In the past two years
We Love Soaps has expanded its coverage of international serialized programs with regular news updates, R.G. Morin's "Telenovela Watch" column, and interviews with the stars on our web series, WE LOVE SOAPS TV. We are now ready to take the next step forward, by announcing a partnership with
DramaFever Latino, a division of
DramaFever.com, which is a leading online video platform for (English subtitled!) international TV shows and movies.
AND IT'S FREE
Anyone can watch these soaps on the site, for free (with surprisingly readable English subtitles) whenever you want. But as a special deal,
We Love Soaps and
DramaFever are offering a one month, free, premium (ad-free & HD) membership. Just
follow the link and sign-up with an email (not Facebook). You don't even need a credit card number or anything, it's just free.
DramaFever is confident you're going to like what you see, and for that matter, so are we.
Use
this link to sign up. First, warn your friends you may disappear for a few weeks. The sheer volume of additive content is a little bit overwhelming, but there is one series (insanely popular in Spain) that the
We Love Soaps staff all started with, and we love it. It's called, simply, ISABEL. All of Season One is on the
DramaFever site, and they're actually getting the new Season Two episodes right now, just one week after they premiere in Spain. We asked
DramaFever what made ISABEL special?
"The recent success in the US of shows like DOWNTON ABBEY and THE TUDORS shows a growing demand for foreign drama," said Hyun Park,
DramaFever's Vice President of Latin American and European Content Strategy. "With the first season, we bet on ISABEL having the necessary ingredients to become a US phenomenon: a great historical script, addictive characters and stunning visuals; additionally it was an international hit show, winning numerous awards, and not available to American viewers at the time.
"The first season of ISABEL in
DramaFever has proven us right: it was our top Spanish language title in
DramaFever. We can't wait to launch the second season of Isabel, which is currently airing in Spain, again to spectacular ratings."
In the coming weeks,
We Love Soaps will highlight some of our favorite content from
DramaFever. But let's start with ISABEL. A hugely popular serialized drama that was filmed on location in Spain, directed by Jordi Frades and produced for national broadcaster Televisión Española. The series is based upon the reign of Queen Isabella I of Castile. The first season aired last fall and was watched by millions of viewers while earning rave reviews from critics. All 13 episodes are now available at
DramaFever. You can begin
watching the fully subtitled episodes here.
I started watching the first episode of ISABEL on the
DramaFever website and couldn't stop. The production values are incredible, the score is absolutely perfect, and the performances are fantastic. Michelle Jenner, with her expressive eyes and nuanced acting choices, stands out in wonderfully-cast ensemble.
If you love soap operas and continuing drama, you will adore ISABEL. It's the very best of daytime and primetime serial storytelling with production values you would expect to see in a film or HBO drama.
I honestly couldn't wait to find out what happens next, and (maybe this is the European influence?) the plot is never predictable. You know I watch a good amount of serials. I was reliably surprised by the twists and turns.
Beyond that, we asked
DramaFever for some teaser images, but for this first post, we want to give our audience a chance to check it out themselves, before we reveal anything. Before you start to watch what I hope will become an American phenomenon, I do want to warn you all that there is some adult content (sexual situations, nudity) so be warned. But it's on par with a pay-cable show, it's contextual and tasteful.
Check out the trailer for Season 1:
Like I said, I don't want to give too much of the plot away in this first post, but wanted to share a couple of scenes from Season 1. In the first, here's Isabel becoming queen.
If you love catfights, here's the battle between Isabel and Queen Joan (the magnificent Bárbara Lennie).
Look for more on
DramaFever soon including a story on the recent release of Telemundo's A MAID IN MANHATTAN. If you want to watch this show, we find
DramaFever's website to be a more functional alternative to Telemundo.
In the meantime, I highly recommend checking out
DramaFever's library of shows from around the world, starting with the links below. Please tell us what you think in the
Comments section, below!
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Sign-up at Dramafever
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Start watching ISABEL, Season 1/Episode 1
