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I've been telling everyone for a while that I wasn't watching TV anymore. A friend with whom I had lunch last Saturday suggested a couple things that were on TV last night. The first one she suggested was okey-dokey but not really my cup of tea. The second later in the evening were the premier episodes of a new comedy Telenovela.
Soap opera is kind of an over-the-top version of regular drama. Dramatic spanish-language telenovelas are often an over-the-top version of soap opera. The new show Telenovela is an over-the-top version of telenovelas. Going to that extreme you'd expect the comedy material to be pretty thin, and it is. But unlike so many comedy series over the years that stumbled and failed from the start because of thin material, Telenovela really works. Dancing on the border between satire and farce you'd better have good acting and great timing, or you are going to have an unwatchable mess on your hands. The casting, acting and directing of Telenova were all superb.
The show centers on Anna (played by Eva Longoria), the gorgeous female romantic lead of the telenovela within the show. Anna is a huge star in the world of Spanish-language TV. She is definitely a diva, but a very sympathetic one. Her big flaw is that she doesn't actually understand Spanish very well. There is the older diva, bitter about time passing her by who makes everyone else's life miserable. The sexy male romantic lead is Anna's ex-husband (she got the house, he got the yacht) who the adoring fans want to see get back together with her. The wiry, secondary sexy male is gay and is a compulsive eater. The attractive, muscular guy who plays the heavy on the show-within-the-show is sweet and super-considerate off-stage. The last of the main cast is Anna's dresser/makeup-artist, who is also her best friend.
To give you an idea of the humor, at one point Anna goes off to see her boss to give him a piece of her mind. As always on set she's in a sexy dress, but her friend warns her the dress is only pinned together. As Anna starts her conversation with her boss the pins start coming loose all over her dress. She manages to get through the conversation preserving her modesty if not completely saving her dignity. It so easily could have been a pathetic sight joke, but it was done worthy of Lucille Ball at her classiest.
The show is total escapism. If you're looking for something thought provoking, Telenova isn't it. But if you want to get away from life's troubles and just have fun for awhile, take a look at the glorious romp that is Telenovela. The show takes over its regular Monday time period on January 4, but there are at least 3 episodes available now through streaming, I think.
Soap opera is kind of an over-the-top version of regular drama. Dramatic spanish-language telenovelas are often an over-the-top version of soap opera. The new show Telenovela is an over-the-top version of telenovelas. Going to that extreme you'd expect the comedy material to be pretty thin, and it is. But unlike so many comedy series over the years that stumbled and failed from the start because of thin material, Telenovela really works. Dancing on the border between satire and farce you'd better have good acting and great timing, or you are going to have an unwatchable mess on your hands. The casting, acting and directing of Telenova were all superb.
The show centers on Anna (played by Eva Longoria), the gorgeous female romantic lead of the telenovela within the show. Anna is a huge star in the world of Spanish-language TV. She is definitely a diva, but a very sympathetic one. Her big flaw is that she doesn't actually understand Spanish very well. There is the older diva, bitter about time passing her by who makes everyone else's life miserable. The sexy male romantic lead is Anna's ex-husband (she got the house, he got the yacht) who the adoring fans want to see get back together with her. The wiry, secondary sexy male is gay and is a compulsive eater. The attractive, muscular guy who plays the heavy on the show-within-the-show is sweet and super-considerate off-stage. The last of the main cast is Anna's dresser/makeup-artist, who is also her best friend.
To give you an idea of the humor, at one point Anna goes off to see her boss to give him a piece of her mind. As always on set she's in a sexy dress, but her friend warns her the dress is only pinned together. As Anna starts her conversation with her boss the pins start coming loose all over her dress. She manages to get through the conversation preserving her modesty if not completely saving her dignity. It so easily could have been a pathetic sight joke, but it was done worthy of Lucille Ball at her classiest.
The show is total escapism. If you're looking for something thought provoking, Telenova isn't it. But if you want to get away from life's troubles and just have fun for awhile, take a look at the glorious romp that is Telenovela. The show takes over its regular Monday time period on January 4, but there are at least 3 episodes available now through streaming, I think.