Amas de Casa Desesperadas (Argentine TV series)

Infobox Television
bgcolour = lightsteelblue
show_name = Amas de Casa Desesperadas


caption = "Amas de Casa Desesperadas" title design
format = Dramedy
picture_format = 480i (SDTV),
720p (HDTV)
runtime = 60 minutes
creator = Marcos Carnevale after Marc Cherry's original series
starring = Mercedes Morán
Araceli Gonzalez
Gabriela Toscano
Carola Reyna
Romina Gaetani
narrated = Cecilia Roth
theme_music_composer = Alberto Slezynger and
Vinicio Ludovic
country = Argentina
network = Canal 13
first_aired = August 30, 2006
last_aired = April, 2007
num_episodes = 23
website = http://www.canal13.com.ar/micrositios/amas.resena.html
imdb_id = 0770459

"Amas de Casa Desesperadas" is an Argentine television series, that debuted on Canal 13 on August 30, 2006. Set in the fictional Manzanares Street, a suburb surrounding Buenos Aires , the series follows the lives of four housewives and the domestic problems and daily mysteries surrounding their husbands, friends and neighbors, which can be more sinister than they appear. The series' tone combines elements of drama, comedy, mystery, farce, soap opera and satire.

Based on the American television series, "Desperate Housewives", it was developed for Argentina by Buena Vista International and Pol-Ka Producciones. The show’s first season was broadcast by Canal 13 on Argentina, and also by other networks on Uruguay and Paraguay. On October 2006, Canal 13 renewed "Amas de Casa Desesperadas" for a second season, that will start filming on August 2007.

Plot

eason 1 (2006-2007)

Season one began airing on August 30, 2006 and featured a total of 23 episodes. The show opens with the mysterious suicide of housewife Alicia Oviedo on a beautiful day in the suburbs, on a street called Manzanares. Alicia, who narrates the show from the afterlife, had four friends: Vera Sherer, the seemingly-perfect mother of two teenagers struggling to save her marriage; Lía Salgarí, the mother of four whose husband is always away on business; Susana Martini, the divorced mother in search of love, who finds it in the form of her new neighbour Miguel Delfino, who has a secret of his own; and Gabriela Solís, the materialistic ex-runway model who cheats on her husband. While trying to be good wives and mothers, the four friends also try to find out why their friend committed suicide. The discovery of a blackmail note among Alicia’s belongings, a therapy session tape in which she admits her real name was Angela, and her widowed husband's strange behaviour really make them wonder about the mystery surrounding their deceased friend.

eason 2 (2007-2008)

On October 2006, Canal 13 announced that it has renewed "Amas de Casa Desesperadas" for a second season, due to premiere in September 2007.

Origins

Buena Vista International, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company (which also owns ABC, the channel on which "Desperate Housewives" airs in the United States), searched in Brazil, Ecuador, Argentina and Colombia to find a production company capable of adapting the series for the Spanish-speaking market. Adrian Suar and Fernando Blanco’s Pol-Ka Producciones in Argentina was selected. Immediately, the actresses were chosen and the construction of Manzanares Street began on the town of Pilar, Buenos Aires.

Cast and characters

This is a list of the major characters of the series, as well as their counterpart in the original, American, series and the actors portraying them.

Filming locations

The set of the street, some of which is made up of real houses, is located on a studio of Pol-ka, in Pilar, Buenos Aires, which was land due to be turned into an upscale gated community. Manzanares was specially built for the production of the three "Desperate Housewives" versions: the Argentine, Latin (USA), Colombian-Ecuadorian and Brazilian versions.

According to Marcos Carnevale, the writer of the Argentine version, Manzanares was the hardest thing to adapt. The houses had to look “more Latin”, but still remain similar to the original show’s street, so the houses were painted in a more Latino style (for example, the Solises’ house is red instead of yellow).

From the outside, Vera's home has a set of windows either side of the front porch. However indoors, windows can only be seen on one side of the front door. This is because the inside of Vera's house is actually shot on a soundstage. Along with the houses of Lía, Marta Hidalgo, Carla and Alicia, is just a façade.

There is a 10th house on the street, that is hidden (next to Elvira Reinoso’s house) and can only be seen when the camera pulls away on the ending of the first episode. The “production house” is used by the crew as an office.

At the end of Manzanares, by Carla’s house, there is a cul-de-sac. However, cars are seen both entering and leaving the neighborhood from there.

After Carla’s house was burned down in the first episode, her new house started being built next to her old. The old house façade was kept, repainted, and the interior was reconstructed and was used on episode 21 as the Obligado’s house (Mullins in the original show).

Reception and critical reactions

The show gained the success and critical acclaim that was expected, calling it “as great as the original” Fact|date=May 2007. Its pilot episode that aired in August 2006, gained 25.6% share of the ratings, making it one of the most rated shows of the week and placing it in the top ten of most rated shows in 2006 Fact|date=May 2007.

Ratings

During the show’s first season, the series' time slot was constantly changed, so it wouldn’t compete with Telefe’s hit show "Hermanos y Detectives", though it still gained an average of 18.8% Fact|date=May 2007 audience share during its first season.

External links

* [http://www.canal13.com.ar/micrositios/amas.resena.html Amas de Casa Desesperadas - Official Website]