Ugly Betty Television Program

At some point during the second season of "Ugly Betty," creator-executive producer Silvio Horta felt the show's operatic shenanigans had gotten out of control. A little too telenovela, if you will. "There was one episode where Betty was talking to a ghost in a fridge, there was this dwarf, and Betty and Daniel were trying to break someone out of rehab," he says. "And I just thought, 'Oh, my God, what are we doing?'

AS the 12-year-old nephew of Betty Suarez on "Ugly Betty," Justin Suarez is not your average television series foil. For starters, he's Latino. He also knows exactly how a belt can accessorize a Valentino gown; he can sing and tap a la Gene Kelly in "On the Town," and when a cheating boyfriend breaks his aunt's heart, Justin's antidote is to offer her chamomile tea. Is there a subtext there?

THIS month, America Ferrera is gracing the cover of W magazine, a fashion title known better for striking photography and society coverage than for stands of principle. Ferrera is being feted for her portrayal of Betty Suarez, assistant to the editor in chief of Mode magazine, the fictional fashion title at the center of ABC's "Ugly Betty." Her character has pluck, determination and ... braces. And odd clothes. And an allergy to the sort of small talk that would make her job so much easier.

Haven't caught "Wicked"? Entertained by the high-concept potential of "Ugly Betty" meets the crew from Oz? The yellow brick road winds through the Pantages and into prime time Nov. 1 when a plot twist brings Betty to the show (which, in real life, is conveniently playing just down the street from the "Betty" soundstages). It's not a front-row seat for the Glinda-Elphaba chronicles -- but the price is right.

Michael Urie and Becki Newton are having a "When Harry Met Sally" moment, and it's not just because they're telling the story of how they met. Urie: The first day of the pilot. Newton: Yup. Urie: We met on 23rd Street. Newton: On 23rd Street, between 5th and 6th, and Ashley Jensen was there. Urie: With Ashley Jensen. The three of us met and we were hi, hi, hi. Newton: We were like, what is this? I guess it's a pilot. Urie: We ran around, had lunch. Newton: Filmed a little. Said goodbye.

Over the past week ABC's new fall show "Ugly Betty" has gotten the kind of lucky break most producers would swap their August rental in the Hamptons for. The big question now is whether its target audience of young women will turn the series into this year's sleeper a la "Desperate Housewives" -- or be repelled by a concept that just didn't translate.

Tip your sombrero, Juan Valdez, to Colombia's next cultural icon: Ugly Betty. When the English-language \o7telenovela \f7about the fashion-challenged character premieres on ABC prime time this month, it will vault the Colombian broadcast industry into the middle of U.S. pop culture. The global success of the Betty character, which first appeared here seven years ago, launched Colombia as a major force in \o7telenovelas\f7, as soap operas are called in Spanish.

YOU could choose to focus on the way "Ugly Betty" looks. After all, the title of this new ABC comedy prods you in that direction. But there's something more meaningful cooking on this series than the fact that its star, America Ferrera, is hiding her beauty under bushy eyebrows, braces and a mousy wardrobe.