Victoria Small became a television sensation last year in Argentina by combining the broadcast cadence of a traditional telenovela with the plot of a modern rom-com. But its first-season success may only be the beginning of its significance.

The show centers around four women—a surrogate mother, an adoptive mother, a transgender donor, and an Uber driver—whose lives become intertwined thanks to Victoria, a newborn. It became an immediate hit, airing four nights a week on ViacomCBS’ Telefe network in Argentina from September to December last year.

“In Latin America, daily scripted series, known as telenovelas, are a very common way for audiences to watch content and especially linear television,” says Federico Cuervo, head of Viacom International Studios (VIS), which produced Victoria Small with Mediapro Studio. “It could have worked great as a series with multiple seasons, but we thought it had enough potential and enough backstory to expand to a 60-episode show.”

In its first week, it reached a 50% share, meaning it was watched by half of the TV-viewing audience during its broadcast. By years’ end, it ranked as the #6 most-watched show in the country. An average of 5.7M viewers tuned in weekly on TV, while nearly 90M watched Victoria Small content on social media or Telefe.com.

VIS hopes the format of Victoria Small can translate to international audiences, as it proved with A Hundred Days to Fall in Love (100 Dias Para Enamorarse), the telenovela it co-produced about a pair of friends who decide to take a break from their husbands. The series achieved record ratings in Argentina in 2018. It was then produced by DDRio for Mega for TV audiences in Chile, where it was the #1 show in 2019. ViacomCBS’ Showtime Networks and Comcast’s Telemundo are each developing versions for U.S. audiences.

Current Stories with a Different Twist

VIS developed Victoria Small to appeal to a large audience since Telefe—as one of four major free-to-air (FTA) networks in Argentina—it reaches 95% of the country’s households. The audiences that were especially important to Victoria Small’s success were women aged 35 to 60. It’s a viewership that aligns with ages of the characters, from the surrogate character in her early 30s to the 60-something Uber driver.

“As an FTA, we need to capture as many demographics as we can. We are always trying to reach people from 18 to 65.” Cuervo explains. “With Victoria Small, you had a surrogate pregnancy story, a trans story, and an Uber driver. It had a lot of components to make it a very attractive offering to the audience.”

The story was originally pitched as a series with 8- to 10-episode seasons by Daniel Burman, a well-known writer, producer, and director. Cuervo thought the idea was compelling enough to air daily, so VIS adapted the concept into a 60-episode scripted show, all of which were filmed prior to its September premiere.

In addition to international adaptations, VIS has also explored producing additional seasons of Victoria Small, possibly with a shorter format, with Burman and writer Erica Halverson.

“Combining the strength of VIS with Telefe as an FTA channel, we can look for new kinds of stories to tell that will resonate with audiences,” Cuervo says. “We always try to find a different twist on current stories.”