Have you noticed how many times you interrupt a TV show to scroll through your phone? You’re not alone, it’s an addictive behavior shared by the masses and it has affected what shows get made. Although many Latino viewers may think they want more epic telenovela stories, every day we have less time to dedicate to any single story. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and other platforms are betting on our changing attention spans, investing in telenovela-type stories, but with innovative formats available for the quick consumption modern Latinx viewers like.

Thankfully, the genre is alive, adapting to the times. There was a moment there when telenovelas seemed frozen in the past, but streaming gave the format a push. And now we see new productions moving from the classic formula to telenovelas with contemporary themes and quick closings that don’t require a major commitment from the viewer.

For example, Amazon Prime’s miniseries Ahora Que no Estás packs into seven episodes a different kind of love story that focuses on second chances in life after widowhood. The main characters are big telenovela stars such as Gaby Espino, Ana Serradilla, and Erick Hayser. They have a large fan base throughout Latin America and the United States, allowing the streaming platform to connect faster with audiences. Then, Prime keeps their viewers with the promise of a fresh format, a few tears, and some laughs.

This mix is necessary to tell authentic stories that resonate with everyday people’s lives. It’s not just about combining elements of drama and comedy, but also exploring other subgenres within the telenovela love story and style.

This is how we get teen telenovelas such as Élite, which surpassed viewership expectations on a global scale.

It’s also how we get series for adults, such as The Game of Keys (El Juego de las Llaves), where a group of four couples decide to swap partners within their friend group. They get new sexual adventures, yes, but also transform their love lives as they knew it.

In addition to casting familiar faces, these platforms also turn to established producers and writers in the world of telenovelas. In this way, they guarantee a certain fidelity to the genre’s core, even as these seasoned creators defy traditions and play with the format.

For example, Netflix gave total creative freedom to screenwriter Leonardo Padrón, known for scripting telenovelas in countries like Venezuela and Mexico, before he’d even pitched them a story! Talk about confidence in the writer. Padrón had already been successful toying with telenovelas, presenting a fiction much closer to reality than is usually allowed. His works include The Marked Heart (Pálpito), a dramatic thriller that follows a revenge (and love) plot of revenge around organ trafficking.

Netflix’s gamble paid off. Pálpito became one of the non-English-language series with the highest number of views – 68 million hours in its first week of release. This success shows that telenovelas can and should evolve. They can break through – and even add new themes, subplots, and aesthetics – as long as they keep prioritizing the thing that united the whole family, abuelas included, in front of the television: love.