10 Mexican soap operas that conquered the entire world

The melodrama that accompanies the love stories marked by terrible villains in soap operas has been, from the beginning, a reason for families to gather in front of the television. Mexico is one of the main exporters of soap operas, and the plots are so intriguing that they can make people dream anywhere in the world.

That’s why the awesome.club created a list of some Mexican soap operas that had impressive success outside their country. Also, there is a special bonus with honorable mentions at the end of the post. Don’t miss out!

The success of Mexican telenovelas has crossed oceans and reached unexpected places in the world. Although initially sponsored by companies that sold soap and detergents, as they believed it would be a good way to promote their products among housewives, soap operas have become a cultural phenomenon that impacts people’s daily lives.

Although Mexico is not the only producer of telenovelas, the country has set the trend that other nations have followed and has achieved commercial success that translates into huge profits and international recognition for the stories and their protagonists. Indeed, UNESCO has also supported the arrival of soap operas in low-income countries in order to promote family planning, reproductive health and gender equity.

His script is a fusion of radio soap operas the indomitable and the cat, and tells the story of Rosa (Verónica Castro), a naive girl, from a humble class and without much education, who meets Ricardo (Guillermo Capetillo), a rich young man who marries her only to rebel against her family. Over time, he falls into his own trap and falls in love with Rosa.

The telenovela allowed Televisa to reach Germany for the first time, one of the more than 100 countries where it was broadcast. Although more than 30 years have passed since its launch, the production continues to enjoy great popularity in countries such as Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Moldova.

The story of a poor young woman who becomes pregnant and has to deal alone with the challenges that this entails has moved millions of people around the world. The main character, played by actress Victoria Ruffo, inspired many women as she transformed herself from a poor girl to a respected fashion designer with her own brand.

It is considered one of the most successful Mexican soap operas internationally, and it is no wonder, even in Moscow, fans gathered to welcome Victoria Ruffo. Recently, the story of an Angolan woman who declared herself a fan of the actress and even learned Spanish thanks to this and other Mexican soap operas was released.

Actress and singer Thalía gained international fame, largely thanks to the trilogy popularly known as The Three Marys; three different soap operas that had a very similar story: a poor girl who meets a rich man and they fall in love, but must overcome several obstacles before they can be together.

It was the character that gave Thalía fame and fortune, as well as making her the winner of several awards and unexpected worldwide recognition in countries where Spanish is not even spoken. The telenovela also marked the beginning of an era in which many newborns were christened “Maria Mercedes”, “Marimar” or even “Thalía”, especially in Mexico.

Some consider it the most successful of the three, as it broke viewership records in more than 40 countries, including Ukraine, Russia and Indonesia. Even in Arab nations, it holds the record for the highest ratings, as the final episode was tuned to 97 out of every 100 homes watching television at the time.

In fact, in Côte d’Ivoire, the frenzy was such that mosques moved up prayer times so that the faithful could watch the soap opera. In addition, people gathered in bars to watch it, and newspapers, which included chapter summaries, increased their circulation.

The telenovela presented us with moments that went viral thanks to the Internet and immortalized the villain Soraya Montenegro in pop culture. In fact, it is an adaptation of the Mexican soap opera The Rich Cry Too (1979), another very successful production.

It is a version of the Venezuelan soap opera of the same name, broadcast in 1972, and tells how the twins who were separated at birth meet each other as adults and change identities. The production gave its protagonist, Gabriela Spanic, international fame, in addition to becoming one of the telenovelas with the most broadcasts in the world, and having been dubbed in more than 25 languages.

A curious fact is that rumors have been circulating for years that, initially, Thalía was considered to be the protagonist of the story, but she turned it down because she was on tour with her show, which gave Gabriela the opportunity to star in fiction with her most iconic characters, the sweet Paulina Martínez and the evil Paola Bracho. Can you imagine Thalía being “the usurper”? Tell us in the comments!

Set in post-independence Mexico, being a period soap opera, it required a large production, highly praised for its costumes and recreations. In fact, it took more than a thousand actors, extras, technicians and artisans to carry it out. It was so popular in Mexico that it was rerun just four months after the original broadcast.

It was also an international success, and in the United States, it outperformed the major American television networks, despite not having English subtitles. Two years after its debut, its DVD version was released and it became the first soap opera to be released with English subtitles, which allowed it to reach more countries.

If we talk about youth novels, Rebel is mandatory mention. It is an adaptation from Argentina. Rebel Way, but set in the “Elite Way School”, a private school where these young people live stories of love, friendship, music and a lot of rebellion. The soap opera became a phenomenon, and on Mexican streets it was common to find the tie characteristic of this fictional school for sale. It seemed like everyone wanted to feel at least a little “rebel”.

As a result of the production, they launched the musical group RBDmade up of the same protagonists, who managed to sell millions of merchandising and won several platinum and gold records, in addition to performing on important stages in Latin America and Europe, to sing some of their hits such as “Solo Quédate en Silencio” and “Sálvame”.

The story is based on a 1963 romantic cartoon, written by Yolanda Vargas Dulché, and broke standards for having a very atypical protagonist. Ruby (Bárbara Mori), as beautiful as she is dangerous, is an ambitious woman who doesn’t mind doing what must be done to achieve the fortune she desires, even if it involves sacrificing true love.

In the midst of stories in which the protagonist was always good and naive, a role like Ruby’s was a breath of fresh air that is still valid thanks to her retransmissions. According to internet search trends, it is a favorite in countries like Republic of Congo and Cameroon.

It was 9 pm in Mexico and people were already sitting in front of the television, waiting for the chapter to answer the question “who is Patricia’s real killer?” Due to this crime, the protagonist, Maria (Victoria Ruffo), is unfairly imprisoned for twenty years, but returns to seek justice and recover her family.

The telenovela also aired in the United States, Latin American countries, Europe and Russia. When it aired in Mexico in 2007, the production decided to give viewers a new experience and shoot new scenes to create an alternate ending with a different killer than the original, so it managed to keep the audience back in their seats.

In 1958, Forbidden Path (Caminho Proibido, in free translation) was produced in Mexico; the first novel with the structure as we know it today. Since then, several stories have been created that many will remember, some of which are:

Do you like soap operas? Which is your favorite? Which ones from this list did you see and which ones did you like the most? Tell us in the comments.