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Historical Colombian soap operas
From the hugely successful Yo soy Betty, la fea to the Netflix adaptation Café con aroma de mujer, Colombian telenovelas have been a huge hit for decades. We invite you to take a trip down memory lane and remember some of them.
Colombian soap operas have captivated audiences around the world, becoming true television phenomena. With stories that combine drama, comedy, romance, and action, they have marked generations of viewers and left an indelible mark over the years. Each of these productions has stood out for its impeccable storytelling, passionate plots, and memorable performances. Below, we present a selection of Colombian soap operas that left a lasting mark in television history. Relive them all!
Yo soy Betty, la fea
Broadcast between 1999 and 2001, Betty, la fea has been described as the most successful soap opera in television history and marked the internationalization of Colombian productions. The show was aired in more than 180 countries and translated into 25 languages. Starring Ana María Orozco and Jorge Enrique Abello, the love story between Beatriz Pinzón Solano and Don Armando, the intrigues behind the control of Ecomoda, and the comical stories of the “ugly squad” won the hearts of Colombians. At the time, it also held the record as the most-watched production.
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Pedro el escamoso
On April 19, 2001, the story of Pedrito Coral, created by Luis Felipe Salamanca and Dago García for Caracol Televisión, made Colombian households dance and laugh. Starring Miguel Varoni and Sandra Reyes, this Colombian soap opera aired a total of 321 episodes and, after its huge success, was once again among the most-watched in the country after its rerun at the end of 2020. Pedro el escamoso reached peak popularity in the early 2000s, and in 2024 it returned with a new season, reaffirming its success and popularity.
Café con aroma de mujer
Also written by Fernando Gaitán, this production, aired between 1994 and 1995, told the love story between Gaviota, a coffee picker played by Margarita Rosa de Francisco, and Sebastián, an heir to a coffee plantation played by Guy Ecker. Like Betty, la fea, this show became a significant media phenomenon and had multiple adaptations abroad, marking the moment when Colombia went from importing soap operas to exporting them.
Seventeen years later, Café con aroma de mujer returned with a new version starring Laura Londoño and William Levy, premiered in Colombia and the United States. Shortly after, it landed on Netflix, achieving international success on the digital platform.
Pasión de gavilanes
This hit story arrived in Colombia in 2003 and was based on the soap opera Las aguas mansas written by Julio Jiménez. Set in the country’s interior, Pasión de gavilanes showed Colombian landscapes and characters the audience wasn’t used to. Instead of one leading couple, this story featured six. Danna García, Mario Cimarro, Paola Rey, Juan Alfonso Baptista, Natasha Klaus, and Michel Brown portrayed the romances between the Reyes brothers and the Elizondo sisters. In 2023, it returned with a second season.
Los Reyes
In June 2005, one of the most memorable Colombian soap operas of recent decades premiered. Viewers were introduced to the story of Los Reyes, a humble family that ended up living in a mansion, facing challenges and experiences they never imagined. In 2024, this Colombian soap opera turned 19 years old, and internet users revisited its most iconic moments, reaffirming its place as one of the most unforgettable productions in Colombian television.
El man es Germán
Produced by Fernando Gaitán and based on a Colombian family comedy, El man es Germán is another of the most memorable soap operas for Colombians. The daily situations of Germán Quintero, known as “el macho alfa” and played by Santiago Alarcón, brought countless smiles to viewers.
The first season of this RCN production aired in 2010 and the final episode was broadcast in 2019. Each of its characters and stories remained in the hearts of the audience. The adventures of a punk returning to his hometown, alongside his friends and the people of the neighborhood where he grew up, won audiences over with humor and freshness.
Francisco el Matemático
In 1999, Colombians connected with the soap opera Francisco el Matemático, a production by RCN that featured familiar faces from national television such as Luis Mesa, Mónica Lopera, John Jairo Jaimes, and Verónica Orozco. The plot followed Francisco (Luis Mesa), a young math teacher facing daily challenges with his high school students at Jimmy Carter School.
The show tackled various social issues affecting teenagers during adolescence and aired between 1999 and 2004. The success of Francisco el Matemático was so great that in 2017 the story returned with actors such as Carlos Torres, Luis Guillermo Blanco, Danielle Arciniegas, among others.
These are just some of the most unforgettable Colombian productions in our television history. The truth is that Colombian soap operas have been more than just TV shows; they have been part of our culture, with stories that captured us through the screen. Although some are now in the past, their legacy lives on every time we remember them.
