Back in the mid-2010s, if you tuned into the CW, there was a decent chance you'd find something unfamiliar. That's because the CW had found themselves somewhere unfamiliar: the world of critical acclaim.
Jane the Virgin's breakout star, Gina Rodriguez, brought home the Golden Globe for Best Comedy Actress following the show's debut season-the first Golden Globe win in the network's history. What initially sparked everyone's interest in the show was more the execution.
CW is known as one of the few networks that create content that speaks to the diverse audience in the US. In the case of Jane the Virgin, It is the Hispanic Americans. You can catch CW on all three plans by Optimum TV. These include Optimum Core, Optimum Select, and Optimum Premier. If you want to subscribe to any of these TV plans, you can call Optimum Servicio al cliente and they will hook you up.
Now let's break down this iconic series and the aspects that demonstrate that the format of the show heavily resembles that of a telenovela.
Similarities with Pushing Daisies
Jane the Virgin shares a similar structure with my much-beloved Pushing Daisies: a bright, colorful look, and larger-than-life characters. Each episode begins with a flashback to the characters' childhoods that introduces the core emotional themes of the episode.
The main couple is cursed to be unable to get physically intimate with one another. And most overtly, both shows are tied together by a charismatic narrator with a compelling voice. Though Jane the Virgin's narrator is certainly much sassier than Pushing Daisies.
Fantasy Sequences
In addition to those elements, one of the more self-indulgent aspects of Jane the Virgin's structure is the frequent fantasy sequences. Though, unlike Scrubs or, say, Fred the Movie, rather than largely existing as brief cutaway gags within the main character's head, these fantasies are instead used to highlight the emotions and inner thoughts of the cast at large.
The fantasy sequences also incorporate a variety of other types of entertainment like sports commentary, telenovelas, musicals, pro wrestling, and Hitchcock. But most frequently of all, telenovelas.
Stark Similarity to Telenovelas
Jane the Virgin itself is based on a Venezuelan telenovela, "Juana la Virgen," though admittedly based very loosely-just the initial inciting incident. Jane the Virgin itself is sort of a half-parody of telenovelas, but it's also one of those things that just kind of becomes the thing it's parodying and is a telenovela at points.
No better way to demonstrate the heightened drama and ludicrous coincidences that the show is known for than by introducing the cast and how they all know each other. You can see what a tangled emotional web the writers weave on this show, and they delight at tangling it further week after week.
Fortunately, though, the first season has a good habit of quarantining over-the-top drama to the over-the-top storylines while keeping the interpersonal and relationship drama more grounded and relatable. A lot of the conflicts are born from deceptions being revealed.
Though, unlike many overwrought sitcoms where little white lies erupt into big manufactured drama, Jane the Virgin's freshman near-lies come from a genuine character place where you can see where both sides are coming from.
Common Themes on the Show
Though, of course, hand-in-hand with the familial themes, Jane the Virgin runs with a whole "honesty is the best policy" thematic undercurrent. A sweet and optimistic outlook that imbues the show with an uplifting, cozy charm.
Characters are learning and bonding and tackling difficult conversations for the sake of mutual understanding. And to a man, the characters are so well-established and endearing that it's nice to see them largely putting their differences aside and getting along.
When the show does indulge in bickering over minor miscommunications and misunderstandings, it's almost always played for laughs instead of drama, and perfectly in character for two drama queens. A well-rounded cast of characters.
The Character Line Up
The show seems to think this collection of side villains is more fun to watch than they are. And Petra is a deliciously fun primary villain for Rafael and Jane. The main cast. So, they're even less welcome when they're busy sidetracking our favorite femme fatale from her evil duties.
The nice part about how Jane the Virgin tackles something as pulpy as a criminal face-changing organization is that they so effortlessly tie it into the emotions of the characters.
The conflict of interest with the recently dumped Jane detective Michael breathing down the neck of the recently cuffed Jane Rafael is just another angle for the writers to work the narrative interconnectivity bit.
Unique Plotlines
Big crazy stakes criminal nonsense all managing to work hand-in-hand with the smaller storylines of Jane dealing with the interpersonal drama coming from her rapidly expanding family. A trick the series would not be able to consistently pull off in later seasons.
There are plenty of small, relatable plotlines beyond just the romance angles that the show also incorporates. Vignettes about the varied struggles of pregnancy, which for the most part seem personal to the writers, as a consequence also feel personal to the characters and are far from the stock weird cravings and Lamaze classes boilerplate sitcom pregnancy plotlines.
Summing Up
With the above parameters considered, Jane the Virgin is a perfect balance between a typical American series and a Spanish Telenovela. You can decide which one goes for you best. Let us know in the comments.
