Uncomfortably Named Novela Hits U.S. Airwaves

Colombian Blockbuster Subtly Retitled for Telemundo

by Laura Martinez -- Multichannel News, 2/4/2010 5:19:09 PM

When the blockbuster Colombian telenovela Sin tetas no hay paraiso premieres on Telemundo Monday night (Feb. 8), something will be missing from its title.


And in announcing the show to the consumer and trade press, the NBC Universal-owned network is using the following phrasing: "Sin *** no hay paraiso."

Telemundo officials said the decision to leave out the word "tetas" was simply an adjustment that had to be made to comply with "network standards."

"We think this compelling telenovela from Colombia conveys important messages of interest to our U.S. audiences," a Telemundo spokesperson said via e-mail. "However, based on our network standards and our understanding of the expectation of our viewers, we have made certain adjustments including the treatment of the name."

Sin tetas no hay paraiso (literally, Without Tits There Is No Paradise) tells the story of a young girl, Catalina, who lives in Pereira, Colombia, and becomes obsessed with getting breast implants in order to overcome poverty. Catalina becomes a prostitute who has sex with drug traffickers in exchange for gifts, money and social status.

Based on a true story, Sin tetas was the best-selling book of Colombian journalist Gustavo Bolívar and has been adapted for viewers in more than 50 countries and translated into several languages. [A Hollywood movie is also in the making.]

In the past Telemundo has produced -- and aired -- a U.S. remake of the series, which was slightly renamed as Sin senos no hay paraiso (Without Breasts There Is No Paradise) a loose adaptation of the original series, which premiered in June 2008, quickly becoming Telemundo's highest-rated original production telenovela, averaging 1,537,000 total viewers. Sin senos was so successful that it also became the first novella that Telemundo then aired on sister network mun2, featuring English-language subtitles.