Caray, Caray!

Okay, here are my top ten:
1. La fea más bella (301 episodes of pure delight. Serious drama and plenty of comedy, even slapstick, with Jaime Camil and Angélica Vale as two young people looking to find their way. )
2. Por ella soy Eva (dramady with Jaime Camil in heels trying to prove his innocence and falling in love with Lucero along the way. )
3. Mi marido tiene familia (three seasons of heartfelt drama with comedic touches)
4. La reina del sur (three seasons) (Kate del Castillo in the title role of this extremely violent but best narco novela ever)
5. Soy tu dueña (Beautiful people Fernando Colunga and Lucero, fighting, loving and living the drama of ranchero life)
6. El Príncipe (two season Spanish drama series taking place in Ceuta/ Spanish
city located in North Africa/ loaded with terrorism and forbidden romance!)
7. Vencer el desamor (serious family and crime drama)
8. El gallo de oro (two seasons of José Ron cockfighting, Lucero singing and their love story)
9. Monteverde (a dramady that will make you laugh, cry but never bore you as Africa Zavala plays twins and is romanced by Gabriel Soto.
10. Cuna de lobos (1986 version) (pure drama and evil at the hands of one of the most famous telenovela villains of all time: Catalina Creel)
 

1. Destilando Amor. Tequila, treachery, and song.
2. La Fea Mas Bella. My first recapping experience. Very rewarding!
I miss the TNs, but I don't get Univision anymore and don't really have the time. :-(
 

Favorites.

I've been watching only 3 years so my list won't have many old ones.

1. Fatmagul. This one really impacted me.
2. La hija del Mariachi I watched this on the recommendation of a Columbian family member (my daughter in laws sister in law). It was the second telenovela I ever watched and I had very little Spanish knowledge at the time. I should watch it again but I generally dislike rewatching shows.
3. La suerte de Loli. I lean towards the more comedic shoes and this one was really good.
4. Silvana sin Lana. Another good comedy.
5. Pura sangre. Another Colombian suggestion. Dramatic and impactful. Another I watched early in my Spanish learning journey.
6. Bahar, the first 2 seasons especially.
7. Betty la fea (the Colombian original, I didn't watch the remake.).
8. Mi Marido tiene familia. I preferred the first season
9. El Ultimo matrimonio Feliz
10. Entre tu amor y mi amor. This one was a bit crazy, a 2016 Venezuelan telenovela. The reason it made my list is it was the very first telenovela I watched. I spent a lot of time typing sentences into my Spanish/English app trying to understand it. I'd send screenshots to my Colombian relative I mentioned previously if I was confused. That's when she set me on the Colombian TN path. It was prior to discovering this blog.
11. Honorable mention goes to Vuelve a Mi. That's when I found caray caray ...




 

1. El Color De La Pasión - it gets kinda frustrating in the middle but the last 3-4 episodes make it all worth it.
2. Que Culpa Tiene Fatmagul - I’ve seen a few Turkish telenovelas now and this one is the best by far.
3. La Fea Más Bella - sometimes I forget about the first half because everything beyond and including the infamous letter/board meeting/Acapulco storyline is so good.
 

Favorites from various countries

Amar a Muerte (2018)

Cafe con Aroma de Mujer (1993, original Colombian, not the recent remake)

Istanbullu gelin (2017 Bride of Istanbul now available on Vix as “Amor Eterno,” but not to be confused with that other Amor Eterno)

Si nos Dejan (2021)

Vuelve a mi (2023)

Fatmagul (2010)

Yo soy Betty, la fea (1999) orig Colombian

Mujer (2017)

Alborada (2005)

Yargi (2021 Secretos de Familia)

Monteverde (2025)

Babachita

 

Favorites

I just noticed I have 11. I should have numbered them!

Babachita
 

1.Alborada,
2. Amor Real
3.Fatmagul
4.Pasion

 

OT. Julie, I've always loved that photo of you and your sister .
Miss you . Wish you would return to commenting here on Caraycaray. So many old friends have disappeared . Susan
 

I’ve seen so many TNs it’s almost impossible to pare down the list. Here are my 10 favorites (in no particular order) and 2 honorable mentions. I know I am missing some.

Amores Verdaderos. Eduardo Yanez and Erika Buenfil in a love story for the ages.

Caer En Tentacion. Gabe Soto and Adriana Louvier’s passions ignited despite them being married to others (the great Carlos Ferro and Sylvia Navarro). Ela Velden as a troubled teen was marvelous. Gabe’s performance was mesmerizing.

Corazon Salvaje. Eduardo Yanez. Watching he and his mother during her death scene (the amazing Laura Flores as improbable casting as it was) remains one of my all-time favorite scenes.

La Malquerida. A “burningly” insane Alberto Estrella and my favorite non-lead couple the sweet, loving Africa Zavala and Osvaldo de Leon were magic. The mismatched but scorching Sabine Moussier and Joshua Gutiérrez were something to behold. The first TN I recapped so dear to my heart.

La Verdad Occulta. Eduardo Yanez, Gabe Soto and Alejandra Barros in a tale of intrigue and love. Fabian Robles is amazing.

Mi marido tiene familia. Drama threaded throughout with an incredible cast of characters. Daniel Arenas’ performance breaks your heart.

Monteverde. Gabe Soto, a touching Africa Zavala and a perfectly imperfect cast of characters.

Pasión. The first time I saw Fernando Colunga and the luminous Susana Gonzalez. Love and pirates. Also memorable for Alberto Estrella and Marisol del Olmo whose chemistry was combustible. Daniela Castro was amazing.

Ringo. Jose Ron and a menacing Alfredo Gatica made this drama searing.

Vencer el desamor. Gripping, heartbreaking and utterly unforgettable.

Honorable Mention: Mi Pecado. Maite Perroni, Eugenio Siller and a harrowing tour de force performance by Daniela Castro. Teresa. Angelique Boyer and Sebastian Rulli. Don’t miss the last five minutes. Great cast and storyline.

Diana
 

These aren't exactly in order of how much I loved them. It's like which is your favorite child and why. I am not including Turkish dizis which I've developed a love for in the last couple of years. The heading of the post said "Telenovelas".

1. Amor Real
2. Doña Bárbara
3. La Reina del Sur
4. Alborada
5. Flor Salvaje
6. En Nombre del Amor
7. Pasión
8. Zorro, La Espada y La Rosa
9. Corazón Valiente
10. Bajo el Mismo Cielo
 

Novelera, darn, I didn't think about that distinction. Like you I have developed a taste for the dizis. This is a fun thread. I'll have to save it for future reference. Now I'm more fluent I can go watch the old ones that are pre caray caray recaps and have a good chance of understanding them.
 

Non-dizis, no particular order:
Quién es quién?
Clever and charming
Eugenio Siller, Kimberly
Dos Ramos
Buscando a Frida
Great suspense plot,
incredible acting
Eduardo Santamaría,
Alejandra Barros, Ximena
Herrera, Arap Bethke
Para volver a amar
Ground-breaking
Vuelve a mi
William Levy
Café con aroma de mujer
(Remake, more William
Levy)
Caer en Tentación
Avenida Brasil
Pasión Prohibida
QEPD. Mónica Spear
Clara
 

Clara, yes Pasion Prohibido was amazing ! Susan
 

Kat, yes, I loved " Entre tu Amor y MI Amor." Love Daniel Elbittar Susan
 

1. Amores verdaderos (Erika Buenfil, Eduardo Yáñez, Eiza González, Sebastián Rulli) A wealthy family’s bodyguards become entangled in forbidden love, secrets, and danger.
2. La vecina (Esmeralda Pimentel, Juan Diego Covarrubias) A lively, spontaneous woman clashes with a serious, methodical engineer, sparking an opposites‑attract romance full of humor and misunderstandings.
3. El color de la pasión (Esmeralda Pimentel, Erick Elías, Claudia Ramírez) A young woman fights to reclaim her life after years of manipulation by her obsessive aunt.
4. Amor bravío (Silvia Navarro, Cristian de la Fuente) A grieving woman finds new love while defending her family’s ranch from powerful enemies.
5. La fuerza del destino (Sandra Echeverría, David Zepeda, Gabriel Soto) A man wrongfully accused returns to confront his past and the love he was forced to abandon.
6. Teresa (Angelique Boyer, Sebastián Rulli, Aarón Díaz) An ambitious young woman uses her beauty and intelligence to escape poverty at any cost.
7. De que te quiero, te quiero (Livia Brito, Juan Diego Covarrubias) Twin brothers fall for the same woman, sparking a whirlwind of romance, jealousy, and mistaken identity.
8. Qué pobres tan ricos (Zuria Vega, Jaime Camil) Two families from opposite social worlds are forced to live together, leading to chaos and unexpected love.
9. Mi corazón es tuyo (Silvia Navarro, Jorge Salinas) A warm‑hearted nanny transforms the lives of a widowed businessman and his unruly children.
10. Mi marido tiene familia (Zuria Vega, Daniel Arenas) A newlywed couple’s peaceful life is turned upside down when the husband’s overbearing family reappears.
11. Un gancho al corazón (Danna García, Sebastián Rulli) A spirited female boxer falls for a wealthy businessman, challenging both their worlds.
12. Hasta que el dinero nos separe (Itatí Cantoral, Pedro Fernández) After a car accident, a debt binds two opposites together and slowly turns animosity into love.
13. La hija del mariachi (Carolina Ramírez, Mark Tacher) A fugitive businessman hides in a mariachi bar and falls for the singer who helps protect him.
14. La reina del flow (Carolina Ramírez, Carlos Torres, Andrés Sandoval) A gifted songwriter seeks revenge after being framed, rising again in the world of urban music.
15. Pasión de gavilanes (Danna García, Mario Cimarro, Paola Rey, Juan Alfonso Baptista, Natasha Klauss, Michel Brown) Three brothers infiltrate a wealthy family to avenge a tragedy, only to fall deeply in love with the sisters.
16. La reina del sur (Kate del Castillo, Humberto Zurita, Raoul Bova, Pêpê Rapazote) A young woman becomes one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the world.

If you liked Monteverde, you might like some of the other telenovelas from the same producer: "La vecina" and "De que te quiero te quiero." "La vecina" even has the same good padre!
 

1. Lo Que La Vida Me Robo
2. Amar a Muerte
3. En Nombre Del Amor
4. Llena De Amor
5. La Madrastra
6. Caer En Tentacion
7. Rubi
8. Marimar
9. Sortilegio
10. Eternamente amándonos
 

I've seen a number of telenovelas, including some that I've liked quite a bit. However, my rather weak memory tends to mix them up, so I don't feel confident listing them. But there is one that stands out above the others: La Reina del Sur, starring Kate del Castillo, Humberto Zurita, Rafael Amaya, Iván Sánchez, Cristina Urgel, and Alberto Jiménez, among others. Brilliantly conceived and spectacularly acted, it is far and away the novela I've liked best.
 

Jarifa, thanks for starting this. I miss my TNs, but I'm on the lookout for the next one that'll grab me. I tried to see if there are any common themes in my list, but I don't see any -- other than the fact that I have a thing for revenge, mystery, action, and great chemistry.

1. La reina del sur
2. Destilando amor (Eduardo Yanez and the rest of the cast deliver.)
3. La verdad oculta ("ditto")
4. Alborada (La reina del sur and Alborada are the tightest TNs I've ever seen - rich writing and plotting, no fluff.)
5. Amor bravio (great couple, aided by a Scooby team)
6. Amores verdaderos (There goes Yanez again. : > )
7. La piloto (Livia Brito is great in this. Arap Bethke is a bad guy, but he has his charms. Like Reina, it's in the narco world and there's violence and torture.)
8. Yago (Revenge with a new face, thanks to plastic surgery. A wise, older mentor and Scooby team.)
9. La Malquerida (Victoria Ruffo is known as the queen of tears, but she's not crying much in this one.)
10. Caer en Tentacion

 

O/T

Niecie, I am SO happy to see your post!!

I've wondered where you were several times...I hope you will be joining in on something soon. You've been very much missed.

Diana
 

OT. Niecie, so good to see you here . Miss you . We watched a lot of shows together on the patiio over the years . Susan
 

Just reread comments, and I noticed that when imposted my favs quickly between chores, that I never out my name . Now I can add a few more . Susan
1. Alboarada
2. Amor Real
3. Fatmagul
4. Pasion
5 .Amor Prohibido
 

Diana and Susan, I miss ya'll too. The timing hasn't been right for me to keep up with a TN, but I'm ready now for a new start.
 

My Favorites (in no particular order):
1. Pasion de Gavalines - The first TN I ever watched and I still love it! 1st Season
2. Tierra de Reyes - A remake of PdG and it was still SOOO GOOD!
3. Cosita Linda - can't really explain why but I watch this one over and over again, it's just charming.
4. Quien es Quien - It's fun
5. Fatmagul - I know it's a dizi but it's one of my favorite shows I've ever seen in any language, and I watched it on Uni so I'm counting it! :)
6. Si Nos Dejan - One of my 1st with Caray
7. Bajo el Mismo Cielo
8-10 to be determined! :)
9.

 

Thanks, everyone, for listing your faves so far. There are so many I never saw or had forgotten about. Telenovelas or dizis? They are all the same to me.

Julie, I have been rewatching "La fea" for the umpteenth time over the last couple of months on VIX when there is nothing else on. It has never lost its charm for me.

Kat, so, you found the blog via "Vuelve a mí." I was not aware of that one since I tend to stick to the Univision side of the blog even though I have ventured over to the Telemundo side a couple of times like for "La reina del sur." One of these days I have to finish "Betty la fea".

TF, oh yes, the letter (Mi estimado presidente. . .) in that red bag that nobody can find for the longest time and then it all hits the fan. Perfection!

Babachita, no problem with 11! I see there is another vote for "Betty la fea."

Diana, I can really tell you are a Gabe Soto fan. NO doubt about it! ; )

novelera yes! "La reina del sur"! I watched the later 2 seasons with you guys on the Telemundo side of the blog.

Clara, it seems like you are a real William Levy fan. It would be great if he were in more novelas.

Lucio, another "Reina del sur" fan. Thanks for the recommendations from the same producer as Monteverde .

forg/jecoup, "Eternamente amándonos" almost made it onto my list. I loved that one, too.

Juanita, I always felt like "La reina del sur" was shot like a movie and the whole world was the stage. Nobody skimped on that production. In order of preference, it is my second favorite.

Niecie, another vote for "La reina del sur"! I have only seen Arap Bethke as a good guy. Interesting that he has also been a villain.

Susan, somehow I knew that "Alborada" and "Amor real" were going to be on your list. ; )

Darcy, I think the only one that I have seen on your list is "Si nos dejan." A lot of new ones to explore.
 

Favorites

Just fyi, one of the dizis I had on my list, Istanbullu Gelin (Bride of Istanbul or Amor Eterno on Vix, not the other AE) is the story Eternamente Amandonos is based on. I couldn’t remember the name of the Mexican one. Both are excellent. So, you can add a vote for Eternamente Amandonos.

Babachita
 

Thanks, Babchita!