But as producers and network executives saw it, the Mode madness of the second season had pushed the series' star into the background.
"It was great family drama for the Meades [Daniel's dysfunctional clan] but didn't necessarily rest on Betty's shoulders," said ABC head of current drama programming Kim Rozenfeld. "She's the heart of the show, and she had become tangential."
To rectify the situation, personnel changes were made before third season production began -- executive producers Marco Pennette and James Hayman were let go.
Story arcs were winnowed too, which meant saying goodbye to some of its extra large cast including Betty's beaus Henry (Christopher Gorham) and Gio (Freddy Rodriguez), Daniel's brother-turned-sister Alexis (Rebecca Romijn) and this month Betty's Scottish confidante Christina (Ashley Jensen).
Ferrera said the series is constantly recalibrating the balance between soap opera and tender drama -- a common issue in one-hour dramedies. Episodes can't be filled with jokes alone.
"We're always exploring where the tone [is], which is a very fine line between heightened reality and being more grounded.
"Definitely, the twists and turns are necessary, but we can't forget that Betty has all these dreams and aspirations," the actress said. "This season more than last, Betty is focused on moving up in the world. She's becoming more confident. That's a good thing."
Coming of age on a comedy series, in particular, can be a bumpy road. Funny characters, with all their distinct tics and flaws, are forced to grow up. In its later years, "Will & Grace" got serious and sentimental, and, on the opposite end, "Ally McBeal" became almost an over-the-top cartoon in its characters' reliance on quirk.
So while Daniel and Wilhelmina's relationships -- his with a terminally ill schoolteacher and hers, formerly, with a dashing colleague who left her heartbroken -- have amped up some of "Ugly Betty's" emotional oomph, the move has also cost the show laughs.
"I don't know what would have happened if we'd stayed in the super-outrageous space," said Michael Urie, who plays Wilhelmina's henchman/assistant Marc, one of the few characters who still gets the occasional insane bit; Marc recently hired a "night nanny" to have sex with his depressed boss.
"I do feel like we still have outrageous moments, maybe less frequently," Urie continued, adding that the audience seems to have always demanded more realism. "The biggest question everyone asks of the show is 'When is Betty getting her braces off?' "
