Telemundo Announces 2017-2018 Programming Slate

NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises have announced their lineup programming for the 2017-2018 television season, featuring over 850 hours of new formats and multiplatform original content, at a press conference today. Telemundo's new primetime programming line-up features three super series including the much-anticipated return of the worldwide success La Reina del Sur, and five new mini-series, including a series based on the life of renowned music icon Luis Miguel and El Secreto de Selena, the story behind the death of the beloved Mexican-American singer, Selena Quintanilla.

Check out the super series, series, and mini-series announced below.

SUPER SERIES

El Señor de los Cielos (The Lord of the Skies) – Starring Rafael Amaya, Fernanda Castillo, Carmen Aub and Mariana Seoane, the most successful Super Series™ returns for a sixth season as Aurelio Casillas has recovered all the fortune he lost and finally feels the need to retire. But it's payback time, the hatred he sowed since he sold his soul to the demon of drug trafficking is now knocking at his door with the face and blood of the many innocent people he destroyed. Aurelio will understand that his riches are an illusion and that after having been the great hunter he was, he will now become the prey. The women he mistreated, the men he betrayed, the political puppets he put in power, and even his own children will turn against him. Has the time come for Aurelio to pay for his sins?

TELENOVELA WATCH: 'Avenida Brasil' Ends US Run; New Programs Announced at the Upfronts; Favorites for the Week

AVENIDA BRASIL, which concluded its US run this week on Telemundo, is a telenovela I admire more than love. A genuine international hit from Brazil that, even dubbed into Spanish, was usually the highest rated telenovela on the channel it aired throughout Latin America, it is a bit disappointing we were not allowed to see how it would do in prime time in the US, Telemundo opting instead to air it in the day.

Probably the best looking telenovela ever produced, my enthusiasm is diminished some by the fact it is also probably the most expensive telenovela ever produced, so what actually was achieved that others wouldn’t also achieve if given the same budget with which to work? My strongest aversion to the AVENIDA BRASIL is admittedly a personal one, but I absolutely loathe THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO of which this is at least the sixth or seventh unofficial adaptation I’ve seen in the last three years. My antipathy for revenge plots in general, always a crude, lazy story device, is exacerbated by their exceedingly overabundant presence in our culture. Is there a cop show on US TV where the tortured protagonist doesn’t have a murdered wife/father/fiancé/etc. to avenge?

TELENOVELA WATCH: Final Week of LA TEMPESTAD; LA REINA DEL SUR Returns; Thoughts on MARIDO EN ALQUILER

LA TEMPESTAD (weeknights at 9 p.m. ET) is in its last week on Univision with its finale airing this Friday. Never a particularly good telenovela, LA TEMPESTAD was a watchable middle-of-the-road entertainment with a decent serving of genuine camp, but the last few weeks haven’t even been that because of the hatchet editing performed by Univision to rush the show off the air. Two or three episodes are being chopped down to an hour, rendering the central plot incoherent; the subplots have been largely excised altogether, left on the cutting room floor are most of the scenes featuring the enormously entertaining actor René Casados as well as relationship between the Nora Salinas and Arturo Carmona characters – the most likable pairing on the show.

In the past when a prime time telenovela did poorly in the ratings, Univision would just change its time slot as they did in 2012 moving EL TALISMÁN from 8 p.m. to noon and in 2010 moving the CORAZÓN SALVAJE remake from 9 p.m. to midnight, an inconvenience to viewers, but at least they still got to see the entire novela. Previous to this year, I can only recall one other prime time telenovela Univision chopped down, LLENA DE AMOR in 2011. This year, two telenovelas have already been subject to network shortening, which makes this viewer a bit wary as to whether or not to start watching new novelas on their network for fear if the ratings are too low, we won’t get the whole story.

mun2 Airing LA REINA DEL SUR Finale On June 14

mun2 will present the finale of the electrifying telenovela LA REINA DEL SUR in Spanish with English subtitles on June 14 at 10 p.m. LA REINA DEL SUR (Monday-Thursday, 10 p.m.) is currently the most watched Hispanic cable program at 10 p.m., beating all other Hispanic networks in the same time period. The novela set ratings records during its original airing on Telemundo in the spring of 2011 with an average of 4.2 million total viewers.

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL Vying For Seventh Consecutive Audience Award Win At The Monte Carlo TV Festival; Faces LA REINA DEL SUR & EVA LUNA

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL will be vying for its seventh consecutive win at the Monte Carlo Television Festival’s International TV Audience Awards in the “Telenovela/ Soap Opera” category.  EVA LUNA and LA REINA DEL SUR are also nominated.  Winning this award for the last six years, with an estimated 35 million daily viewers in over 100 countries, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL remains the most watched daily dramatic series in the world.

Telemundo 2012-2013 Schedule

Telemundo unveiled its 2012-2013 lineup on Monday.

Soapy highlights:
Six new telenovelas are on the way: EL ROSTRO DE LA VENGANZA (The Face of Revenge), EL SENOR DE LOS CIELOS (The Lord of the Heavens), LA PATRONA (The Patron), PASION PROHIBIDA (Forbidden Passion), NACE UN IDOLO (An Idol is Born) and FINA ESTAMPA (Fine Pedigree).

Sequel LA REINA DEL SUR 2 (Queen of the South 2) is coming as well.

Read the full press release from Telemundo below for detailed descriptions.

TELENOVELA WATCH: No Spanish? Our New, Weekly Column Makes Telenovelas Fun for Everyone!

As the American daytime soap opera is in decline, the telenovela, a similar Spanish language art form, is thriving in the US. The dominant Spanish language network in the US, Univision, regularly finishes third in the 18-34 demographic among broadcast networks in prime time, trailing only Fox and CBS. Telemundo, the second biggest Spanish language network, often beats the CW in the 18-49 demographic. With Latinos representing the majority of US population growth over the next five years, networks are sprouting up in cable to cater to that audience; and this fall, Fox, teaming with Colombian media giant RCN, is launching a third broadcast network to challenge Univision and Telemundo.

NEWS ROUNDUP: GH's Burton & Anderson Invest In The Beer Market, Rick Springfield Previews GH Return

GENERAL HOSPITAL's Steve Burton & Bradford Anderson invest in The Beer Market
The Beer Market is slated to open in late March.

“We have a lot of the same interests and enjoy the same things,” said Indie Soap Award nominee Bradford Anderson. “We loved the idea. We both enjoy craft beer and live music. It just seemed like the perfect place.”

Anderson said one of the things he finds most appealing about the business is it will be a place to showcase live bands and local talent from the Chicago area.

Rick Springfield explains his March 20 GENERAL HOSPITAL return on THE TALK, aided by host/GH fan Sheryl Underwood
"Noah's coming back to support his son because Noah went through the same situation with his wife dying," Springfield explained, before Underwood cut him off to clarify that Noah has two sons, Patrick and Matt. When Underwood excitedly provided even more backstory and key plot-points, Springfield joked that he should have called her to fill him on the latest GENERAL HOSPITAL developments before he accepted the role.

NEWS: Sean Young to 'Rehab', Katie Couric, Kalup & Franco, Marcil

Sean Young and Others to Appear on CELEBRITY REHAB
The new patients will be guided through their 21-day detox by Pinsky, counselor Bob Forrest and resident technician Shelly Sprague starting June 26 on VH1.

GAME OF THRONES Hits New Series High
Episode 8 on Sunday hit new series highs in both of its airings -- at 9 p.m.: 2.7 million, up 13% from last week; and at 11 p.m.: 900,000, for a combined 3.6 million viewers for the night. Since the premiere, GAME OF THRONES' audience has grown 22%.

NEWS: Colleen Zenk, Daytime TV Landscape, Telenovelas, Hoff

Colleen Zenk to appear at cancer center
Zenk, best known as Barbara Ryan on the daytime drama AS THE WORLD TURNS, will discuss her battle with oral cancer during a community health event Tuesday at Somerset Medical Center’s Steeplechase Cancer Center. The free program will begin at 7 p.m. at the cancer center, at 30 Rehill Ave. in Somerville.

After Oprah leaves, daytime TV may never be the same again
Societal and demographic changes are at the heart of daytime TV's upheaval.

"There is a transition going on in daytime television, and it is a generational change," said Ken Werner, president of Warner Bros. domestic television distribution.

A wave of women flooding the workforce has been accompanied by a rise in the popularity of shows featuring women in charge of their lives — and influencing others.

NEWS: Katie Couric, Susan Lucci, Fernanda Romero, Univision

CBS Thinks ABC Will Get Katie Couric
One person close to Couric described the ABC move as "a distinct possibility."

Sources say CBS News insiders initially accepted the idea of having Couric keep a role in the division, but have grown weary with the drawn-out negotiation process. "They are ready to wish her well," says one person close to the talks.

"No comment," says a spokesman at ABC News.

Susan Lucci: ALL MY CHILDREN is in the 'Best of Hands'
"It's horrible and it's sad and disappointing, but we're on for five more months," said Lucci. "And the best thing the fans can do is watch, because Lorraine Broderick and Agnes Nixon (both longtime writers on the program) are at the helm and we are in the best of hands."

PEOPLE en Espanol Names the 50 Most Beautiful Hispanic Celebrities

PEOPLE en Espanol's "50 Most Beautiful" issue celebrates its 15th annual edition, honoring the hottest and freshest names in Hispanic entertainment. This year the magazine goes back in time to depict four iconic decades: the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. The exclusive photographs were shot by celebrity photographer Omar Cruz on location in a total of six major cities: New York, Miami, Orlando, Los Angeles, Mexico City and London.

Helping to commemorate the issue are two special honorees; Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias, who was featured in the magazine's first ever Bellos issue; and Sofia Vergara, who has appeared on this list an incredible six times. In a recent interview for the issue, Iglesias opened up about his fears: "I've always been afraid of not being happy, of loosing the motivation to keep fighting. That's why I want to enjoy every moment," says the singer. Joining them is Mexican actress Kate del Castillo who currently stars in Telemundo's hit telenovela LA REINA DEL SUR. The Spanish soap opera has been receiving a great deal of buzz for its network-breaking ratings. Among these Bellos veterans—and making his first ever Bellos debut—is Venezuelan actor Edgar Ramirez. Ramirez, who most recently was awarded a Golden Globe nomination for his role in Carlos (IFC Films), comments on being a newcomer to Hollywood: "When you're at award ceremonies or parties, life isn't as glamorous as you read it in the magazine...it's a lot of work and distance from your country."

As for the details on the highly-anticipated cover and behind the scenes footage, readers can tune into the Los 50 Mas Bellos de People en Espanol TV special, transmitted through the Univision network, on Thursday, April 28 at 10:00pm/9:00pm Central.

The complete list of People en Espanol's "50 Most Beautiful":

1.Alejandra Guzman—Mexican singer
2.Ana Maria Polo—Cuban-American TV host, CASO CERRADO (Telemundo)
3.Angelique Boyer—Mexican actress, TERESA (Univision)
4.Blanca Soto—Mexican actress, EVA LUNA (Univision)

LA REINA DEL SUR Leads Telemundo To Record Ratings

Thanks to its new novela LA REINA DEL SUR, Telemundo says it beat Univision, ABC, NBC and Telefutura among adults 18 to 34 the week of April 4, the best ratings week in its history.

During that week, the telenovela also beat a number of English-language broadcast programs among adults 18-49. The U.S. Hispanic broadcaster averaged more total viewers and adults 18-49 than any other week in its history that week. LA REINA DEL SUR, a co-production with Spain's Antena 3, is averaging almost 3.3 million total viewers, 2.2 million in 18 to 49.

According to Nielsen ratings, Telemundo attracted almost 1.6 million total viewers and 975,000 adults 18-49 in Monday through Friday prime. The network says its Monday to Friday 18 to 49 ratings more than tripled Telefutura's.