TELENOVELA WATCH: 'El Señor de los Cielos' Season 2 Premieres; Plus, 'La Viuda Negra,' 'El Capo 3,' 'Camelia La Texana,' Favorites for the Week and More

A scene from LA VIUDA NEGRA (weeknights at 10 p.m. ET on UniMás) illustrates the root of my antipathy for the so-called narco-novelas. The title anti-heroine is at a cemetery to visit the grave of her mother. Police arrive at the cemetery to arrest her for the murder of a teenager her gang kidnapped and shot dead. The supposed suspense of the scene is whether the anti-heroine will escape. In a ludicrous showdown with the police, her right-hand man manages to shoot dead six to eight officers. The show expects me to be relieved the anti-heroine has escaped, thrilled at the ingenuity and skill with which the henchman killed the officers, but my only feelings are of repulsion, my sympathies lying solely with the murdered police officers.

Good writers and producers can find entry points into this material to make it more palatable. One of the first full-hog narco-novelas and one of the best, SIN TETAS NO HAY PARAÍSO, adopted a “cautionary tale” approach to the material. It glamorizes the narco lifestyle, but that glamorization is presented through the eyes of a stupid teenage girl, a framing device that allows authorial detachment for comment and criticism. The story itself contrasts the girl’s fantasies of a narco life with the grim and destructive realities when she actually becomes a part of that world.

TELENOVELA WATCH: EL SEÑOR DE LOS CIELOS Finale, SANTA DIABLA Premiere, LA SELECCIÓN and CLOROFORMO

Final thoughts on EL SEÑOR DE LOS CIELOS
EL SEÑOR DE LOS CIELOS concluded last night with a deeply unsatisfying, open-ended finale allowing way for a potential sequel and more fun, murderous adventures with Telemundo’s favorite drug lord. A big hit for the network, I confess I did not see much of merit in EL SEÑOR DE LOS CIELOS – finding it utterly mediocre in performance, writing and production in comparison to the similarly themed material coming out of Colombia. A brief excerpt from ESCOBAR: EL PATRÓN DEL MAL of Pablo Escobar’s demise inserted in an early episode of EL SEÑOR DE LOS CIELOS was so much more dynamically filmed and edited than anything in SEÑOR, it gave the game away.

EL SEÑOR DE LOS CIELOS Averages 3.6 Million Viewers Ranking As The Second Highest-Rated Novela Finale In Telemundo History

On the heels of delivering its best weekly performance to date, Telemundo Media’s original production EL SEÑOR DE LOS CIELOS (The Lord of the Skies, M-F 10 p.m. ET) came to an end delivering its highest-rated telecast and the second highest-rated finale in the network’s history, regardless of time period, averaging 3,627,000 total viewers and 2,324,000 adults 18-49, according to Nielsen. In its final episode, the popular novela ranked as the #1 program in its time period among Spanish-language networks, out delivering Univision among adults 18-49 by 60% and among total viewers by 16%.

A co-production between Telemundo Studios and Caracol TV featuring novela stars Rafael Amaya, Ximena Herrera, Fernanda Castillo and Gabriel Porras, EL SEÑOR DE LOS CIELOS full run averaged 2.3 million total viewers and nearly 1.5 million adults 18-49, ranking as the second highest-rated novela in the network’s history.

At 10 p.m., the hit series ranked #1 with adults 18-34, regardless of language, a quarter of the time since its premiere. The series beat at least one of the English-language networks among adults 18-34 nearly every night and 76% of the time among adults 18-49. Additionally, the series outperformed Univision to rank #1 with adults 18-34 among Spanish-language broadcasters almost half of the nights since its premiere.

Locally, the finale was the #1 program regardless of language in its time period among key demos(adults 18-49 & 18-34) in Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, Dallas and Phoenix. It also out-delivered ABC’s BACHELORETTE finale (8-10p ET) among adults 18-49 in Chicago.

Additionally, the finale broke records online and on mobile during the full run of the show attracting over 700,000 users and generating over 10 million page views. On mobile, it attracted over half a million unique users and generated over 12 million page views. It was the #1 streamed novela online and on mobile for 2013.

EL SEÑOR DE LOS CIELOS, Telemundo's most ambitious production to date, tells the story of Aurelio Casillas (Rafael Amaya), one of the most prominent Mexican drug lords from the 1990's, whose ambition was to become one of the richest and most powerful men in Mexico. From the moment his photo was published, his face became his biggest stumbling block. The authorities, as well as his enemies, began to pursue him and he opted for high-risk plastic surgery to conceal his identity.

Sources:
Nielsen, NPM, Live + Same Day, 4/15/13-8/5/13

Nielsen. NSI Ratings. Live + SD 08/05/13 9p-10:p ET Time Period AQH AVG Based on Overnight Preliminary data. Ranking based on Impressions

Omniture SiteCatalyst

Premios Tu Mundo (Your World Awards) Finalists Announced Today

Telemundo announced today the list of finalists for the 2013 edition of “Premios Tu Mundo” (Your World Awards). In addition, Daddy Yankee, Natalia Jimenez, Victor Manuelle, Christian Castro, Banda Los Recoditos, Voz De Mando, Elvis Crespo and Roberto Junior y Su Bandeño are among the confirmed performers for the star-studded awards show to be broadcast live on Thursday, August 15 at 8 p.m. ET from the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. The special will also feature the anticipated arrivals pre-show “La Alfombra de Premios Tu Mundo.”

TELENOVELA WATCH: CORAZÓN INDOMABLE Premieres Tonight; Plus, Thoughts on EL SEÑOR DE LOS CIELOS and QUÉ BONITO AMOR

The Televisa production CORAZÓN INDOMABLE premieres tonight at 7 p.m. ET on Univision. Produced by Nathalie Lartilleux (RAFAELA, MAR DE AMOR), CORAZÓN INDOMABLE is a remake of a story already done a half dozen times – probably most famously as MARIMAR in 1994 starring Thalía. This version stars Ana Brenda Contreras, fresh off the success of LA QUE NO PODÍA AMAR, and Daniel Arenas. Also starring Elizabeth Álvarez, René Strickler, César Évora, Ana Patricia Rojo and the comedian movie actress María Elena Velasco – La India María.

TELENOVELA WATCH: EL SEÑOR DE LOS CIELOS and QUÉ BONITO AMOR Dueling Premieres; PORQUE EL AMOR MANDA Review; AMOR BRAVÍO Grand Finale

There are dueling premieres scheduled for Monday, April 15 at 10 p.m. ET as EL SEÑOR DE LOS CIELOS debuts on Telemundo and QUÉ BONITO AMOR debuts on Univision. The two telenovelas appear to be on opposite ends of the telenovela spectrum: a sordid, based-on-true-events narco-novela and a traditional romance amongst mariachis performing in a nightclub. (Tip to viewers that first night: you may want to tune in or set or DVRs a few minutes early as both networks tend to kick off their novela premieres ahead of the scheduled time.)