MyNetworkTV's Upfront

[dc11786]

MyNetworkTV has announced there line up and they outlined what the 8 series that will air under the titles of "Desire" and "Secret Obsessions". I'm surprised that they are actually planning to air both series for the entire year. I really expected them to drop one of the titles in December and trying to create a non-soap line up at either 8 or 9 while still airing just one of the novela series.

The three novelas sound rather blah, but there really isn't that much of a description of the three. The best ones sound like "Art of Betrayal", "Fashion House", and "Watch Over Me". I really wish that they would release the names of the original serieses that the latest 5 have come from. Especially since they are direct translations.

Has anyone else noticed that the launch date for MyNetworkTV is September 5, a Tuesday . It seems strange to launch in the middle of the week.

from http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_di...t_id=1002503467

[Matt]

So the entire line-up of MyNetworkTV consists of telenovelas?! Wow.

[poohbear19]

Art of Betrayal sounds interesting... and A Dangerous Love premise sounds familar. I think I might have saw it on Telemundo or some other channel like it. If it's what I think it is, then I totally can't wait for that one if it stays true to the orginal.

[Alan]

I guess the plans for "Catwalk" and "Celebrity Love Island" have been scrapped. That initial press release seemed cobbled together, anyway.

MNTV is taking a risk with an all-telenovela line-up in primetime. I haven't heard any recent news about the CBS telenovela project, perhaps they are waiting to see how these perform?

Fashion House and Art of Betrayal seem the most interesting to me but I don't know if I'll have the time to invest in these.

[bellcurve]

All I ever watch is soap operas, so MyNetworkTV has a DREAM schedule, IMO. It's practically a second soap opera channel!

One thing that would really make this network sweet is if NewsCorp(which bought New World Television in the mid-to-late 90's) acquired SB reruns for affiliates.

I'm excited about these novelas and I hope they REALLY take off.

[All My Shadows]

Yeah, the only ones I'm interested in are "Fashion House" and "Art of Betrayal." The others sound too...I don't know what the word is...lame?

[dc11786]

I'm shocked too. I think that the reason for this would because of the Nielson's ratings for Univision and Telemundo (Nielson just started covering them in December). There have been multiple times where their lineups (which are all novelas) have beaten the lineups of the WB and UPN. I think there putting a lot of hope that these shows will cross over because they will be available to English language speakers now.

Interesting. If you remember anymore about the possible original novela, I would be interesting in hearing about it. I find it interesting that the initial three novelas the network is airing aren't based on the Mexican novelas. I know that a lot of people talk about how Telemundo and Univision have stuck to the Mexican novelas because of the amount of Mexican-Americans in the United States. A lot of the humor in the other Latin American soaps don't always translate so they turn off the core audience of Telemundo and Univision.

I personally think it's good though that they are trying the soaps from the other countries. A lot of people think that they are more interesting than the Mexican novelas. It should be interesting to see if the translation becomes a problem. I know that the Writers Guild is all ready hounding MyNetworkTV for using now unionized writers. The network states that since they aren't actually writing anything, just translating, that they don't have to do anything. Still, I think that it will be interesting to see if they physically translate well.

MyNetworkTV is really going for the younger demographic. There are a lot of articles out there talking about the network's planned tie ins with MySpace. They will even be doing online voting for the viewers to chose the people that will appear in the next novela as well as allowing viewers to send in audition videos I think. I think that the all novela lineup will either sink or swim. I don't see there be much of a middle ground.

CBS wanted there twice a week novela to air during the summer, but I don't that anything was ever picked up. ABC seems to still be unsure what they want to do with "Ugly Betty", and there was talk of stripping it over five days a week but that was before the upfronts. I know USA has two twice a week novelas on their development slate. NBC says they are going to take it slowly with their development of "El Cuerpo del Deseo".

I was thinking the same thing though, that most of these plans for novelas did come out before MyNetworkTV came about. I cannot help but wonder if the other nets want to see how they do before they jump on the bandwagon. However, I think it's better as it is now, oversaturation would destroy the product.

Here's a description of "Desire: Table for Three" from the MyNetworkTV press release that can be found on Futon Critic:

[Alan]

I don't like the idea of verbatim translations especially since the storylines are going to be shortened.

What I'm most interested in is what the production value of these shows will be. Soap fans are used to the indoor soundstage format while telenovelas do lots of location shooting and don't seem receive as much post-production. I've read US soap fans criticize the telenovelas for looking too cheap.

[poohbear19]

Really? The one thing that telenovelas have over US soaps are their "sets." They look a lot better and more true to real life versus US soaps. The post production is somewhat bad on telenovelas, that I highly agree with. The music is repetive and sounds bad... though it always fits what's happening; and sometimes the lighting and sound is bad. But it doesn't take away from what happened. One of the best thing about telenovelas is that they end, so they don't have the problem that all US soap have... rewriting (or disreguarding) history to fit the present; which is my biggest complaint about soaps.

[dc11786]

Yeah. I don't know how the translation is really going to work, but I'm going to stay optimistic. I think they said that a lot of subplots are being cut, and often those novelas prolong the romance between the lead couple anyway. I think they'll probably just cut down on flashbacks and repetitive scenes, though I'm not really sure.

Supposedly they are very good from the reports from the Upfront presentation. I know a lot of people weren't impressed with the story though.

[Drew]

those affiliates that chose this over The CW must be going mad! This is garbage! These telenovelas all sound incredibly lame!

[bellcurve]

Quite honestly, Drew, I think MyNetworkTV is for all those that got screwed out of CW. I don't think an affiliate would choose this over the more profitable CW. I think they knew this was gonna be an all-telenovela primetime network. If it bombs, MyNetworkTV can do reality and FOX News Magazines next season.

I hope it works out.

[Drew]

nobody got screwed that didn't want to be. They could have paid what they wanted to for it, they chose not to, enjoy your crappy telenovelas no one will be watching, suckers!

[dc11786]

One of the new MY affiliates has released more info about the programming. Some casting news: Daytime alum Marc Mernard (AMC), Scott Bailey (GL), and Jack Krizmanich (PASS) are attached to several of the projects.

http://wtnh.tv/blogs/index.php/wctx/2006/05/25/p202#more202

[WTGH]

The sets on telenovelas are AMAZING!!!

More often then not they shoot on location and we see characters riding horses in open fields, jet setting on the beach, dancin' at real discos. When the novela is set on an "hacienda" (ranch) there's usually a beautiful river or waterfall where people go take steamy baths.

Plus, the houses they shoot in are real. Televisa (biggest producer of novelas in Mexico, if not the world) owns the mansions so it's often to see the same house show up in different novelas.

Hmmm... I'm interested how this one will play out. While the love couple on "The Heiress" (La Heredera) was a bit sucky the family intrigue with the boardroom drama was top notch.

Originally the plane crashes because they mean to kill "the heiress" and keep her money.

There's also a drug storyline involved...

Which was based on the movie "Coyote Ugly". It centers around a bar where all the bartenders are girls and dance well, on the bar...

It was so-so, but I don't see a reason to remake it.

There are soooooooooooooo many classics out there.