| Ugly Betty | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Based on | Yo soy Betty, la fea byFernando Gaitán |
| Developed by | Silvio Horta |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Jeff Beal |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 85(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Production locations |
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| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 28, 2006 (2006-09-28) – April 14, 2010 (2010-04-14) |
| Related | |
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed bySilvio Horta, which aired onABC from September 28, 2006, to April 14, 2010. It is based on the Colombian telenovelaYo soy Betty, la fea, created byFernando Gaitán. The series follows Betty Suarez, a smart and well-meaning young woman fromQueens, New York, who lacks fashion sense but secures a job at a high-end fashion magazine,Mode. As she navigates a glamorous but cutthroat industry, Betty challenges stereotypes and expectations while advancing her career and maintaining close ties to her family.
The series was produced bySalma Hayek’s production companyVentanarosa, along withSilent H Productions,Reveille Productions, andABC Studios. The pilot episode was filmed inNew York City, but production moved toLos Angeles for the first two seasons before returning to New York for the final two. The show starsAmerica Ferrera as Betty, alongsideEric Mabius,Vanessa Williams,Ana Ortiz,Tony Plana,Michael Urie, andBecki Newton.
Ugly Betty received critical acclaim for its performances—particularly Ferrera’s—as well as for its themes of identity, body image, and representation. It won several major awards, including twoGolden Globes, threeEmmys, and aPeabody Award in 2007. Though ratings declined in later seasons, the series developed a strong following and is credited with advancing Latino and LGBTQ+ visibility in American television. Interest in a potential revival continued since its conclusion.
Betty Suarez is a quirky, Mexican American woman fromQueens, New York, who is sorely lacking in fashion sense. She is known for her adult braces, rather unusual wardrobe choices, sweet nature, and slight naïveté. She is abruptly thrust into a different world when she lands a job atMode, a trendy, high-fashion magazine based inManhattan that is part of the publishing empire Meade Publications owned by the wealthyBradford Meade. Bradford's son,Daniel, has been installed as editor-in-chief ofMode following the death ofFey Sommers (Bradford's longtime mistress). Bradford hires the inexperienced Betty as hiswomanizing son's newestpersonal assistant to curb his habit of sleeping with his assistants. As time goes by, Betty and Daniel become friends and help each other navigate their individual professional and personal lives.[1]
Life atMode is made difficult for both Betty and Daniel by their co-workers. Their most serious threat comes from creative directorWilhelmina Slater, a vindictive schemer who devises numerous plots to steal Daniel's job and seize control of the Meade empire. In addition, Wilhelmina's loyal assistantMarc St. James andMode receptionistAmanda Tanen continually mock and humiliate Betty for her lackluster physical appearance, awkward nature, and initial lack of taste in fashion, though they both ultimately warm to Betty in later seasons. However, not everyone atMode is against Betty; she gains loyal friends in Scottish seamstressChristina McKinney and nerdy accountantHenry Grubstick. She also receives strong support from her fatherIgnacio, older sisterHilda, and nephewJustin.
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 23 | September 28, 2006 (2006-09-28) | May 17, 2007 (2007-05-17) | |
| 2 | 18 | September 27, 2007 (2007-09-27) | May 22, 2008 (2008-05-22) | |
| 3 | 24 | September 25, 2008 (2008-09-25) | May 21, 2009 (2009-05-21) | |
| 4 | 20 | October 16, 2009 (2009-10-16) | April 14, 2010 (2010-04-14) | |
The idea to bringUgly Betty to American TV screens began in 2001 when NBC was planning to adaptBetty as a half-hour comedy, which would be produced byColumbia TriStar Television (nowSony Pictures Television)[2] but it did not get past the planning stages (three writers were needed to come up with a concept based around the character)[3] until ABC and Hayek's company came on board in 2004 and retooled it as an hour-long comedy drama.[4]
ABC had announced the title of the series would beBetty the Ugly, a change from its development title, but changed it back toUgly Betty on July 14, 2006.[5]
On October 13, 2006, ABC ordered a full season pick-up for the series, beyond the original 13 ordered at the May Upfronts[6] due to its premiere ratings. ABC originally announced 22 episodes for season one, but increased the number of episodes by one to 23. The season finale is the episode called "East Side Story". On March 21, 2007, ABC renewed the series for a second season.[7]
Although he subsequently joined NBC as their new entertainment head, Ben Silverman remained co-executive producer on the show, but in a limited role.[8]
In November 2007, the cast of the series made headlines when they threw their support behind the2007 Writers' strike by joining them on the picket line in solidarity. Ferrera commented on the reason they did this: "The issues coming up with the actors' contracts are very similar to what the writers are dealing with right now, and we have to stay united and stand strong within the creative community for what we believe is fair."[9] On November 25, the cast appeared in a 38-second video for "Speechless Hollywood" in which a black & white camera pulled away from a close up of Ferrera to show her co-stars sitting next to her as they look directly at the camera without speaking.[10]
On February 11, 2008, ABC picked upUgly Betty for the 2008–09 television season, along with nine other shows.[11] On the same day the renewal was announced, two of the show's executive producers,Marco Pennette andJames Hayman, were let go. Their departure added to the constant off-camera turnovers on the series, including the exiting or firing of five writers.[12] In a Q&A fromTV Guide, Michael Ausiello criticized the decision, saying, "someone saw fit to fix what wasn't broken" and praised the two men for writing several of the show's best episodes.[13] These turns of events may have also contributed to Rebecca Romijn's decision to no longer be a full-time regular on the series in the third season, citing the move by new writers to make changes in the direction of several characters, especially Romijn's role as Alexis.[14]
With the strike over as of February 12, the possibility existed for seven new episodes to be completed by April, bringing the number of second-season episodes produced to 20,[15] but only 18 episodes were eventually produced. As a result of the strike, creator Silvio Horta delayed plans for a musical episode and havingLindsay Lohan on board for a possible storyline until the third season.[16] Four days later on February 16, 2008, ABC picked upUgly Betty for the2008–09 television season.[17]
On March 12, 2008, Horta signed a two-year, seven-figure deal with ABC Studios, which guaranteed the show's future and gave Horta a chance to produce other projects aside fromUgly Betty.[18]
On May 6, 2008, ABC announced that starting with the third season,Ugly Betty would return to New York City and start production there. The move was done to bring the authenticity of the great series' setting into the show and to take advantage of atax credit offered by theState of New York's Governor's Office of Motion Picture and Television Development.[19] The production returned toSilvercup Studios in Queens, where the original pilot was produced.[20] The move resulted in several Los Angeles crew members being let go.[21] These events led California AssemblymanPaul Krekorian to introduce bill AB X315, the "Ugly Betty Bill", which would keep television and film production from leaving the state by using tax incentives. The bill was passed by the assembly and GovernorArnold Schwarzenegger signed it into law on February 19, 2009.[22][23]
In January 2009, ABC announced that it was puttingUgly Betty on hold to make room for the new comediesIn the Motherhood andSamantha Who? in the Thursday night time slot. The series' aired one more original episode on March 19, 2009.[24][25]
The move by ABC and the show's declining ratings led viewers to believe that ABC would cancel the show, but on February 17, 2009,Becki Newton stated that the show had been picked up for a fourth season.[26] That statement would later be confirmed on March 5, 2009, whenStephen McPherson, president of ABC Entertainment Group, announced that ABC planned to renewUgly Betty.[27] On April 23, 2009, ABC gave an early fourth-season renewal toBetty.[28]
Ugly Betty began airing on Friday nights starting October 16, 2009, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/8:00 p.m. Central, although it was originally scheduled to start a week earlier on October 9. This caused fans and critics to worry that ABC wished to end the show, since that time slot is perceived as theFriday night death slot.[29] On July 24, 2009,TV Guide Network announced that it had acquired the exclusive cable rights to the show and would air the fourth-season episodes two weeks after their ABC run with an option to strip the show daily, with plans to air it weekly starting in the fall of 2010.[30]
WithEastwick recently cancelled, ABC began considering movingUgly Betty to the Wednesday night 10:00 p.m. Eastern/9:00 p.m. Central timeslot,[31] although talks arose of movingLost to that same time slot. On December 1, 2009, ABC made the move to Wednesday official by announcing that it would start airing new episodes on its new night starting January 6, 2010.[32]
On January 27, 2010,ABC announced thatUgly Betty would cease production after the fourth-season finale, which aired in April 2010.[33] "We've mutually come to the difficult decision to make thisUgly Betty's final season," said executive producer Silvio Horta and ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson in a joint statement. The show had struggled in the ratings in the US, falling from an average 8.1 million to 5.3 million viewers between the third and fourth seasons.[34][35]
On September 15, 2010, Ferrera stated that she knows of no plans for anUgly Betty movie and that she thinks "the rumor is well and alive—it's always a possibility I suppose!"[36] On September 29, 2010,Entertainment Weekly writerMichael Ausiello reported that a movie would not happen.[37]
Its debut episode on theSeven Network pulled in 2.03 million viewers, beatingNine Network's airing of60 Minutes andTen Network's airing ofThe Biggest Loser in the same time period.[38]
The first season premiere onChannel 4 on January 5, 2007, attracted 4.89 million viewers.[39] Two weeks later,Ugly Betty hit a new high with 5.5 million viewers watching the third episode.[40] The figures and shares were similar each week, around 2–3 million viewers with 10–15% share; however, the finale rated less than the premiere episode, attracting 3.1 million viewers with 15% share.[41]
| Season | Timeslot (EDT) | Season premiere | Season finale | TV season | Rank | Viewers (in millions) | 18–49 viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | September 28, 2006 | May 17, 2007 | 2006–2007 | #35 | 11.3[42] | 3.7 |
| 2 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | September 27, 2007 | May 22, 2008 | 2007–2008 | #53 | 9.4[43] | 3.6 |
| 3 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | September 25, 2008 | May 21, 2009 | 2008–2009 | #64[44] | 8.0[44] | 2.8[44] |
| 4 | Friday 9:00 p.m.(2009) Wednesday 10:00 p.m.(2010) | October 16, 2009[45] | April 14, 2010 | 2009–2010 | #82 | 5.5[46] | 1.5 |
The show's impact on issues and culture also attracted the attention of theUnited States Congress, where on January 17, 2007, CaliforniacongresswomanHilda Solis (D-32nd,El Monte) saluted Ferrera on both her Golden Globe win and for bringing a positive profile to the Latin and Hispanic communities.[47] In addition to that recognition, on May 8, 2007, star America Ferrera was honored byTIME on the magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people. The event took place at New York's Lincoln Center and the actress was recognized for defying stereotypes with the show.[48]
Female education activistMalala Yousafzai has cited Ugly Betty as an early and important source on her development as a feminist.[49] She was encouraged by her father to watch the show to improve her English and was struck by the freedom Betty and her friends had "as they walked freely down the streets of New York--with no veils covering their faces and no need for men to company them."[50]
The series won twoGolden Globe Awards on January 15, 2007, for "Best Leading Actress in a Comedy Series" (America Ferrera) and Best Comedy Series. Ferrera also won aSAG Award on January 28, 2007, for "Best Actress in a Comedy Series". On June 4, 2007, the series was honored with aPeabody Award "for demonstrating that wit and humanity never go out of style."[51]
Ugly Betty won the Outstanding Comedy Series award by theGay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation in April 2007.[52]Judith Light also won a Prism Award for her portrayal of Claire Meade.
On July 19, 2007, the series received 11 nominations at the59th Primetime Emmy Awards in the Comedy category (the most of any comedy series),[53] includingOutstanding Comedy Series,Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Ferrera),Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Williams), andOutstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (Hayek for her role as Sofia; Light for her role as Claire. Both lost toElaine Stritch). It won three awards —Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series,Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (for the show'spilot episode), andOutstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Ferrera).[54]
