Top 10 Brazilian Telenovelas of All Time

Brazilian telenovelas (soap operas) are a cultural institution unlike anywhere else in the world — typically airing five nights a week for six to eight months and attracting audiences of 40 to 60 million viewers at their peak in the 1980s and 1990s. Produced primarily by TV Globo, which has broadcast telenovelas continuously since 1965, they are more tonally complex and cinematically ambitious than their counterparts in Mexico or the United States, regularly addressing social issues including race, class, gender, and politics. These ten productions define the artform's highest achievements and have shaped Brazilian culture, language, and fashion in ways that endure decades after their original broadcast.