On Monday 21 at 6:30pm, TelevisaUnivision premiered its new telenovela Minas de Pasión, a free adaptation of La Patrona of Telemundo. The producer of the Mexican version, Pedro Ortiz de Pinedo, spoke about the importance of returning to the basics of the telenovela genre, where open TV is its best ally.
“It is a free version based on a story done before, but we adapted it to work for Mexico and the US, and the adaptation team did a great job. Once we had the scripts, the casting was easy for a very well-stitched telenovela. It is a version never seen in Mexico, and it would be the first time on open TV in Mexico,” the producer highlighted.
It is a 107.5-episode story since it will end on a Sunday, recorded in different locations, including mines in Hidalgo state, Mexico. “We rebuilt a mine here in CDMX in addition to large sets built in forum 10 of Televisa San Ángel. We have an important story that will give plenty to talk about.”
For Ortiz de Pinedo, open TV is experiencing a good moment giving productions great reach. “Las Estrellas rating averages have a good outlook, and we come to contribute to increasing the audience with a quality product.”
Regarding the new forms of consumption thanks to streaming and social networks, the producer assured that it is time to return to basics. “After we went through a process of trying to make more sophisticated telenovelas and people were not convinced, we decided it was time to return to the traditional genre with great casts and adaptations that sound and smell like telenovelas. We made the series for a different platform, and open TV deserves quality telenovelas as we trust Minas de Pasión is.”
Starring Livia Brito and Osvaldo de León, the original story by Valentina Párraga is about Emilia Sánchez (Livia Brito), a seasoned single mother who works in a mine, where she meets Leonardo Santamaría (Osvaldo de León), son of Roberta Castro (Anette Michel), the most powerful woman in town. Emilia and Leonardo fall in love, unleashing the fury of Roberta, who, knowing that Emilia has discovered her mismanagement of the mine, will seek revenge by doing everything in her power to end the romance.