'Ugly Betty' comes to America

America Ferrera (2-R) and co-actors in 'Ugly Betty' on ABC

However, its creator, Fernando Gaitán, had greater ambitions. He wanted to critique the legendarily superficial culture of his country, which has so many beauty pageants it has run out of cities to name them after. So Gaitán created Beatriz Pinzón Solano, a woman with brains, a heart and a face so unfortunately contoured that it comes as a relief to find her forehead hidden under a fringe of oily black bangs.

By the end of its two-year run the show was Colombia's most popular telenovela, pulling in three million viewers a night. Betty's every move became a national obsession.

Soon production companies from around the world came calling, snatching up the rights not to rebroadcast the show but faithfully to remake it. In India, Betty became Jassi, and the show, Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi, was an instant smash. Other versions followed -- in Germany as Falling in Love in Berlin, in the Netherlands as Lotte, in Russia as Born Ugly. In the US version, Betty is a bit less ugly; Americans are apparently not ready yet for a unibrow in prime time. She is younger (played by America Ferrera), works at a fashion magazine, commutes each day to Manhattan from Queens and has a horrific fashion sense.

Source: The New York Times