Adios Betty.

As the new Fall 2010 Season starts to unwind, I reflect on one show that wont be in this years line-up. Ugly Betty. After its cancellation in January of 2010, I spent time re-watching episodes seeing what happened, why people lost interest, and I found a few things.

When it aired in 2006 it was a phenomenon. It was different from anything that came out that year, to be honest the only other shows I remember coming out that year was 30 Rock and Heros. Ugly Betty had a campy, fun, and colorful humor that other shows happened to lack, nestling into its 8:00 pm slot on Thursday nights before Grey’s Anatomy, the show was a hit.

Season One of Ugly Betty was without a doubt the best season. The writing was top notch, the acting was brilliant, the storylines were captivating. I stared watching the show for the pure fact that my favorite actress was in it. Vanessa Williams. However, after the first 3 episodes I fell in love with everyone. I was never bored and I couldn’t wait till Thursday nights would come so I could sit in front of the TV and watch my favorite TV show. Season 1 touched on a lot of issues such as the storyline with Ignacio and immigration, transsexuals, Marc coming out to his mother and being harshly rejected, and the most important one, Beauty isn’t only skin deep. This was consistent through the entire first season which is why it did so well. Not to mention the characters showed growth even with 13 episodes. The “modies” weren’t as heartless as the seemed, they got hurt too. (Nico/Willie, Marc/Mom). Everyone character was relatable.

The latter seasons however fell flat. Ugly Betty was always its own, in season two it became more campy, more unrealistic so to say. It also had "too many guest stars" that didn't add much to the plot. Another factor in this was the writers strike that happened. I enjoyed it, thought it provided the funniest moments from the show. 

Season three was the big move to New York, and what a difference it made. I loved watching Season three on my TV screen. I enjoyed the development of the some characters that season. In season 3 I really disliked Betty, I felt the writers forgot who they wrote in 2006. However the other supporting characters were fantastic. It lost a lot of humor in Season 3 I must admit. I barely laughed at jokes, because most times it was concentrated on the plot, which is great but could have added more of the UB comedy we love. Comedy works well on this show, its makes it much more fun. That’s why I think people lost interest. What happened to the funny show we watched in the beginning? The Marc and Amanda banter. The sassy Hilda lines, the witty Justin remarks, and of course the wonderful Wilhelmina Slater quips. It was shelved to the Friday night death slot, where it would suffer in the rating and would lead to an uneventful death.

Season 4 came back with a tremendous creative resurgence. It had finally found a balance. It was drama and comedy and touched on important issues. Character development was amazing. And it made history, with the first teenage gay kiss with Justin Suarez and Austin, a scene wonderfully done by Ryan and Mark Indelicato. It was back to its old ways, I loved every character, I enjoyed every moment. It was just great.

Overall Ugly Betty had a great run, and I claimed it as part of my life. I own all the DVDs, listened to all podcast, supported them at every awards show. It’s become sort of a best friend to me. I was sad to see it go, and probably will miss it more times than I can imagine. One thing about the show that I truly believe made it different from everything else was the AMAZING togetherness and chemistry of the cast. I mean, saying they likes each other is an understatement. They loved each other. They supported each other. They cared for each other. They were a family. And it may not seem important for the viewer, but it really is, because as I sat and watched I could see how much fun they were having with each other, how much they love doing what they do. It’s the greatest reward a fan could have. They brought their A-game to the material that were given, and I’m blessed to have been with them along the ride for the last 4 years. A lot of things I’ve learned in life were from this show. It will forever live in my TV show hall of fame.

I’m gonna miss my little (not really) evil Willie, my dynamic duo Marc and Mandy, sassy Hilda, cooking Ignacio, vivacious Justin, awesome Claire, progressive Daniel, sexy Connor, and our heroine Betty. Also everyone that was apart of the show. My night’s just wont be the same. As they all venture out into other aspects of their careers I will continue to follow and I know that no matter what they always have each other’s backs. Just last week Ashley Jensen and Vanessa went to America’s movie premiere. And Mark Indelicato tweeted he was hanging with Ana and the baby. This cast family is amazing. And in a weird way, I feel the fans are apart of it.

Viva La Betty. Cannot wait until August 17^th. My collection is complete.