Ugly Betty is an American
comedy-drama television series created by Silvio Horta, which premiered on
The American Broadcasting Company on September 28, 2006. The series revolves around
Betty Suarez, an unglamorous and good-natured girl, and her incongruous job at the ultra-chic New York City fashion magazine
Mode. The series is an adaptation of the
Colombian
telenovela Betty la fea,
["Yo soy Betty, la Fea" (1999)] written by
Fernando Gaitán. The series is produced by Silent H,
Ventanarosa and
Reveille respectively partnered with
ABC Studios, and is primarily filmed in
Los Angeles, California, but together with the pilot episode and the third and fourth season the series is filmed in
New York. The
executive producers are
Salma Hayek,
Silvio Horta,
Ben Silverman,
Jose Tamez and Joel Fields.
Ugly Betty was renewed by ABC for a fourth season
[ABC Announces Early Pick-Ups for Next Season, The Futon Critic, April 23, 2009] and airs on Friday nights starting October 16, 2009 at 9:00pm Eastern/8:00pm Central. This caused fans and critics to worry that ABC wishes to end the show, since that time slot is perceived as the
Friday night death slot.
[ABC Defends Moving "Ugly Betty" to Friday, Entertainment Weekly, May 19, 2009][ABC's Official Sked Welcomes "V", Moves "Betty", Says Adieu to "Who?", TV Guide, May 19, 2009][Why ABC's "Ugly Betty" Move Makes Sense, Zap2It.com, May 19, 2009][ABC Puts "Ugly Betty" In An Ugly Timeslot, Business Insider, May 19, 2009] On July 24, 2009,
TV Guide Network announced that it has acquired the exclusive cable right to the show and will air the fourth season episodes 14 days after its ABC run with an option to strip the show daily, with plans to air it weekly starting in the fall of 2010.
[TV Guide Network Acquires "Ugly Betty", Broadcasting & Cable, July 24, 2009]
