A Favorita

Flora and Donatella were two friends bonded by their love of music, but whose passion for the same man separated them forever. Donatella was Marcelo’s wife; Flora, his lover and murderer — a crime which cost her freedom and the custody of her daughter Lara, born out of that relationship and raised by Donatella. Now, history repeats itself, only this time their quarrel is not only over the same man but for Lara’s love. Torn between two mothers, the girl doesn’t know that Flora’s dirty, scheming ambition is not to draw her closer, but to keep her away from her longtime rival – plus snatch the inheritance of her former lover. The theme of rivalry — Flora’s bitter jealousy of the prettier and more talented Donatella permeates this provocative story and makes vengeance a ruleless game.

A Favorita (2008-2009) is a Brazilian telenovela created by João Emanuel Carneiro for TV Globo. Flora Pereira da Silva (Patricia Pillar) and Donatela Fontini (Cláudia Raia) were once close friends bound by music, until their rivalry over the same man split them apart. Flora served prison time for a murder, losing custody of her daughter Lara (Mariana Ximenes), who was raised by Donatela. Now Flora schemes to pull the young woman away from her longtime rival while angling to seize the inheritance of her former lover. Lara is torn between two mothers, and the engine of the story is a long campaign of manipulation, misdirection and reversal played out across a single expansive run of 197 episodes. Murilo Benício, Cauã Reymond and Carmo Dalla Vecchia round out the principal cast in a web of secrets and romantic entanglements. The mood is melodramatic and provocative, with jealousy and vengeance treated as a game without rules. Its whodunit undercurrents and prison-bound history give the story a mystery pulse. Fans of Vale Tudo, Dallas and Senhora do Destino will find the same operatic rivalries and prime-time scheming here.

• Vale Tudotelenovela melodrama, rival women, revenge and inheritance plotting
• Dallasserialized soap intrigue, family rivalry, long-form vengeance and secrets
• Senhora do Destinolavish melodramatic rivalry, scheming plots, Brazilian prime-time soap tradition

Created by

João Emanuel Carneiro

Release Date

2008-06-02

Episode runtime

56 min

Rating

7.7 / 10 (40)

What is A Favorita about?

A jealous former friend schemes to keep a daughter from her rival mother while plotting to seize a dead lover's inheritance.

What is A Favorita like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Favorita as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.

Is A Favorita violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in A Favorita as moderate.

Which shows are like A Favorita?

Shows with a similar feel include Vale Tudo, Dallas, and Senhora do Destino.

How long is A Favorita?

A Favorita: 1 season, 197 episodes.

Is A Favorita still running?

No, A Favorita has ended.