Ugly Betty - The Complete First Season (2006)

Can I give it 6 Stars?

A one of a kind series, Ugly Betty, brings to the screen the parallel stories of those found within a New York City based women's fashion magazine's microcosmos.
America Ferrera, Eric Mabius, Salma Hayek, Rebecca Romijn, Vanessa Williams, Michael Urie, Becki Newton, Tony Plana, Ana Ortiz, Mark Indelicato, Ashley Jensen, Christopher Gorham, Judith Light, and the rest of this EXTRAORDINARY cast, have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding to say the least. All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows (the chemistry is AMAZING)! Very well written and very well presented, the series is without a doubt guaranteed to provide more than just a few laughs, not to mention a few tears. The plot has elements of both comedy and drama making it rather difficult to label it as one or the other; it is actually a bit of both. Ugly Betty does a great job of describing people's different personalities, fears, and the problems they face. It is all about human relations, hope, and second chances, but most importantly about trust, love, and inner strength.
There are, however, two (relatively minor) points worth noting:
1) There is an ongoing adult theme (homosexuality) throughout the series not suited for children.
2) Amazon's Jae-Ha Kim whose review for no apparent reason speculates as to the sexuality of one of the actors; the young teenage actor Mark Indelicato! Leave the kid alone!
Nevertheless, that is all insignificant compared to the acting, the setting, the plot (and subplots), the dialogues, and the music, which are just wonderful! It is indeed a rarity when an amazing series such as this comes by.
In short, Ugly Betty is a series definitely worth watching and one to seriously consider adding to your movie collection (if you haven't done so already)! KEEP'EM COMING!!!
August 25, 2008

Dont think Just buy!!!!!!!

This is without a doubt one of the if not THE best show ever made. Its certainly the best show i have ever seen. I requested that i could not work thursdays just so i would never miss an episode. Everything about this show is fantastic. Every single character is a joy to watch and there all just so funny. And every episode is simply perfect. There is no such thing as a BAD Ugly Betty episode. So if ur trying to find a new tv show to get into Dont even think about buying another show. U must own Ugly Betty!!!!!!! August 8, 2008

Ugly Betty is beautiful!

I am not a big television person, which is why I did not watch the first season of Ugly Betty while it aired. I've had the DVD box set for ages, but didn't watch it until recently. I watched the original telenovela this show is based on (Betty la Fea), and I wondered if the American version would do it justice. Ugly Betty, like its Colombian counterpart, has proven that a soap opera-ish TV series could be over the top and entertaining and still be well written and clever.

Betty Suarez is a Mexican-American from Queens is fresh out of college, hoping to land a job in magazine publishing. First impressions are not in her favor. She is not an attractive girl (to say the least), but she's got intelligence, wit and an exuberant personality on her side. Unfortunately, Meade Publications' most successful magazine, Mode, is not interested in the aforementioned qualities. It is, after all, a fashion magazine. So imagine Betty's surprise when she does get hired. But she gets hired for the wrong reasons. Bradford Meade (Alan Dale) hires Betty to be his womanizing son Daniel's assistant (Eric Mabius) to keep him concentrating on his work and not on getting into a beautiful secretary's skirt. Upset, Daniel tries to get Betty to quit, but quickly warms up to her sweet disposition. She is the brains and strength behind most of his decisions regarding both his job and personal life, so she soon becomes something of a lifeline for him. Things aren't easy for Betty at Mode. Marc (Michael Urie) and Amanda (Becki Newton), an assistant to the creative director and the receptionist respectively, decide to make Betty's life hell by constantly mocking her. Everyone else seems to find her amusing. She does have friends though. Christina (Ashley Jensen), the magazine's Scottish wardrobe person and Henry (Christopher Gorham), the hot geeky accountant, are always there with and for her. Throw in lots and lots of office politics, a mysterious woman about to make a comeback, an ambitious creative director who will do anything to become Mode's editor-in-chief (Vanessa Williams), murder, intrigue, and immigration issues, and you have yourself one entertaining show.

First let me give props to America Ferrera. She is absolutely adorable as Betty. Though not classically beautiful, America is a very attractive young woman, and it must not be easy to be shown in the most unflattering light week after week. She pulls it off with aplomb though, and the actress succeeds in endearing the character to the audience with her sweetness and cheerfulness. The show is about an ugly girl working in one of the most superficial industries around, but this one girl manages to bring out depth in the shallowest character. Yes, even Willemina (Williams), Marc and Amanda surprise you every now and then. Rebecca Romjin is surprisingly great as "Alexis." She can be ruthless and petty one minute and vulnerable and complex the next. I probably would have picked a better-looking actor to play Daniel, but Mabius is doing a wonderful job. At times, it seems like he's only using Betty, but he truly cares for his underling and sees her more like a friend and confidante than just an assistant. Marc and Amanda remind me of Jack and Karen from Will & Grace, which is fine with me, for I used to love that show. And who can forget the Latin talent on this show? I love Betty's supportive dad Ignacio (Tony Plana), her loud and tacky sister Hilda (Ana Ortiz) and her fashion-savvy, Broadway enthusiast nephew Justin (Mark Indelicato), who is so going to be gay when he grows up. (I crack up when the family watches what is so obvious to me parodies of a Mexican soap opera.) Put all of that together with guest stars like Salma Hayek (also one of the show's executive producers) and Lucy Lu and you've got a winner. There is comedy, intrigue, romance and poignant moments. I absolutely loved the season finale. So many cliffhangers and sad moments. I am so rooting for Betty and Henry. He'd better be back next season. I can't wait to pick up season two. After that, I will definitely be watching season three every week.

* I haven't had the opportunity to check out the DVD extras, but I look forward to watching the interviews and listening to the commentary. * August 7, 2008

Ugly Betty - a show that is both entertaining and refreshingly different

Ugly Betty, Season 1, is a fantastic TV show. It's different from a lot of shows that one can view on television. The main character, Betty, is unique and lovable. It's hard not to like her. All of the other characters are great as well, especially Wilhelmina Slater, who is the villain of the show.
The special features contained in these DVDs are excellent; there are several featurettes as well as audio commentary on several episodes by the cast and crew. My favorite special feature is the audio commentary; it is great because you get all of this behind-the-scenes insight that you can never get by simply watching the episodes alone. June 27, 2008

GREAT JOB

A bit of the Colombian Ugly Betty, the original soap opera...a bit of Return to Eden, from Australia, back on the 80's, a great cast, and great humor. May 29, 2008

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