La fea Mas Bellai
(Photo: Creative Commons)

Mexican telenovelas have long been part of Mexican culture. Still, some of these "soap operas" experience failure when being rerun or adapted for foreign television audiences according to a recently published entertainment article.

One of the most popular television genres among Mexicans is telenovelas and soap operas. It is for this reason that many Mexicans are very romantic, and dramatic, and desire to have a love story like the one they see on the television.

Mexican soap operas and telenovelas have been adapted for many different countries and are dubbed using that country's respective language. However, not all adaptations are successful; some of these failed miserably compared to their initial success in Mexico.

There are many factors as to why an adaptation of a Mexican telenovela fails. A few of these factors are a lack of chemistry within the cast or the validity of the theme. Some audiences are simply reluctant to let go of the original version.

Here are some of the Mexican soap opera remakes that failed: 

A Very Wild Heart

This soap opera was introduced twice in the 1960s and 1970s. However, it became popular in 1993. The world fell in love with Edith Gonzales and Eduardo Palomo in their roles in "Corazon Salvaje." However, despite the popularity of the Gonzales and Palomo version of the soap opera, it was never fully recognized.

Moreover, there was an attempt for a fourth version of the soap opera. This time it was a complete failure. Eduardo Yanes and Aracely Arambula starred in it. The fourth version was even broadcasted in the United States, but it immediately said goodbye to its primetime slot due to low ratings.

The Unrepeatable Success of "Rebel"

This soap opera featured some well-known Mexican artists like Anahí, Dulce María, and Maite Perroni. Though they were not the original characters, this Mexican soap opera became a worldwide phenomenon. Since then, many youth production soap operas have been successful on screen.

The producer of "Rebelde," Pedro Damian, tried to revive the soap opera ten years later. However, it, too, was not successful. Since it failed to connect to young people, it was dropped from its schedule.

Other Unsuccessful Soap Opera Remakes

One of the most prominent Mexican soap opera adaptations was "Shadow of the Past" in 2014 starring Pablo Lyle and Michelle Renaud as they tried to adapt the hit Mexican soap opera "The Spring" starring Adela Noriega and Mauricio Islas.

The most controversial among the remakes of Mexican soap opera was the "La fea mas Bella" in 2006 starring Angelica Valle and Jaime Camil. Even though the soap opera gained success, the Mexican version of "Yo soy Betty la fea" was criticized because of how they caricatured the protagonist. 

These are just a few of the Mexican soap operas that failed when they were remade. It might be because the audience cannot let go of the original version, and the characters and flow of the story do not come off well. 

However, Mexican soap operas and telenovelas are widely known across the globe, most notably in Asia, because of the sense of romanticism that makes them unique compared to other television series.  

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