El secretario
GenreSitcom
Telenovela
Written byJörg Hiller
Claudia F. Sánchez
Catalina Coy[1]
Directed byJuan Camilo Pinzón
Unai Amuchastegui(2nd. unit)
Víctor Cantillo (assistant)
StarringJuan Pablo Espinosa
Stephanie Cayo
Martín Karpan[1]
Theme music composerFabo Romero, Jimmy Pulido López[1]
Opening themeSólo tú (Jimmy Pulido)
ComposersFabo Romero, J. Pulido
Country of originColombia
Original languageSpanish
No. of episodes152 (Colombian broadcast, irregular running time)
123 x 1h (international version)[2]
Production
Executive producerJuan Andrés Flórez
ProducerManuel Peñaloza[1]
Production locationBogotá
Camera setupMulticamera
Original release
NetworkCaracol Televisión
Release22 August 2011 (2011-08-22) –
30 March 2012 (2012-03-30)
Related
Porque el Amor Manda

El secretario (The Secretary) is a Colombian telenovela produced and broadcast by Caracol Televisión from August 22, 2011 to March 30, 2012.

Plot

30-year-old Emilio Romero (Juan Pablo Espinosa) was living in New York City working as a pizza delivery guy, despite his background in finances. He finds out through a Facebook-like social network that he has a 6-year-old daughter in Bogotá, and decides to come back to Colombia, but he is broke. One of his clients (Hernán Méndez), who turns out to be a Gangster, pays his plane tickets with the condition of taking a suitcase full of clothes. When arriving to Bogotá, customs police find the suitcase has a double bottom packed with thousands of dollars. Romero co-operates with justice and is released under parole. He meets his daughter Valentina (Hillary Vergara), who lives with her mother and Emilio's ex-girlfriend Lorena (Helga Díaz) and her stepfather Franklin Sotomayor (Fernando Solórzano).

With no money in his pockets, Emilio managed to find a place to live: an apartment whose former tenant (Fabio Camero) is to be evicted. There he meets Gertrudis Dudis Buenahora (Margalida Castro), his new neighbour. Emilio also accepts (reluctantly at first, as he had applied to be an accounting assistant) a job as a secretary at Industrias Copito, a toilet paper company. His immediate bosses are Mario Segura (Fabián Mendoza), the operations manager and the owner's half-brother, and Antonia Fontalvo (Stephanie Cayo), the workaholic commercial manager and fiancée of Félix Segura (Martín Karpan), the company's owner. Félix has a clandestine affaire with Paola Zorrilla (Andrea López), Antonia's best friend.

As the only male secretary of the company, Emilio is mocked by the other secretaries and his male coworkers. Mario hates him because Antonia hired a male secretary in order to keep Mario's sexual instincts away from his former secretary, Yensi (Alexandra Serrano). Though loyal, optimistic, kind, and efficient, Emilio is clumsy and gets easily into trouble, specially with Félix; nevertheless, Antonia constantly defends him and stands by his side.

Cast

Music

The theme song is Solo tú, by in-house composers Fabo Romero and Jimmy Pulido López; the latter performs the song. Music by Afro-Colombian electronica band Systema Solar (Mi kolombia, Sin oficio, En los huesos) is featured in many episodes. In episode 12, most secretaries and the administrative area humiliate Emilio by performing a choreography with Daniela Romo's 1983 hit Pobre secretaria, which Emilio and Antonia sing in karaoke in episode 52. In episode 45, many Copito employees perform a choreography with Bomba Estéreo's 2008 hit Fuego. Vallenato singer Pipe Peláez appears on episode 72 singing a cappella Cuando quieras quiero; in the same episode Mario dances Kool and the Gang's Ladies Night. In episode 98, Tú by Stephanie Cayo is featured. Other songs already used by Caracol TV in other telenovelas, such as Ensamble's Otra vez (ep. 5), Adriana Bottina's Ya mi soledad (ep. 76) and Lucas Troo's Sin tu fe (ep. 29), are also featured.

Reception

After watching the first episode, television critic Javier Santamaría stated that the telenovela is similar to other Caracol TV series such as Nuevo rico nuevo pobre and Clase ejecutiva and that it does not have anything "special;" he criticizes Argentine actor Martín Karpan but praises Espinosa for his "commitment and energy."[3] Days later, his perception of the telenovela improved, praising its incidental music and stating that, since it is a comedy, it is "unavoidable" to see "caricatured characters."[4]

Ómar Rincón, writing for El Tiempo, slams Karpan, Mendoza, and López calling their characters "un-bear-able," and says that at Industrias Copito "no one works, everyone yells." Rincón praises the plot, "it sounds plausible, it's sweet and creates empathy [with it]," and actors Espinosa and Cayo.[5]

At gossip website lafiscalia.com, pinksauce praises its opening sequence, its scenes taped in New York, and the visual effects, but found some inconsistencies from the legal point of view on Emilio's return to Colombia, and criticizes Espinosa, Mendoza, Karpan, and Cayo, as well as the costume design and the make-up.[6] Diana C., from telenovela portal todotnv.com, claims that the love story with unresolved sexual tension between Emilio and Antonia is "weak," though praises the "cuteness" brought by Emilio's daughter, and the fact that Cayo and Karpan don't hide their native accents (Peruvian and Argentinian, respectively); she praises most main actors, except López.[7]

Ratings improved during its first week and, after having started in fifth place among the programmes broadcast in prime time,[8] it finished third after the fourth episode.[9] On 22 September 2011, it climbed to second place and became the most watched telenovela in Colombia that day.[10]

Awards and nominations

India Catalina Awards

Source:;[11] the event is part of the Cartagena Film Festival[12]

Year Category Nominee Result
2012 Best telenovela El secretario Nominated
2012 Best telenovela actress Stephanie Cayo Won
2012 Best telenovela actor Juan Pablo Espinosa Won
2012 Best telenovela soundtrack Solo tú, by Jimmy Pulido López and Fabo Romero Won
2012 Best telenovela editing Juan Pablo Serna Nominated
2012 Best telenovela cinematography Rafael Puentes and Freddy Castro Nominated
2012 Best telenovela or series antagonistic actress Andrea López Nominated
2012 Best telenovela or series antagonistic actor Martín Karpan Nominated
2012 Best telenovela supporting actress Margalida Castro Won
2012 Best telenovela supporting actress Valentina Lizcano Nominated
2012 Best supporting telenovela actor Fabián Mendoza Won
2012 Best original telenovela screenplay and story Jörg Hiller, Claudia Sánchez, and Catalina Coy Won
2012 Best telenovela director Juan Camilo Pinzón, Unai Amuchastegui Nominated
2012 Best telenovela art direction Modulario Nominated

TVyNovelas Awards

Source:[13]

Year Category Nominee Result
2012 Favourite telenovela El secretario Won
2012 Favourite telenovela starring actress Stephanie Cayo Won
2012 Favourite telenovela starring actor Juan Pablo Espinosa Won
2012 Favourite telenovela supporting actor Fernando Solórzano Nominated
2012 Favourite telenovela supporting actor Freddy Ordóñez Won
2012 Favourite telenovela supporting actress Valentina Lizcano Nominated
2012 Favourite telenovela supporting actress Margalida Castro Won
2012 Favourite telenovela female villain Andrea López Nominated
2012 Favourite telenovela female villain Alexandra Serrano Nominated
2012 Favourite telenovela male villain Fabián Mendoza Won
2012 Favourite telenovela male villain Martín Karpan Nominated
2012 Favourite song theme Solo tú by Jimmy Pulido López and Fabo Romero Won
2012 Favourite screenwriter(s) Jörg Hiller, Claudia Sánchez, Catalina Coy Won
2012 Favourite telenovela or series director Juan Camilo Pinzón, Unai Amuchástegui, Víctor Cantillo Won

International broadcast

In October 2011, El secretario premiered on Telesistema 11 in Dominican Republic.[14] WAPA-TV broadcasts the telenovela in Puerto Rico since December 2011.[15] El secretario premiered 9 January 2012 on Repretel (Canal 6) in Costa Rica,[16] and 13 February 2012 on Chilean network La Red.[17] In Ecuador it premiered 11 June 2012 on TC Televisión.[18]

In Malaysia, it premieres on 8 October 2012, via Astro Bella and Astro Mustika HD (in HD) at 4:00pm.[19] While the Mexican remake, Porque el amor manda, airing on Canal de las estrellas also premieres on the same date.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Departamento de prensa del Canal Caracol, El secretario, August 2011
  2. ^ Catalogue: The Secretary, Caracol TV Internacional, accessed 27 May 2012
  3. ^ Javier Santamaría, Los cacareados estrenos del 22, 23 August 2011
  4. ^ Javier Santamaría, Salpicón farandulero, 24 August 2011
  5. ^ Ómar Rincón, Caracol lo intenta, El Tiempo, 26 August 2011
  6. ^ pinksauce, Lo bueno, lo malo y lo feo de El secretario Archived 2011-11-03 at the Wayback Machine, lafiscalia.com, 22 August 2011
  7. ^ Diana C., El secretario, dale con la URST Archived 2011-10-03 at the Wayback Machine, todotnv.com, 30 August 2011
  8. ^ Germán sí es a prueba de balas [ratings] Archived 2012-01-27 at the Wayback Machine, lafiscalia.com, 23 August 2011
  9. ^ Rating Colombia Jueves 25 de agosto de 2011, Total TV, 26 August 2011
  10. ^ Rating Colombia Jueves 22 de septiembre de 2011, Total TV, 23 September 2011
  11. ^ Los ganadores de los Premios India Catalina 2012, Revista Cromos, 26 February 2012
  12. ^ Listos, los competidores de las 39 categorías de los 28° Premios India Catalina. Y los nominados son..., Boletín FICCI, 30 January 2012
  13. ^ Premios TVyNovelas 2012, conoce la lista de ganadores, Terra Colombia, 16 April 2012
  14. ^ “El secretario” se estrenó en Republica Dominicana Archived 2012-06-11 at the Wayback Machine, todotnv.com, 24 October 2011
  15. ^ El secretario estrena en Puerto Rico, TV Boricua USA, 12 December 2011
  16. ^ repretel.com, Repretel canal 6 estrenará 3 novelas la próxima semana Archived 2012-09-08 at archive.today, Repretel, 3 January 2012
  17. ^ The secretary arrives to Chile starting this February 13th, 2012[permanent dead link], Caracol TV Internacional, accessed 27 May 2012
  18. ^ CARACOL TV INTERNACIONALPREMIERES NEW PRODUCTIONS IN LATIN AMERICA[permanent dead link], Caracol TV Internacional, accessed 25 June 2012
  19. ^ http://www.astro.com.my/epg/event.php?id=7398547 Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine El Secretario, www.astro.com.my, 8 October 2012

External links

Caracol Televisión original programming
Categories