Paixão Proibida

One of the most well-written and well-acted telenovelas ever produced. Famed director Vicente Albarracín described Pasión Prohibida's script as 'extraordinary'. Critics have lauded Jencarlos Canela's performance here as probably the best in his career. It also stars (the now late) Monica Spear, whom critics described as one of the best actresses of her generation. So popular was this show that a second season was planned, work on which was stopped only upon the tragic death of Spear, the lead actress.

I found Pasión Prohibida refreshingly intelligent, masterfully subtle, addictive and devoid of the tiresome clichés and tropes so common to the genre. It is a slow burn, but completely engaging - in every scene moving forward with precision and excellent story-telling.