La viuda joven (English title: The Young Widow) is a Venezuelan telenovela written by Martín Hahn and produced by Venevisión in 2011.
Mariángel Ruiz and Luis Gerónimo Abreu as the protagonists while Verónica Schneider, Astrid Carolina Herrera and Beba Rojas star as the antagonists.
Contents
Plot
"The Young Widow" is about a mysterious woman who has become a celebrity by marrying Baron Von Parker. She has an enormous fortune inherited from her last three husbands. With no known family, the Baroness "Inma Von Parker" is an enigmatic woman of extraordinary beauty that captivates men with incredible magnetism and charm. Her calm personality and self-control give her the ability to handle all situations around her, but also make her a suspect of having murdered her former husbands; however, nobody has ever been able to prove this. "Alejandro" is a police detective of humble origin, with a bright career in the Homicide Unit. Marked by betrayal, "Alejandro" has remained unmarried because of the woman who left him heartbroken.
"Inma Von Parker" is suspected of orchestrating the death of her fourth husband. The press, the "Humboldt" family, and the Police Force are constantly, almost aggressively, seeking any clues that would finally help to clarify the secret of "The Young Widow" and expose her for the murderer that everybody thinks she is. The case is assigned to detective "Alejandro Abraham". Here the tragic past that both of them share comes to light. Inma sees her salvation in the man who she once loved, but the detective "Abraham" does not feel the same way any more. "Alejandro" is too hurt, so he takes on the case against the woman who unexpectedly disappeared from his life – leaving him waiting at the church's altar during their wedding celebration- promising to get revenge upon her, and reveal her truly evil face to the world. Despite taking several years to get over the incident, ironically, after nine years, Inma reappears just as he meets "Abril Armas", a charming woman who has renewed his life and reawakened in him the hope of making a home.
The crime perpetrated against Inma Von Parker's latest husband is a puzzle. Another husband dead. Another case out of which she comes victorious. Everything points to "Inma Von Parker", but there's nothing concrete to incriminate her. Then, several questions rise up in Alejandro's mind, bothering him like a stone in a shoe: is Inmaculada innocent or guilty?.
The Baroness tries to get the detective emotionally wrapped, for she knows that their once great love is also their great enemy. A relationship of love and fear, passion and mistrust. Alejandro is obsessed with finding ways to catch Inmaculada or her accomplice. The detective is about to solve the riddle, but each time a witness can unravel part of the mystery, something happens to them: they vanish, change their minds, or die!
Alejandro has to choose between a passionate love or serene love, a mysterious woman or a devoted wife. Two very different women that will fight a war without truce for the love of the same man.
Cast
Main cast
Mariangel Ruiz as Inmaculada "Inma" Rojas Vda. de Von Parker "La Baronesa"
Verónica Schneider as Abril Armas
Luis Gerónimo Abreu as Alejandro Abraham
Juan Carlos García as Jeremías Miranda. Villain
Luciano D'Alessandro as Christian Humboldt. Villain
Also starring
Miguel de León as Vespasiano Calderón
Astrid Carolina Herrera as Ivana Humboldt de Calderón. Villain
Carlos Mata as Ángel Abraham
Carlos Cruz as Rogelio Galíndez
María Antonieta Duque as Iris Fuenmayor / Vilma Bravo
Iván Tamayo as Simón Madero
Rafael Romero as Tirso Damasco
Javier Vidal as Federico Humboldt
Eva Blanco as Elda Lugo
Sonia Villamizar as Peggy Pardo-Pardo
Beba Rojas as Vicenta Palacios de Humboldt. Villain
Antonio Delli as Julio Castillo. Villain
Reception
In its final episode La viuda joven was a resounding success and had a 79% viewer share (Of 100 television stations, 79 were tuned to the channel) and 15 points rating. It had been years since Venevision had such a large audience share. Venezuelan audiences were locked in from start to finish to see who was the murderer in this story.
In Georgia this telenovela began on June 22, 2011 on Rustavi 2 TV at 19:45. From September 12, it was removed from prime-time to 18:45. After 115 episodes it was rescheduled to weekends at 17:00.
In Mexico on Cadenatres, the morning schedule was changed from 9am to prime time at 8pm due to the large tuning obtained.
La Viuda Joven on youtube was most watched in Venezuela, Ecuador and Georgia.