Global Must-See TV

Telenovelas, Spanish-language melodramas from south of the border, are the ultimate crossover phenomenon. Their addictive formula -- a woman's agonizing struggle ending in redemption -- attracts 2 billion viewers worldwide.

By Jonathan Schlefer

January 4, 2004

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Matilde Penalver y Beristain, a young woman raised in the 19th-century Mexican aristocracy, gasps. The sight of her husband, Manuel, lying in agony, a bullet lodged in his chest, complicates her romantic dilemma. Forced to marry him for money because of family financial ruin and countless family intrigues, Matilde was determined to hate him. But how can you really hate ... (Full Article: 2687 Words)