TelevisaUnivision Producer Carlos Bardasano: “Todavía Te Amo Is the First Adaptation of Delia Fiallo’s Emilia for the Mexican Market”

TelevisaUnivision officially kicked off production on its new telenovela Todavía Te Amo, produced by Carlos Bardasano. The new melodrama for Las Estrellas, Univision and ViX will air during the first half of 2027 at 9:30 p.m. It stars Brandon Peniche and Scarlet Gruber.

The story is based on the Venezuelan radio and television drama Emilia, an original work by writer Delia Fiallo, produced in 1979 by Venevisión. The story was later adapted for international television, including Tu Mundo y el Mío (Argentina, 1987, for Canal 11) and María Emilia, Querida (Peru, 1999, produced by América Producciones for América Televisión). The project is coming to Mexican production studios for the first time, adapted by screenwriter Ximena Suárez.

CAST AND LITERARY ADAPTATION AS KEY PRIORITIES

In an interview, Bardasano discussed the new production, which brings together young talent and experienced actors. “We are introducing the cast of this new multiplatform production. We have people we have worked with before and others we had never worked with. It is a cycle in which the stories are seen in the U.S. and Mexico, and premiered early on ViX,” he said.

The creative team led by Ximena Suárez took on the challenge of modernizing Delia Fiallo’s work for contemporary audiences. The production aims to balance classic melodrama with the sophistication demanded by platform viewing.

“The idea was a transmigration of Delia into Ximena Suárez. We wanted to preserve the essence of the story and the characters while making it modern, contemporary and believable,” he said.

TECHNICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND PRODUCTION DESIGN

For overall direction and logistics, the company has deployed significant technical resources to enhance the production’s visual value. Pre-production includes the construction of large-scale sets within the Televisa San Ángel studios.

“This is a production unlike anything we have done before. It has more than 6,600 square meters of sets built across two studios. Production design is being handled by Alex Martínez, and we will be filming for nearly five months in locations that are otherwise inaccessible,” he said.

Scene direction is handled by Carlos Cock Marín, Juan Pablo Blanco and Carlos Santos. Cinematography and production design incorporate settings in residences and working-class neighborhoods across Mexico City to enrich the visual contrast.

“Today, we face enormous competition across all platforms, where audiences have become very sophisticated in terms of how they consume stories,” he said.

SYNOPSIS

Todavía Te Amo tells the story of María Emilia Palacios (Scarlet Gruber), a young woman who loses her socioeconomic status following the death of her parents. Forced to move into a tenement with her grandmother Octavia (Felicia Mercado) and her siblings Natasha (Samadhi Zendejas) and Alfonso (Graco Sendel), María Emilia works as an English teacher.

Her life changes when she meets Santiago Quintana (Brandon Peniche), a successful advertising executive. Their romance will face class conflicts, secrets from Santiago’s past, and Natasha’s schemes to regain her family’s former wealth.