In The Blogs

Everyone Loves Ugly Betty

| Tue Oct. 13, 2009 9:10 AM PDT

— by flickr user roniweb used under Creative Commons license

ABC may be looking to wash its hands of Ugly Betty (returning to TV this Friday with a two-hour premiere), but the formula that provided America Ferrera with perpetual braces and Salma Hayek with a small screen career is not about to give up that easily. Adapted from the insanely successful Colombian telenovela, Yo Soy Betty, La Fea, Ugly Betty has spawned a small army of imitators, from the Philippines to China, Brazil to Germany.

Despite the telenovela's relative obscurity in the English-speaking US, they have a long history of international success. Adapted for Indian TV in the 1980s, the Latin American soaps have enjoyed significant popularity in parts of Africa and the former Soviet Union. But none has been as well-received (or as frequently copied) as the story of Beatriz Aurora Pinzon Solano, the original Betty protagonist of the 1999 Colombian serial. In anticipation of Ugly Betty's Friday premiere, here are a few of the best adaptations of Betty:

Israel: "Ugly Esti"

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India: "There's No One like Jassi"

Russia: "Be Born Not Pretty"

Vietnam: "Lady Ugly"

China: "Ugly Without Rival"

Sonja Sharp is an editorial fellow at Mother Jones. For more of her stories, click here.

Comments

The Lie of Ugly Betty

Submitted by Ponzire (not verified) on Thu Oct. 15, 2009 8:41 AM PDT.

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Ugly Betty is a lie! Why? Because the actor who plays her is actually REALLY HOT. If the show had been honest and taken an actor who was not hot, then the humor, charm, and authenticity would have been real. Instead they just slapped some goofy clothes and glasses on a beautiful woman and called her "ugly". Asinine and offensive to legitimate humans everywhere!