Telenovela on NBC

It is not a new idea, but the spread of Telenovelas on American TV sets is a welcome phenomenon. ABC had Ugly Betty and The CW has Jane the Virgin. So now it is NBC's turn with the premiere of Telenovela tonight. This is what you can expect: 

Eva Longoria ("Desperate Housewives") stars on this big, fun and flashy half-hour comedy as Ana Sofia, the star of a popular Spanish language soap opera. One problem, she doesn't speak any Spanish. Other problems? Ana must manage a new boss, jealous castmates and high-maintenance best friends - and that's all before her ex-husband is hired as her new on-screen love interest. Just like a real telenovela, this comedy is full of all kinds of drama, including love, hate, life and even death! Despite all the chaos, this telenovela's cast and crew is a family... or, at least, they try to be.

We can thank the Telenovelas for at least on great star that went a little more mainstream (yet maintains the drama).  As noted by ABC News in 2012:

 ...increasingly the slap-happy, sometimes sappy, and always dramatic world of Telenovelas is becoming a proving ground of sorts for Latin stars eager to make the jump into English language TV. Before Colombian-born Sofia Vergara played for laughs as Gloria on "Modern Family," she was the sultry Leonora on "Burning for Revenge." And before William Levy's mainstream breakthrough on "Dancing With the Stars," the Cuban native glowered as Alejandro on "Love Spell."

Yes, thank goodness for Gloria and the telenovelas.

Update:  While you can see the first 3 episodes in December, the 13-part series will officially start on January 4th.