.

Alejandra Barros did a great control freak act in LSDP a few years ago so she might have done this justice, but Paz Vega is stealing the show.