14 Typical characters that always appear in telenovelas

Most telenovelas have practically obligatory characters. After all, without them the plots would run away from what is expected of productions of this type. The problem is that characters like that are so well known that the story presented takes on predictable contours. Even so, a considerable portion of the public, despite having a good idea of ​​what will end up happening, cannot miss a single chapter. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about Brazilian, Mexican, Colombian soap operas or any other country: it will be practically impossible for the plot not to bring known clichés. For example, almost every telenovela ends with the marriage of the protagonists. And when that doesn’t happen, viewers don’t hide their displeasure.

In this post, the incredible.club features 14 characters that are indispensable in any soap opera. Perhaps you, a novelist, can identify with one of them. On the other hand, it is possible that you find one or the other so ridiculous as to seem far-fetched. Follow along.

Most of the time, at least one of the protagonists is so nice that it could even be seen as silly or clumsy. In most cases, this character is poor, and ends up finding the love of his life, who is usually… that’s right, a millionaire. His fragile personality triggers most of the problems in the story, causing terrible consequences. And although he always tries to look like the kindest person in the plot, at some point in the story he can be shown as a villain.

It is the neighbor who finds out about absolutely everything that happens in the lives of the other characters. Always by “chance”, she is present at the most important events in the lives of others, or listens to conversations that are crucial to the progress of the story. She often pretends to be a good person, but her only interest is in getting the inside scoop on gossip to run and tell anyone who passes in front of her, always looking for attention.

Regardless of the size of the city where the plot takes place, there is always a single doctor who attends to all the characters (who end up always attending the same hospital). In some cases, he is the trusted doctor of all families, and sometimes he is bribed to confirm a pregnancy that does not exist.

He’s always eavesdropping on conversations over the phone or behind doors. Usually, she is allied with the mother of the millionaire protagonist, and reports to her everything she sees and hears. Most of the time, she is a character who has worked for the same family for years, and knows the most unspeakable secrets. In some soap operas, she is the person in charge of raising the bosses’ children, becoming their accomplice over time.

Always owners of impeccable appearances and strong personalities, the villains of the soap operas are up to no good without suffering the consequences, at least during part of the story. They are capable of killing, betraying and acting as if they were kind people without anyone suspecting anything until the last chapter. When they are discovered ahead of time, they find a way to get rid of whoever caught them, or offer bribes so that the person does not tell others. When caught by the police, they usually run away and hide easily, without anyone being able to do anything about it.

For the villain to be able to put his diabolical plan into practice, there is always someone behind him, supporting his evil deeds. This character is responsible for covering tracks, as well as pretending to be friends with someone else to get the information he needs. In several cases, it is the accomplice who ends up confessing everything he has done to help the villain and, from one day to the next, redeems himself, becoming a kind person who defends the “good” protagonists.

Always “by chance”, this character lives near the places where an accident happens. He is usually endowed with incredible abilities, being so smart as to save a woman in danger and make her fall in love with him, all in one fell swoop. In certain cases, the same hero is in love with the protagonist and able to do anything for her, but he never gets what he wants.

The main feature of this character is that his family always owns an important company or a gigantic farm. Despite not being very interested in business, he is usually the main heir to the entire fortune, responsible for the most important transactions. In most of the stories, he falls in love with a poor woman, born into a humble family.

In the midst of several police officers or investigators, there is always one who is in charge of all the cases that arise in the soap opera. And despite having the answers in front of his nose, he only discovers the truth near the end of the plot, giving the story a suspenseful touch. When he solves some mystery, he is forced to face the villain, who wins the battle and runs away without making much effort. Sometimes the police officer falls in love with the person he is investigating, complicating his entire job.

He spent his whole life just as a friend of the protagonist, but he was always in love with her, never having an opportunity to reveal his feelings. Throughout the plot, he fights for his beloved to realize that he is the one she should be with. However, in almost all plots, this character is not lucky enough to start a relationship with the main character, becoming a kind of protector and conforming only to the friendship she offers.

In a telenovela in the most traditional molds, a grandma who cares about everyone and is always talking to herself cannot be missing. Usually, she is the woman who took on the role of raising the protagonist, orphaned in infancy, advising her on what she should and should not do. In other plots, she lacks the slightest compassion and decides to turn her own granddaughter’s life into hell because she considers that her plans were thwarted with the arrival of the one who required her care.

Even though there are countless churches, the priest is always only one. The other characters resort to him when they are worried or in trouble, and he has the function of marrying all the lovers that appear in the story. Often, the priest character disappears from the plot because he knows many other people’s secrets, even getting in the way of the villains’ plans.

There is always a character who is envious and jealous throughout the novel. He doesn’t conform with the fact that his brother has everything he wanted: a wife, a high position in the company and even the love of his parents. As he is not the favorite of the family, he allies with the villain to achieve his goals, but almost never succeeds. With an eye on the heritage, he wants to pass on the idea of ​​being a good person all the time, but his efforts are not enough.

The controlling mother is one of the most clichéd characters in soap operas. She is usually the mother of the millionaire protagonist and spends all her time ordering what her son should do, suggesting who he should marry and even how many children he needs to have.

What is your favorite type of soap opera character? If you needed to write a plot for a television production, what would the plot be? What would the protagonists be like? Unleash your creativity by leaving a comment!