by Linda Castillo
If you were one of the fans who was devastated when ABC ended soaps ‘All My Children’ and ‘One Life to Live’ and you are looking to fill that void, try checking out a telenovela. Telenovelas have been a guilty pleasure for many generations and notably their popularity is increasing even more so today. Start from the beginning and check out the premier of La Reina Del Sur (The Queen of the South) on Monday, February 20 at 10pm/9 c
Here are few reasons to give in to the guilty pleasure of watching telenovelas:
1) Practice your Spanish
If you ever took a Spanish class in college, you will surely remember Destinos, the Spanish learning telenovela that followed Raquel as she tries to solve the mystery for a dying man. While Destinos was effective for learning new vocabulary and conjugating verbs, the storyline was far from your typical telenovela. Continue your quest to learn Spanish with the La Reina Del Sur premiering in Spanish with English-subtitles! You will pick up more familiar vocabulary than just the fruits from the market, but we are sure you will perfect the Spanish language and even learn how to deliver it with attitude!
2) Bring together generations by spending time with your abuelita, suegra and mama
After my daughter was born, my suegra stayed with the family for about a month. It was great to have her stay with the family and get to know our little darling baby girl. I had never been into telenovelas but over the course of my suegra’s stay I noticed that it became a nightly ritual for all of us to watch her favorite telenovelas after dinner. My husband, suegra, and I would all get comfortable on the couch and be totally engaged as to what would transpire in the night’s episode. Even after my suegra’s visit ended, my husband and I kept watching the telenovela, after all, we had to find out how it was going to end – we were hooked!
3) Enjoy some of the juiciest storylines on television
It’s the best way to unwind after a long day is to curl up in your covers flip your remote to your favorite telenovela. Where else can you can find such dramatic stories that include villians, handsome heroes, danger, passion, betrayel, affairs, and sins.
4) Eye Candy
Yes I said it, eye candy! Telenovelas have some of the most beautiful actors and actresses in their cast of characters. La Reina Del Sur will feature two hotties, Rafael Amaya and Ivan Sanchez. What woman wouldn’t want two handsome men to fight for her love and attention?
5) Less of commitment required
We are all busy with family, work, school and other obligations, and sometimes it is hard to carve out the time and energy to watch a nightly program. Unlike the American counterparts, telenovelas typically run 120 to 150 episodes over 6 to 15 months so you don’t have to commit to following it for years. And thanks to on demand and other cable enhancements, you can easily catch up on any missed episodes.
Looking to watch a telenovela from the beginning, check out the premier of La Reina Del Sur (The Queen of the South) premiering Sunday, February 19 at 8pm/7 c. Don’t miss out on all the drama, as La Reina Del Sur tells the story of Teresa Mendoza played by Kate Del Castillo, a humble young woman from Sinaloa, Mexico who finds herself in love two different men. Filled with secrets, survival, love, drugs, and fleeing, Reina Del Sur’s storyline is sure to get you hooked on telenovelas!
Linda Castillo is the Founder and Executive Editor of www.ModernLatina.com. She writes on topics that empower and inspire Latinas including art, motherhood, green living, culture, travel, and issues transforming the Latino community. Linda has earned a B.S. in Business and a M.S. in Mass Communications from San Jose State University.