Canela Media Unveils First Original Unscripted Series Featuring Telenovela Villains

Streaming newcomer Canela Media is expanding into reality TV programming with its very first original project – an unscripted 10-episode series that taps into the telenovela realm. The company’s first original focuses on the female villains you love to hate from some of the most popular Spanish-language soap operas.

Secretos de Villanas (Secrets of Villains) brings together stars Aylín Mújica (Corazón Valiente), Cynthia Klitbo (Vida Robada) Gabriela Spanic (La Usurpadora), Geraldine Bazán (La Mujer de Judas), Sabine Moussier (La Madrastra) and Maritza Rodríguez (Marido en alquiler). Rodríguez now goes by Sarah Mintz, the name she took following her marriage and conversion to Orthodox Judaism.

“I’d bet that if you asked fans about their favorite characters, they would name many of the villains portrayed by the six women starring in Secretos de Villanas. In this series, telenovela lovers will be treated to a first-time ever gathering of these amazing women to tell-all and reveal a few secrets,” says Isabel Rafferty Zavala, founder and CEO of Canela Media, the single largest funded, Latino and female-owned company, which earlier this year, raised $32 million in a Series A funding.

To kick off the series, Canela.TV will air a two-part episode of Secretos de Villanas: El Reencuentro that covers the initial meeting of the six villain divas on set in Mexico City and reintroduces the actresses to the audience. Some of the women have previously met at events and even worked together, but this will be the first time all six collaborate at the same time on the same show. This will also mark Mintz’s return to television, where she will share details about herself and her name change as the other women reveal some of their own stories and secrets.

The subsequent eight-part Secretos de Villanas: Las Vacaciones series will follow the six women as they travel via private jet to Cabo San Lucas, where they will stay at a luxurious villa for a vacation getaway. That’s the stage for them to show their true selves when not in character as telenovela villains: they’re not just actresses, they’re women, wives and mothers.

The series is produced by Canela.TV in partnership with River Waves Production’s Enrique Sapene and Rubén Consuegra, who also executive produce.

The series will start airing October 20, followed by weekly episodes.

Since Canela.TV’s launch in 2020, the New York-based company has worked to expand its reach through executive hires and the creation of a music division, Canela News and children’s programming platform Canela Kids.