If you have a soft spot for long-lost evil twins, dreamy trophy husbands, fictional drug lords, sudden fortunes, monumental failures, and truly mind-blowing survival acts (shoutout to leading lady Rubí who literally falls down an entire flight of stairs into a glass table and survives), then hi! You’ve come to the right place!! Let us all take a moment to appreciate good ol’ telenovelas, which brings you all of this and more. Regardless of their believability, you can’t help but get sucked in, and we’ve rounded up the best telenovelas of all time to prove it.
Whether they’re sequel series, reboots, or total originals, the most popular telenovelas tend to have a few things in common: a quest for revenge, an illicit affair (or several), and some MAJOR family dysfunction. But that’s exactly what makes them so damn good! So get ready to pop the popcorn, brew up that hot cafecito, and settle into the d-r-a-m-a, because you know a quality novela is nothing if not juicy, and we’ve got all the best Spanish-language soaps available to stream rn.
1. La Reina del Sur
STREAM NOW
Translated as “The Queen of the South,” La Reina takes place in Mexico and chronicles the rise of Teresa Mendoza (Kate del Castillo), who works her way up to become the most powerful drug lord in the country. After premiering in 2011, La Reina del Sur became one of Telemundo’s most popular shows ever, and FYI, a third season is on the way.
2. Señora Acero
STREAM NOW
Similar to La Reina del Sur, this Telemundo production (which first aired in 2014) ran for five seasons, following a young widow who must take charge of business after her drug trafficker husband dies at the alter. TBH, the Red Wedding from Game of Thrones has got NOTHING on the pilot episode of this series.
3. Rosario Tijeras
STREAM NOW
Based on the Colombian drama of the same name, this thrilling series had a three-season run, following a troubled young woman who—after suffering years of abuse at the hands of her stepfather—decides to dedicate her life to getting revenge on all those who hurt her.
4. Rebelde
STREAM NOW
If you’re obsessed with Élite (along with the rest of the world), then you can think of Rebelde as a way less intense version of it. It’s a remake of the Argentinian series Rebelde Way, and it’s set in an *ahem* elite boarding school. The show follows the relationships of a group of wealthy and scholarship students who join together to start a pop band, and while it’s difficult to stream the original early-2000s series, you *can* watch the new Netflix reboot rn.
5. Sin Senos Sí Hay Paraiso
STREAM NOW
A spin-off of the original Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso, this sequel (which first aired in 2016 and ran for three seasons) revolves around Catalina “La Pequeña,” who—after being raised in a town controlled by the mafia—decides to seek vengeance on the mafiosos who destroyed her family and got them wrongly imprisoned. Expect action-packed scenes and a LOT of drama.
6. La Doña
STREAM NOW
Based on the novel Doña Bárbara by Venezuelan writer Rómulo Gallegos, this series revolves around a wildly successful (and totally ruthless) businesswoman, following the traumatic events that led her to become the no-nonsense doña she is now. Oh, and you can also expect to see Élite‘s Danna Paola (aka Lu) in this one as Altagracia’s daughter, Mónica.
7. El Señor de los Cielos
STREAM NOW
Just like Narcos: Mexico, this series tells the story of real-life Mexican drug lord Amado Carrillo Fuente, the former leader of the Juarez Cartel who’s known for transporting cocaine in a fleet of Boeing 727 jets. In early 2022, Telemundo announced that the series had been renewed for an eighth season, so you can expect even more episodes of this one.
8. Falsa Identidad
STREAM NOW
What happens when two complete strangers discover that they both need to escape their dark pasts in Sonora? They assume the identity of a dead American tourist and his wife, of course, and that’s exactly what happens in this twisty series. Hey, Telemundo, can we get an update on season 3, pls?
9. Pasión de Gavilanes
STREAM NOW
Known for putting the modern-era telenovela on the map, this Colombian telenovela debuted in 2003, following three (very good-looking) men who decide to avenge the death of their younger sister by romancing the daughters of the culprit. The series recently got a second season—which takes place 20 years after the events of the original series—so there’s no better time to get on board.
10. Rubí
STREAM NOW
What is better than a deliciously vindictive anti-hero? How about a deliciously vindictive anti-hero slash femme fatale? This 2004 soap follows the titular Rubí Pérez, who climbs out of her impoverished childhood and into wealth by seducing men, ruining a marriage, and generally manipulating everyone. And it gets real dramatic. The best part? There’s a 2020 reboot, so you can go straight to the new version once you finish the original.
11. Teresa
STREAM NOW
This popular remake follows Teresa, a beautiful teen desperate to be rich by any means possible, which obviously means that no one is safe from her trickery and deceit. And we mean no one—not even her family, friends, or various lovers. Her quest for riches starts with good intentions, but as we all know, the road to Hell is paved with Good Intentions.™
12. Yo Soy Betty, la Fea
STREAM NOW
There have been dozens of remakes and adapted versions of this novela, including the super-popular American version, Ugly Betty, but the original—about a homely but brilliant secretary working at a high-pressure fashion company—was Colombian and ran from 1998 to 2001. We’re not exaggerating when we say it’s the most successful (and probably the most popular) novela of all time.
13. La Patrona
STREAM NOW
Another novela hailing from Mexico! This one makes the cut because it features main character Gabriela Súarez (Aracely Arambula) as the only female miner in a small town. A single mother, Gabriela faces many obstacles, including sexual harassment and being accused of crimes she didn’t commit. Still, Gabriela perseveres and manages to get (you guessed it) revenge.
14. El Clon
STREAM NOW
A remake of a Brazilian novela (and often considered one of the most ambitious telenovelas in the history of television), El Clon aired in 2010, following a wild love triangle between a handsome hero, his clone, and a young Arab woman whose desires and values are in conflict with her Islamic upbringing. Drama ensues, naturally.
15. La Usurpadora
STREAM NOW
No list is complete without this doozy of a soap opera, which originally aired in 1998 with a reboot following in 2019. In it, twin sisters Paulina and Paola are separated at birth, and when they manage to reunite as adults, Paola (the evil twin, natch) blackmails Paulina into switching places with her so Paola can leave her husband and take a yearlong vacation with her lover. The original is tough to find, but you can stream the reboot now.
16. Lo Que La Vida Me Robó
STREAM NOW
In this romantic drama (which originally aired from October 2013 to July 2014), a woman sacrifices her own happiness in order to marry a man she doesn’t love, who she knows will provide for her family. However, real love ends up blossoming between them…until the woman discovers that her new husband is actually out to destroy her. Fun fact: The show’s stars, Angelique Boyer and Sebastián Rulli (who also starred in Teresa together), are dating IRL.
17. La Querida del Centauro
STREAM NOW
This series first aired in 2016 and ran for two seasons, revolving around a famous drug dealer known as El Centauro and the young mother in trouble who—in exchange for house arrest and protection from a detective—agrees to become his mistress in order to lure him out of hiding.
18. El Color de la Pasión
STREAM NOW
El Color de la Pasión aired from March 2014 to August 2014, telling the story of Rebeca, a woman who decides to murder her sister in order to steal her husband (who Rebeca has secretly always loved) and become stepmother to her sister’s daughter, Lucía. Of course, Rebeca never expects that history will repeat itself with her own daughter, Nora, who hates Lucía for the same reasons that Rebeca always resented her own sister.
19. Marido en Alquiler
STREAM NOW
Based on the Brazilian soap Fina Estampa, this series (which originally aired in 2013 and ran for one season) is all about Griselda, a single mom of three living in a working class community who spends her days repairing cars and appliances in order to support her family. Things then get a lil more complicated when her ex-husband—who supposedly disappeared at sea 15 years earlier—suddenly finds a way back into her life.
20. El Zorro, la Espada y la Rosa
STREAM NOW
This one will forever have a place in our hearts, because it featured Beyoncé in the theme song, and how can you go wrong with that? The limited series, which ran from February to July 2007, is loosely based on Zorro and takes place in a fictional, ahistorical version of Los Angeles. There are cannibals, warriors, witches, pirates, masked avengers, polygamy, and ofc, plenty of romance.
Source: Read Full Article
