Voices en Español

Betty la fea: It’s unquestionably one of the most popular television programs ever created. What started in Colombia almost a decade ago as an afternoon soap opera has spawned a veritable television franchise with more than a dozen versions of Betty la fea in different countries and dramatically different cultures, such as Belgium, Croatia, Greece, Germany, Israel, Poland, Turkey, Vietnam, the Philippines, the U.S. with more on the way. A Chinese version, (with no gays and no single mothers in the plot), is currently in development.

(Click here for a slideshow of the “before and after” of different television “Bettys” from around the world.

What is it about Betty?

Why is this program so popular? More than likely it has to do with its classic theme of the ugly duckling who grows into a beautiful swan. Only the names and locations have been changed, but the themes are universal. When “Yo soy Betty, la fea” debuted on Colombian television in 1999 it was not only counter intuitive, it was also socially subversive. Before Betty, the lead character of a Spanish-language soap opera (a telenovela) was typically an impossibly gorgeous, sexy female who had the world at her feet, not a goofy, nerdy girl who wore glasses and had a mouth full of braces. The idea that someone who looked like Betty could not only be the center of the plot AND be the heroine was actually a radical idea.

While the original Betty la fea ran for 180 episodes before reaching its finale in 2001, the made in Spain version “Yo soy Bea” has broadcast more than 460 episodes and continues to be among the top-rated tv shows in Spain with millions of viewers. It’s unclear how much more jugo the writers can squeeze out of this lemon, especially now that Bea has undergone her transformation and has married the object of her affection. Even the lead writer of the show has been wondering out loud about what comes next. C’mon, how many viewers really want to see what happens after the wedding? Isn’t “…and they lived happily ever after…” usually the end of the story, not the beginning of a new chapter?

Have you seen any versions of Betty la fea? What do you think her appeal is?