Abstract

Observation of the “telenovela” as a worldwide phenomenon, found in constant evolution–from its origins up to the present–generates an overall perspective on its complexity within the globalization context. Media globalization has a considerable influence on the circulation and diffusion of the “telenovela”, which becomes, therefore, a transnationalized genre. Moreover, due to the international reach of these melodramatic series, they become a model for local productions and cease representing an exclusive format produced in Latin American countries. The fact that such sentimental narratives cross the geographic, cultural, and linguistic borders of their countries of origin demonstrates their submission to the transnationalization process. Within this process, Romania is one of the Eastern European countries where the Latin American fictional narrative has reached impressive audiences. It is a regular importer of “telenovelas” produced in Latin America and a recent producer itself of such dramas. Thus, the cultural dialogue is translated into the “glocalization” of the Latin American model: the Romanian “telenovela” starts to be produced according to the original features, but this format is adjusted to the cultural and social reality of the country. More precisely, the global model is culturally, ethnically, and socially adapted to local Romanian specificities.