For years, Hispanic television viewers have gotten to know telenovela actors primarily through the characters they've portrayed on TV.
Now, AMC Networks' WE tv is for the first time turning the cameras on the stars themselves — with an assist from Telemundo. My Life is a Telenovela, set in Miami and produced by Matador, will follow a group of "beautiful and fierce Latina actors working in this hyper-competitive world, which has captivated hundreds of millions of viewers."
WE tv has ordered eight hour-long episodes of the reality show, which is set to premiere later this year. As the series begins, several characters are vying for the same role on a Telemundo telenovela. WE tv hopes this will provide the fireworks necessary for compelling reality entertainment.
“WE tv is a network that was really built on diversity," WE tv president Marc Juris said. "It is bringing viewers personalities and programming that has historically been hard to find on the mainstream dial. This show continues that commitment to new faces and voices."
WE tv is a sibling of such networks as AMC, BBC America, IFC and SundanceTV and is available in more than 86 million U.S. homes.
My Life Is a Novela is not the first star turn for telenovelas on U.S. English-language TV this year. NBC's Telenovela, which concluded its 11-episode run in February, featured superstars Jencarlos Canela and Eva Longoria in a fictional behind-the-scenes look at how a telenovela is produced.
