Ugly Betty is a comedy-drama series which was developed by Silvio Horta. The show premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006. The series depicts the life of Betty Suarez. Ugly Betty is an adaptation of the Colombian telenovela entitled yo Soy Betty la fea created by Fernando Gaitan. Silent H. Ventanarosa and Reveille Pductions, together with ABC studios produced the show for the American viewers. Salma Hayek, Silvio Horta, Ben Silverman, Jose Tamez and Joel Fields are the executive producers of the show.
Betty Suarez, portrayed by America Ferrera, is a good hearted girl of Queens, New York. Betty is courageous but lack fashion sense and is sometimes naïve. Though she lacks a sense of style, betty landed a job in a fashion magazine which is known for its trendy and high fashion sense. The fashion magazine is part of the publishing empire named Bradford Meade. Betty is the newest assistant of Daniel Meade, portrayed by Eric Mabius. Daniel decided to hire Betty, particularly because of her looks, because he wants to get away with his reputation of sleeping with his assistants. Later on, Daniel and Betty became friends, helping each other through their professional and personal lives.
However, life in the magazine industry is not easy for Betty and Daniel. Their co-workers makes their lives miserable. Creative Director Wilhelmina Slater, portrayed by Vanessa Williams, desires to steal Daniel’s position someday. She devises numerous plots and schemes to seize control of the family business. Working with Wilhelmina is her assistant Marc St. James, portrayed by Michael Urie, and her receptionist Amanda Sommers, portrayed by Becki Newton. Amanda is fond of humiliating and mocking Betty in front of other people.
Betty may lack in presentable physical appearance but her good heart won her loyal friends in the workspace. Her loyal friends include Christina McKinney (Ashley Jensen) and Henry Grubstick (Christopher Gorham). Aside from her friends, Betty gets lots of support from her father Ignacio , sister Hilda and nephew Justin.