Ugly Betty

After watching the first episode, I knew it wasn't going to be good show.I like the choice of America Ferrera as Betty, she wasn't well known back then and so we all see her as Betty. She played this outsider to the fashion world, she was hired as an assistant to the Editor in chief of a fashion magazine called MODE. Her boss is a play boy and his father owns the magazine, so her Creative director Wilhelmina played by the beautiful Vanessa Williams wants to take him down by siding with Daniel's brother/sister Alexa. The whole show is funny, creative and very fashionable. I love Wilhemina's outfits, i love the chemistry between Marc and Amanda, also friendship of Betty and Christina. It combines fashion with family, fun with funk. It was a shame the show was ended too early, I think it has the potential of getting better and even become of the iconic shows like Sex and the City.

A dramedy with a lot of heart. The humor can be pretty subtle which makes it more effective and does not detract from the story line. It also has a moral point of view that shows that the consequences of behavior can be long lasting and far reaching, and that other people are affected even when you want to believe that no one else is being hurt. The fact that Salma Hayeck, who is one of the producers, is willing to make fun of herself by being shown in an over the top Latino soap opera on the TV in Betty's house that her father is hooked on also adds to the levity and fun of the show. The ongoing story thread about Fey is a good hook, since you keep watching to find out what is going on. You find out a little more about the plot line each episode, much like a good mystery.

Betty Suarez (America Ferrera) is a cheerful and optimistic young Mexican-American living happily with her father Ignacio (Tony Plana), sister Hilda (Ana Ortiz) and nephew Justin (Mark Indelicato) in Queens, New York. With her heavyset physique, frizzy medium-length hair, eyeglasses and braces plus her penchant for wearing clothes with clashing patterns and colors, she couldn't be further from what would be expected of an employee in a fashion magazine. But she landed a job as assistant to Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius), son of the owner of Meade Publications and editor-in-chief of Mode magazine.

Betty's life in Mode faces untold challenges, mostly from creative director Wilhelmina Slater (Vanessa Williams) who aims to be editor-in-chief as well as Wilhelmina's assistant Mark St. James (Michael Urie) and office receptionist Amanda Tanen (Becki Newton) who continuously bully Betty.

How Betty survives and triumphs in a hostile work environment is a delightful watch. Her transformation from ugly to gorgeous is as delightful. There is no dearth of romance as Betty's sunny and guileless disposition draw the attention of at least four young men. Other characters like Daniel, Wilhelmina, Ignacio, Hilda, Justin, Mark and Amanda also have their own romantic angles.

While some scenarios may be predictable and cliche, the witty and crisp writing keeps the dialogues freshly entertaining. Another thing I like is that crimes and misdemeanors, like murder and lying, do not escape consequences.

All in all, it's extremely entertaining.

Ugly Betty is one of my all-time favorite shows, the first season is still one of my favorite seasons, and in my opinion one of the best seasons of television ever produced. The way it blended telenovela sensibilities with the American sitcom was genius. I think the show is extremely underrated, by audiences and critics alike. The user score here is a testament to that, and while Ugly Betty might not be everyone's cup of tea it accomplished most of what it set out to do, and it did it well.

Although I think the first season and a half are excellent, near perfect television, the show floundered a bit in its third season, where a new locale and crew changed the tone and a post-writers strike group of writers took the series into new, and sometimes bizarre territory. I must say that Patricia Field taking over costumes from Eduardo Castro was extremely noticeable, and the quality was still high, but the show never matched its soap opera antics of its first season, instead it become a lighter family comedy with some dramatic elements thrown in, and it still worked.

The thing that amazes me every time I rewatch the show is how timeless it feels, how groundbreaking it was, and how it paved the way for so many shows, and originated so many trends. I don't think Ugly Betty truly gets enough credit for what it did, blending comedy, drama, heartfelt storylines with grittier elements, transgender storylines and gay youth representation, in a show centered on a Mexican-American family no less.

Today there are shows like Pose, where the cast is made up of mainly transwomen, shows like Jane the Virgin that feature telenovela storytelling mixed with comedy, and a noticeable trend in sitcoms to feature more long arc story structure and greater continuity, all while including some more dramatic elements. At the time of its release, Ugly Betty was a contemporary to The Office, 30 Rock, Glee and other mainstream sitcoms that kept the tone light and the stakes lower. Meanwhile, Ugly Betty wasn't afraid to feature surreal moments and serious stories about coming out, murder and alcoholism.

Ugly Betty will forever be one of my favorite shows. And although it's never gotten the credit it deserves, its influence lives on in the risks taken by the shows that came after it, and the people who were touched by it.

I have been an Ugly Betty fan since episode 1 back in 2006. The minute America Ferrera's plucky Betty Suarez walked through the doors of Mode in her Guadalajara poncho, I knew I was going to love this show. I've been a faithful fan for all four seasons and was truly sad to see it go. So much so that I put off watching the series finale until today - nearly a month after it originally aired. Throughout it's four seasons, Ugly Betty remained witty and engaging. Ugly Betty knew how to play up the drama, but what made this show so endearing was its expert use of comedy. Vanessa Williams, Ana Ortiz, and Becki Newton and the rest of the cast provided constant moments of hilarity throughout the years.

For anyone who needs a good laugh, a twist of drama, and a downright feel good show to watch, Ugly Betty is the show for you. It certainly was for me. It was definitely a bitter sweet goodbye. My only complaint is that the series was cut far too short. ABC tends to do that however. They tend to not know what a good thing they have until its gone. The Ugly Betty series finale is one of those finales you will watch with a nagging pit in your stomach as you realize your journey with these characters has come to an end. But after it's over, the resolution is so perfect that you can't help but feel relieved that despite the end of your journey, their stories will continue to live on in your head.