Avenida Brasil (telenovela)

Avenida Brasil
Genre	Telenovela Mystery Comedy
Created by	João Emanuel Carneiro
Directed by	Ricardo Waddington Amora Mautner
Starring	Murilo Benício Débora Falabella Adriana Esteves Cauã Reymond Alexandre Borges Nathalia Dill Eliane Giardini Marcos Caruso Heloísa Périssé Vera Holtz
Opening theme	"Vem Dançar com Tudo" (Danza Kuduro)
Composer(s)	Robson Moura Lino Krizz
Country of origin	Brazil
Original language(s)	Portuguese
No. of episodes	179 (Original Run) 160 (Syndication)
Production
Production location(s)	Brazil
Camera setup	Multiple-camera setup
Running time	Original Run: 55 minutes 35 minutes (Wednesdays) Syndication: 45 minutes
Release
Original network	Rede Globo
Picture format	(HDTV) 1080i – 16:9 (SDTV) 480i – 4:3
Original release	26 March (2012-03-26) – 19 October 2012 (2012-10-19)
Chronology
Preceded by	Fina Estampa
Followed by	Salve Jorge
External links
Website

Avenida Brasil (English: Brazil Avenue) is a Brazilian primetime telenovela created by João Emanuel Carneiro. It premiered on March 26, 2012 and ended on October 19, 2012 on Rede Globo at 9 pm timeslot.

It was written by João Emanuel Carneiro in collaboration with Antonio Silver, Luciana Pessanha, Alessandro Marson, Marcia Prates and Thereza Falcão and direction of Gustavo Fernandez, Thiago Teitelroit Paul Silvestrini, Andrew Hall and Joan Jabace and directed by José Luiz Villamarim and Amora Mautner and the core direction, Ricardo Waddington.

Starring Murilo Benício, Débora Falabella, Adriana Esteves, Cauã Reymond, Marcello Novaes and Eliane Giardini.

The telenovela achieved an overall average of 42 rating points and a 69% share. The last episode scored an impressive 56 rating points and an 84% share, with more than 50 million (sic) viewers, becoming the most watched TV program of the year, and was considered by Forbes the most-commercially successful telenovela in Brazilian history, with total earnings estimated in $1 billion.

Telenovela overview

The plot follows the dramatic story of Rita (Débora Falabella), a sweet young woman who struggles to recover part of the life her ruthless gold digging stepmother, Carminha (Adriana Esteves), took from her when she was only a child.

When Rita's father dies accidentally and prematurely at the hand of Tufão (pronounced Tufon) but directly related to Carminha's scheme, Carminha and her lover, Max (Marcello Novaes), send the young girl off to live in a landfill, so that she doesn't stand in the way of their plan to get rich. Carminha uses this fact to trap Tufão into a guilt ridden marriage unknowingly. Rita at the landfill is subjected to child labor under the control of a deplorable man, named Nilo (José de Abreu). But, she is lucky enough to meet Batata (Cauã Reymond Marques), a boy who becomes her best friend and true love. He takes her to live with other children, under the care of motherly Lucinda (Vera Holtz), in another house at the landfill. Fortunately, Rita is soon adopted and moves out of the country to Argentina with a nice family who changes her name to Nina. However, she has issues with her adoptive mother who passes away and eventually with her adoptive sisters because of her mission of revenge. Rita/Nina's adoptive father loved her very much and treated her well. He educated her and provided for his family nicely. She becomes a famous chef. When her adoptive father dies it intensifies her lost of her natural father and revenge for Carminha and Max. Batata is adopted by Carminha and Tufão (Murilo Benício) and they rename him Jorginho. Jorginho has many emotional issues because his birth mother adopts him years after she abandons him at the landfilled as a toddler. Jorginho despises Caminha but he doesn't know why and he does not remember her clearly from his early childhood before the abandonment.

Years later, unrecognizable and motivated by vengeance, Nina (Débora Falabella) moves back to Brazil under her adoptive name, she infiltrates the family by becoming the personal chef for Carminha's family. Eventually, she must face the bitter consequences of seeking revenge against those who hurt her the most. As mentioned above, vile Carminha has managed to lure and marry Tufão who is a friendly, rich soccer player and is unaware of her many lies and manipulations. They live with his loud and garish relatives in an unrefined suburban mansion and, underhandedly, she makes the evil Max her brother-in-law by marrying him to Tufão's annoying sister.

Together, Carminha and Max continue to carry out their sadistic plans to get ahead while continuing their love/hate affair in the same house as their unsuspecting spouses. Nina becomes so engrossed in her single-minded goal to inflict suffering and punishment on those who wronged her that her own happiness is jeopardized. Carminha and Nina have one thing in common: their earnest love for Jorginho, who is Carminha's biological son (and adoptive son) and Nina's childhood sweetheart, Batata.

Nina must ultimately confront her past and decide how far she is willing to go to exact revenge on her wretched stepmother and Max, realizing her choices could cost her the love of her life as well as her humanity.

Production

Opening sequence

The opening was created by director Alexandre Pit Ribeiro, which featured 135 dancers dancing on a catwalk. The choreography was produced by Dudu Neles.

The opening theme is a re-recording of Vem Dançar Kuduro with new Portuguese lyrics, adapted to the Brazilian market. It was played by Robson Moura and Lino Krizz, and known for its refrain "Oi Oi Oi", which became successful in social networks.

Cast

Actor	Character
Murilo Benício	Tufão (Jorge Araújo)
Débora Falabella	Nina García Hernández / Rita Fonseca de Souza
Adriana Esteves	Carminha (Carmen Lucia Moreira de Souza Araújo)
Cauã Reymond	Jorginho (Jorge Moreira de Araújo Filho) / Cristiano Oliveira / Batata
Marcello Novaes	Max (Maxwell Pereira Oliveira)
Eliane Giardini	Muricy Araújo
Marcos Caruso	Leleco Araújo
Vera Holtz	Lucinda
José de Abreu	Nilo Oliveira
Heloísa Perissé	Monalisa Barbosa
Juca de Oliveira	Santiago
Leticia Isnard	Ivana Araújo Oliveira
Nathalia Dill	Débora Magalhães Queirós
Ísis Valverde	Suelen
Alexandre Borges	Cadinho / Dudu (Carlos Eduardo de Souza Queirós)
Débora Bloch	Vêronica Magalhães Queirós
Camila Morgado	Noêmia Buarque Queirós
Carolina Ferraz	Aléxia Bragança Queirós
Juliano Cazarré	Adauto
Cacau Protásio	Zezé
Bruno Gissoni	Iran Barbosa
Fabíula Nascimento	Olenka Cabral
Thiago Martins	Leandro
Débora Nascimento	Tessália das Graças Mendonça
José Loreto	Darkson Silas
Daniel Rocha	Roni "Roniquito"
Ailton Graça	Paulo Silas
Cláudia Missura	Janaína
Otávio Augusto	Diógenes
Paula Burlamaqui	Dolores Neiva (Soninha Catatau)
Betty Faria	Pilar Albuquerque
Bianca Comparato	Betânia de Almeida
Luana Martau	Beverly
Emiliano D'Ávila	Lúcio
Carol Abras	Begonia García Hernández
Ronny Kriwat	Tomás Buarque
Cláudia Assunção	Neide
João Henrique Gago	Valdo
Felipe Abib	Jimmy Bastos
André Luiz Miranda	Valentim
Murilo Elbas	Branco
Patrícia de Jesus	Jéssica
Ana Karolina Lannes	Ágatha Moreira Araújo
Bruna Griphao	Paloma Bragança
João Fernandes	Picolé
Jean Pierre Noher	Martin García Hernández
Márcio Tadeu	Padre Solano
Vilma Melo	Conceição
Marcella Valente	Renata
Tony Ramos	Genésio Fonseca Souza
Mel Maia	Rita Fonseca de Souza (child)
Bernardo Simões	Batata / Jorginho (child)
Vicentini Gomez	Serjão (Carminha's kidnapper)

• 

  Débora Falabella as Nina/Rita.
  
• 

  Cauã Reymond as Jorginho.
  
• 

  Murilo Benício as Tufão.
  
• 

  Marcello Novaes as Max.
  
• 

  Marcos Caruso as Leleco.
  
• 

  Heloísa Perissé as Monalisa.
  
• 

  Vera Holtz as Mãe Lucinda.
• 

  Bianca Comparato as Betânia.
  
• 

  Paula Burlamaqui as Dolores Neiva.
  
• 

  Caroline Abras as Begônia.
  
• 

  Thiago Martins as Leandro.
• 

  Bruno Gissoni as Iran.
• 

  Alexandre Borges as Cadinho.
• 

  Betty Faria as Pilar.
• 

  Débora Bloch as Verônica
• 

  Camila Morgado as Noêmia.
• 

  Carolina Ferraz as Aléxia.
• 

  José de Abreu as Nilo.

Impact

Ratings

Timeslot	# Ep.	Premiere		Finale		Rank	Season	Rating average
		Date	Premiere Rating	Date	Finale Rating
Mondays—Saturdays 9:00pm	179	March 26, 2012	37	October 19, 2012	56	#1	2012–13	40

Portugal

Besides the success in Brazil, Avenida Brasil, is also a big hit with the audience in Portugal. In its debut, September 24, 2012, the novel has recorded 13 points and 31.6% audience share, finishing third in the ranking of hearings that day. Week after week, the soap opera continued to record satisfactory levels of audience. On November 15, 2012 Avenida Brasil recorded 11.4 points and an audience share of 36%, meaning that one in three televisions were watching a telenovela. It was the fourth most watched program each day. On January 3, 2013 it was registering 15.9 points and an audience share of 36.6%, the largest audience to date. It remained fourth place in the rankings.

Timeslot	# Ep.	Premiere		Final		Rank	Season	Views average
		Date	Premiere share	Date	Finale share
Mondays—Friday 11:30pm	200	September 24, 2012	36.3%	September 6, 2013	39%	No. 1	2013	1,5 millions

National reception

The soap opera had a successful debut, becoming increasingly popular, until becoming a great critical and commercial success. It became a favorite subject in the social networks of the internet, being one of the topics most discussed on Twitter, the hashtag reaching the top Trending Topics for each chapter of the story. The night of its final chapter became epic, on Twitter, the hashtag #OiOiOiFinal ranked first in world affairs on Twitter and continued after the end of the exhibition throughout Brazil. In addition to success in social networks, the last chapter brought Brazil to a halt, making the streets of big cities like São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and stands deserted. Programs of Rede Globo had segments dedicated to the soap and several other Brazilian television stations also commented on the end of Avenida Brasil. With many connected TVs, there was a hoax that a blackout could occur in the whole country after the screening of the final episode due to an effect called "loading ramp" when the novel ends, people resume activities which could generate an overload leaving the country in the dark which did not actually occur. At the close of the soap opera, the telenovela beat its own record. As expected by most critics, the last episode was watched by 80 million people, a very high number, making it the highest rated TV program in 2012 in Brazil.

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Avenida Brasil

The cast received 108 nominations and won 36 awards. João Emanuel Carneiro, Adriana Esteves, Murilo Benício and Mel Maia were the most prized.

Broadcast

English title-card.

Avenue Brazil has become the most exported Rede Globo telenovela, surpassing Da Cor do Pecado (ibid), which was the prior sales leader for other countries.

The telenovela has been licensed by 130 countries including all of Latin America, United States, South Korea, Armenia, Sweden and Guatemala, being dubbed into 19 languages.

Reception

In Portugal it received 16.1 points and a 39% audience share for the last chapter, which means more than 1.5 million viewers watched the outcome of the novela. The plot debuted in SIC in September 2012 and was leader of the time in which it was displayed. It was one of the most watched programs in the country, second only to "Dancin' Days", co-produced by Globo and SIC. The novel also has good viewing figures in Greece, Croatia, Hungary and Kosovo Argentina reached an average of 12 points with peaks of 13.3 in its first chapter, ensuring impressive viewing figures for Telefe.

Telemundo

The series premiered on Telemundo in March 2015 in the 8PM ET/PT 7CT timeslot. The show garnered its highest ratings.