A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines tele and novela. Similar drama genres around the world include diziler (Turkey), serial (India), teleserye (Philippines), lakorn (Thailand), teleromanzo (Italy), téléroman, K-drama, J-drama (Japan), C-drama (China) and sinetron (Indonesia).
Vida Alves and Walter Forster on Sua Vida Me Pertence (Rede Tupi, Brazil, 1951), the first telenovela in television history
A soap opera, daytime drama, or soap for short, is typically a long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored by soap manufacturers. The term was preceded by "horse opera", a derogatory term for low-budget Westerns.
Publicity photo of Rosemary Prinz as Penny Hughes from As the World Turns
A scene from EastEnders on Christmas Day 1986, watched by 30.15 million viewers. The story, in which Den Watts (Leslie Grantham) served his wife Angie (Anita Dobson) with divorce papers, was the highest-rated soap episode in British history, and the highest-rated program in the UK during the 1980s. Only the 1966 World Cup Final and the funeral of Princess Diana rank higher in the all time ratings.
Leah Thys, actress in the Belgian soap Thuis. At the back Peter Rouffaer is visible.