Ask any Latinx family or your favorite Abuelita how a good telenovela to binge-watch on Netflix can bring people together. You receive extravagant plot turns! Dramatic responses! Crazy, heart-stopping love tales!
Telenovelas are much like American Soap Operas and will keep you entertained and yearning for some oddly fantastic parallel reality, whether they’re following a typical family with a drug-trafficking side business or a hit woman seeking retribution.
And let’s not even talk about the cliffhangers. You’ll have to exercise patience. And your perception of time, as each scene is drawn out to the maximum extent humanly conceivable.
Since popular telenovelas (soap operas) often only last one or two seasons, most of your favorite shows are likely no longer on the air. But do not worry! In its archives
Netflix has a vast collection of great telenovelas that deals with addictive stories with English subtitles over sixty episodes from the last 20 years to better connect with its Spanish-speaking audience, breaking down the barriers of cultural differences.
Watch one of these treasures rather than re-watching The Office’s nine seasons for the sixth time in a row. Here are some popular Netflix telenovelas and equally sultry telenovelas.
20. La Reina Del Sur
- Director: Mauricio Cruz Walter Doehner
- Writer: Arturo Perez Reverte
- Cast: Kate Del Castillo, Cristina Urgel, Alberto Jimenez, Paola Nunez
- IMDB: 7.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
There was a time when women didn’t progress in the drug trade and become cartel bosses, but it may not be as unusual now. Teresa Mendoza was the very first woman to take over the drug trade on three continents, which is not something to be celebrated but is nonetheless an outstanding feat.
La Reina Del Sur depicts her struggle to survive at the beginning and her eventual love for a cartel member in Mexico.
A Spanish journalist named Arturo Pérez-Reverte tracked and interviewed Mendoza to tell her story for the true-crime novel La Reina Del Sur. La Reina Del Sur is a telenovela that starring Kate del Castillo stars. Since then, it has been transformed into Queen of the South for American television, starring Alice Braga, portraying Mendoza. Both are compulsions (pardon the pun).
19. Boliver, An Admirable Fight
- Director: Luis Alberto Restrepo, Andrés Beltrán, Jaime Rayo
- Writer: Juana Uribe
- Cast: Luis Geronimo Abreu, Rosmeri Marval, Erick Rodríguez, Mauro Donetti
- IMDB: 7.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
The Colombian Spanish-language historical drama television series Bolvar, una lucha admirable, or simply Bolvar, is developed by Juana Uribe and is based on the life of Venezuelan liberator Simón Bolivar. Irene Esser portrays Bolivar’s wife, Mara Teresa del Toro, José Ramón Barreto portrays Bolivar as a young man, and Shany Nadan plays his lover Manuela Sáenz in the television series.
Luis Gerónimo Abreu plays Bolivar as an adult. As young Bolivar, Maximiliano Gómez plays the lead role. On June 21, 2019, it was made available on Netflix to all countries outside of Colombia. On September 18, 2019, it made its Colombian television debut on Caracol Televisión.
The 60-episode series follows Bolivar’s life from seven until his death, mainly concentrating on his rise to fame as the liberator of many Latin American countries and his relationships. But the cast and crew also describe the program as an effort to strip the man of his heroic persona and re-humanize him.
18. The Dark Knight Returns
- Director: Jay Oliva
- Writer: Frank Miller and Klaus Janson
- Cast: Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, James Gordon, Joker.
- IMDB: 7.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
A darker and much more adult version of the main character (and superheroes in general) was reintroduced to pop culture during the 1980s, thanks in large part to the comic book series The Dark Knight Returns, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential Batman stories ever made.
Since then, several series themes have been integrated into depictions of Batman in other media. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, a two-part animated feature that directly adapts the tale, was released in 2012 and 2013.
Auction for The Dark Knight Returns this Latin America telenovela deals. Continue to read Author Emma Marino’s bio Australia-born Emma works as a freelance writer for Collider. After five failed attempts, it took her ten years to finally earn a BA in Mass Communications from the Swinburne University of Technology.
17. Who Killed Sara?
- Director: David Ruiz
- Writer: José Ignacio Valenzuela
- Cast: Manolo Cardona, Alejandro Nones, Ximena Lamadrid, Carolina Miranda.
- IMDB: 6.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Who Killed Sara? is a Mexican(Latin America) mystery-thriller of Netflix telenovelas that premiered on March 24, 2021. It was created by José Ignacio Valenzuela & produced by Perro Azul. Manolo Cardona plays Lex Guzmán in the show, a guy who was wrongfully accused of killing his sister.
On May 19, 2021, the second season debuted, two months after the first. It is made known that Season 3 is coming at the end of the Season 2 finale credits. The third and final season of the series debuted on Netflix on May 18, 2022.
The show of Latin America centers on Lex Guzmán, a man who, after serving 18 years in jail for a tragic murder he didn’t commit, is determined to avenge the Lazcano family for having wronged him by discovering who killed his sister Sara. Vicenta Rigores Acero is occupied helping immigrant families enter the united states between Mexico and the United States.
16. The Queen And The Conqueror
- Director: Camilo Villamizar Juan Carlos Vásquez
- Writer: Johhny Ortiz
- Cast: Essined Rivera Aponte, Juliette Arrieta, Manuel Navarro, Carlos Kajú, Gilma Escobar, Ilenia Antonini.
- IMDB: 6.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 49%
La Reina de Indias y el Conqueror, often known as The Queen and the Conqueror, is a Colombian historical television series produced by Johhny Ortiz and Camilo Villamizar, and Juan Carlos Vásquez. The history that led to the foundation of the significant American city of Cartagena de Indias is the subject of the television series.
The television show is captured in 4K Ultra-High Definition. Particularly, the Sierra Nevada, the banks of the Magdalena River, Palomino, Villa de Leyva, and Santa Fe de Antioquia is used for filming the show. The primary protagonists are Essined Rivera Aponte and Emmanuel Esparza. On May 20, 2020, Netflix began streaming the series’ first episode.
15. Pasion De Gavilanes
- Director: Rodrigo Triana, Sergio Osoria
- Writer: Julio Jimenez
- Cast: Danna Garcia, Mario Cimarro, Paola Rey, Alfonso Baptista, Michel Brown.
- IMDB: 7.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes:
A Colombian telenovela authored by Julio Jiménez is titled Pasión de Gavilanes (international title: Hidden Passion). RTI Colombia produces it with assistance from the Caracol TV corporation and broadcast partner Telemundo.
The telenovela is inspired on the RTI and Jiménez-written netflix telenovela Las aguas mansas from 1994. On October 21, 2003, Telemundo broadcast the show’s debut, while Caracol TV broadcast it in Colombia.
Through their upfront for the 2021–2022 television season on May 12, 2021, Telemundo unveiled a second season that will take place 20 years after the events of the first one. The first day of the season’s production was October 18, 2021. The season began on February 14, 2022, and concluded on May 31, 2022.
14. Toy Boy
- Director: Inarki Mercero
- Writer: Cesar Benitez, Juan Carlos
- Cast: Jesus Mosquera, Cristina Castano, Maria Pedraza, Jose De La Torre, Carlo Costanzia, Raudel Raul Martiato, Juanjo Almeida.
- IMDB: 6.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 40%
Plano, a Plano & Atresmedia-created Spanish drama Toy Boy. Jess Mosquera, Cristina Castro, and Mara Pedraza are the show’s stars. Before debuting on Antena 3 on September 25, 2019, it first debuted in September 2019 on FesTVal and Atresplayer Premium. The Costa del Sol is the setting for the novel. Jess Mosquera’s character, Hugo Beltrán, is a young, attractive, and carefree stripper.
Seven years later, Triana Marn (Mara Pedraza), a young attorney from a well-known legal firm, pays him a visit in jail and offers to assist him in reopening the case and attempting to build his innocence in a new trial.
Hugo rejects the proposal, but Triana succeeds in overturning the conviction, leading to Hugo’s release from jail and placement on probation as they await the outcome of a new trial in which they will have to establish their innocence.
13. Club De Cuervos
- Director: Gary Alazraki
- Writer: Gary Alazraki and Mark Alazraki
- Cast: Luis Gerardo Mendez, Mariana Trevino, Stephanie Cayo, Ianis Guerraro.
- IMDB: 8.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
Gary Alazraki and Michael Lam are the creators of the Mexican comedy-drama streaming television series Club de Cuervos, often referred to as Club of Crows. It is the first Spanish-language Netflix original series, making its full-season debut on August 7, 2015.
The narrative focuses on the power struggle that develops after the passing of the football team’s longtime owner and patriarch, Cuervos FC, which is headquartered in the made-up Mexican city of Nuevo Toledo. In the movie Club de Cuervos, Mariana Treviso and Luis Gerardo Méndez play two siblings who argue over who should own and run the team.
The first season of Club de Cuervos, written by Mexican and American writers, was filmed in Pachuca, Hidalgo. Critics have generally given the series favorable reviews, praising its tempo and creativity. On October 28, 2015, a second season was ordered.
The start of the second season was on December 10, 2016. The third season’s debut was on September 29, 2017. The fourth and final season’s first episode aired on January 25, 2019.
12. Jane The Virgin
- Director: Justin Baldoni
- Writer: Jennie Snyder Urman
- Cast: Gina Rodriguez, Justin Baldoni, Yael Grobglas, Jaime Camil.
- IMDB: 7.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Jennie Snyder Urman created the satirical telenovela Jane the Virgin, an American romantic comedy-drama. The CW broadcasted the debut of the series on October 13, 2014, and ended on July 31, 2019. It is a loose version of Perla Faras’ Venezuelan telenovela Juana la virgen.
In it, Gina Rodriguez plays Jane Gloriana Villanueva, a faithful Latina virgin of 23 who falls pregnant due to her gynecologist’s unintentional artificial insemination. It makes fun of telenovela conventions and gadgets from Latin America.
Critical praise for Jane the Virgin was given, especially for its screenplay and Rodriguez’s performance. Gina Rodriguez won Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards, while Jane the Virgin was nominated for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy. The program won a Peabody Award in 2014, and the American Film Institute named it one of the top 10 television shows of the year.
11. Lady Of Steel
- Director: Roberto Stopello
- Writer: Roberto Stopello
- Cast: Blanca Soto, Carolina Miranda, Michel Duval, Oscar Priego, Litzy, Aurora Gil.
- IMDB: 6.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 71%
Lady of Steel, also known as Senora Acero: La Coyote as of season three, is a Telemundo International-distributed Mexican cartel telenovela created by Roberto Stopello & produced by Argos Comunicación and Telemundo Studios. The show premiered on the Latin American television network Telemundo on September 23, 2014, and ended on January 29, 2019.
Seasons 1 and 2 are set and shot in Mexico City and tell the tale of Sara Aguilar (Blanca Soto), a young woman. The main character, Catalina, turns into the most potent drug smuggler in all of Mexico to protect her son and her friends.
Vicenta “La Coyote” Rigores (Carolina Miranda), a young female coyote who learns that she is the illegitimate daughter of Vicente Acero, joins the world of drug trafficking with her half-brother Salvador Acero (Michel Duval) to aid immigrants and fight injustice, is the subject of third and fourth seasons.
Telemundo ordered the show’s fifth season on February 20, 2018, verified by the network. The show’s final season followed Catalina’s younger sister and was declared the fifth on November 8, 2018.
10. The House Of Flowers
- Director: Manolo Caro, Alberto Belli, Santiago Limón, Yibrán Asuad
- Writer: Manolo Caro
- Cast: Cecilia Suárez, Juan Pablo Medina, Darío Yazbek Bernal, Paco León
- IMDB: 5.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Manolo Caro developed the Netflix original Latin America black comedy-drama series The House of Flowers (La Casa de las Flores). It portrays a troubled upper-class Mexican clan that runs a faltering cabaret and a prestigious floristry store, both called “The House of Flowers.” Verónica Castro, Cecilia Suárez, Aislinn Derbez,
Daro Yazbek Bernal, Arturo Rós, Paco León, Juan Pablo Medina, Luis de la Rosa, Mara León, and Isela Vega appear in the series, which is nearly entirely written and directed by its creator.
A particular short movie titled “La Casa de las Flores” Introduces: On November 1, 2019, The Funeral made its debut, and on April 20, 2020, a YouTube TV special was made available.
The fal special has a scene staged at the Texas-Mexico border, while the second and third seasons also have sequences in Madrid. The first season is entirely set in Latin America, among the best Netflix telenovelas.
9. La Casa De Papel
- Director: Alejandro “Álex” Pina Calafi
- Writer: Alejandro “Álex” Pina Calafi
- Cast: Alvaro Morte, Ursula Corbero, Pedro Alonso, Jaime Lorente, Alba Flores, Darko Peric
- IMDB: 8.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Lex Pina is the creator of the Spanish heist crime drama television series Money Heist. From the viewpoint of one of the thieves, Tokyo (Ursula Corberó), the series follows two meticulously planned heists carried out by the Professor (Lvaro Morte), one on the Royal Mint of Spain & the other on the Bank of Spain. Flashbacks, time jumps, hidden character motivations, and an unreliable narrator are used to add intricacy to the real-time-like narrative.
In starting, it was planned for the series to only consist of two parts. Antena 3 in Spain broadcast the show’s initial 15 episodes from May 2 until November 23, 2017. Late in 2017, Netflix purchased worldwide streaming rights.
It shortened the play into 22 shorter episodes and distributed it globally, releasing the first part on December 20, 2017, and the second on April 6, 2018. With a budget that was dramatically boosted for a total of 16 new episodes, Netflix revived the show with English subtitles in April 2018.
8. Madre De Alquiler
- Director: Mariano Ozores
- Writer: Mariano Ozores
- Cast: José Luis López Vázquez, Lola Forner, Guillermo Montesinos, Virginia Mataix
- IMDB: 4.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
With previous consent from another person or couple, a person becomes pregnant, carries the pregnancy to term, & gives birth to a child for that other person or couple, who then become the baby’s parents. This procedure is known as surrogacy, note 1.
Intense ethical, legal, and societal debates have surrounded surrogacy since it first became a commercial activity in the 1970s.
Surrogacy is viewed differently depending on whether it is considered a governmental alternative or an expression of personal freedom. Those opposed to the low birth rate, and others view it as exploitation and denigration of women. In the movie “Madre de Alquiler,” a young native woman (played by Shan Lozano) donates her womb to a wealthy family.
Years from now, she’ll realize that everything she thought she knew about her pregnancy was false. In this Argos production, the protagonist will ponder the value of parenting while navigating a complicated romance amid a discriminatory culture. This will easily let you learn Spanish with English subtitles.
7. Rebelde
- Director: Luis Pardo, Juan Carlos Muñoz
- Writer: Iván Cuevas, Pedro Rodríguez, María Balmorí
- Cast: Azul Guaita, Sergio Mayer Mori, Lizeth Selene, Giovanna Grigio
- IMDB: 6.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
For a very long time, high school plays have always included music. Two of the most recent in a long line of programs featuring musical groups of high school students are Julie and the Phantoms and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.
The same can be said about television programs from the 2010s like Glee and Victorious. These programs typically combine comedy, high school theatre, and music, which is crucial. It has been repeatedly demonstrated that combining singing with a classroom environment is popular with audiences.
The second season of Netflix’s Rebelde revival soap opera will be available to stream this month. Fans of Spanish-language telenovelas and those wishing to spice up their summer listening and viewing should be happy to hear that. Here is what we presently know about the upcoming season, which is ultimately uplifting.
6.’Sin Senos Sí Hay Paraíso’
- Director: James Hawes
- Writer: Gustavo Bolívar
- Cast: Catherine Siachoque, Carmen Villalobos, Majida Issa, Juan Pablo Urrego
- IMDB: 6.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 44%
In the Colombian film Sin Senos Sí Hay Paraiso, Hilda Santana (Catherine Siachoque), a pregnant mother of humble origin, learns of the sad death of her daughter Catalina Marn (Carmen Villalobos) at the hands of the drug cartel. She feels so upset after hearing this that it sends her into early labor. As her older, murdered sister becomes known as “La Grande” (“The Big”), she gives birth to another daughter and likewise calls her Catalina “La Pequea” (“The Small”).
Catalina, Hilda’s younger daughter, is portrayed by Carolina Gaitán as a teenage girl, and Catalina risks her life to attract drug lords. Hilda worries that Catalina will turn to prostitution to escape poverty and become a target for a cartel leader.
Sadly, she, too, unknowingly joins forces with drug cartel leader Yésica Beltrán (Majida Issa), who has a vendetta against La Grande. As a result, La Pequea, Hilda, her father Albeiro Marn (Fabián Ros), and La Pequea’s boyfriend Hernán Daro (Juan Pablo Urrego) are wrongfully imprisoned.
The title of sin senos sí hay alludes to the idea that many young women turn to have their bodies surgically altered in Colombia, resort to becoming prostitutes & escape poverty, and also falls victim.
Still, Hilda has taught her daughters to avoid this path and be content despite their circumstances. This riveting sin senos sí hay telenovela’s core themes include brutal murder, retaliation, and fighting for loved ones.
5. Undercover Law
- Director: James Hawes
- Writer: Peter Moffat
- Cast: Viña Machado, Luna Baxter, Juana del Río, Valeria Galviz, Tommy Vásquez
- IMDB: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 60%
In this light-hearted Colombian telenovela (soap opera), a real-life group of female undercover operatives infiltrates the nation’s drug cartels by posing as members, based on an actual group of women who established a special police task force.
As they learn more about the country’s drug cartels they are embedded in, they are frequently presented with moral choices.
Once more, societal commentary, constant danger, and the precarious balance between death and life are prevalent themes of the Latin American drug trade in Colombian telenovelas. As these women dive deeper and further into the dangerous waters, the telenovela version will leave you on the edge of your seat.
4. La Reina Del Flow
- Director: Rodrigo Lalinde, Liliana Bocanegra
- Writer: Diana Wiswell Cajigas, Andrés Salgado, Mabel Moreno
- Cast: Carolina Ramírez, Carlos Torres, Andres Sandoval, Mariana Garzón
- IMDB: 7.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
The Queen of Flow follows the life of a young, gifted singer/songwriter named Yeimy Montoya (Mara José Vargas), who is victimized by a heartless high school crush named Charly Cruz (Juan Manuel Restrepo) after she recognizes him during a robbery carried out on the orders of his uncle, Denver Cruz “Mann,” a high-ranking cartel member. In addition, Yeimy’s parents were murdered by Mann.
Yeimy is also unjustly imprisoned but is granted the chance to work for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) as an undercover agent to capture Mann and Charly. When that doesn’t work, she is granted a new identity and returns to Charly’s life as the well-known music producer Tammy Andrade to finally get her revenge.
Love triangles and sweet revenge dominate this drama, but the satisfying ending of La Reina Del Flow is marked by inner calm, true love, and beautiful reggaeton music. This is among the best Netflix telenovelas.
3. All For Love
- Director: Lee Friedlander
- Writer: John Dryden
- Cast: Ana María Estupiñán, Carlos Torres, Juana del Río, Valeria Galvis
- IMDB: 7.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 41%
Joaquin (Carlos Torres), a mechanic, meets and falls in love with Irene (Ana Mara Estupián), a rising singer, while searching for his missing sister Alba (Valeria Galvis) in Bogotá. While pursuing their aspirations, they fall in love quickly, but Joaqun’s involvement in organized crime damages their blossoming relationship.
This telenovela explores how easy it is to lose touch with what is honest and righteous while becoming involved with the dark side of humanity. A well-rounded journey combined with a traditional tale of star-crossed lovers.
2. The Road To Love
- Director: Scott Sidney
- Cast: Lenore Ulric, Colin Chase, Lucille Ward, Estelle Allen, Gayne Whitman, Herschel Mayall
- IMDB: 7.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 40%
Here is a Colombian telenovela that is significantly lighter in tone, although dealing with some serious life situations. Cecelia, often known as “La Chiqui,” is Katherine Escobar Farfán’s youngest child and comes from a family of truck drivers.
She notifies her father, Don Armando (César Mora), after she learns she is pregnant at age 16 by the dishonest man she has been dating, Samuel (Mario Espitia).
The Queen of Flow’s Juan Manuel Restrepo also appears in this series as La Chiqui’s much better and more wholesome love interest. The drama tackles societal biases, misogyny, and outmoded viewpoints, but it ends up being inspiring.
1. The Marked Heart
- Director: Camilo Vega
- Writer: Leonardo Padrón
- Cast: Ana Lucía Domínguez, Michel Brown, Margarita Muñoz, Valeria Emiliani, Sebastián Martínez
- IMDB: 6.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 33%
You could recognize the main characters in this Latin American telenovela if you have seen the epic and renowned 2003 telenovela Pasión de Gavilanes (and if you haven’t, make it on your list – it’s streamable on Peacock). Both telenovelas are equally addictive. Ana Luca Dominguez portrayed Libia Reyes/Ruth Uribe, and Michel Brown represented Franco Reyes.
The two play a couple of star-crossed lovers in The Marked Heart rather than in their previous roles as longer play brother and sister.
Simón (Brown) is horrified by his wife’s gruesome death from organ harvesting and is determined to track down those guilty in the world of organ trafficking. He met & fell in love with Camila (Domnguez) during his covert hunt, who also happens to be the receiver of the heart stolen from his wife Valeria (Brown’s real-life spouse, Margarita).
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