Producer “El Güero” Castro: “Having A Family Story That Allowed For Co-Viewing Was One Of The Keys To The Success Of Las Hijas De La Señora García”

Having a family-centered story that allowed for co-viewing was one of the keys to the success of Las Hijas de la Señora García, according to its producer, José Alberto “El Güero” Castro. The TelevisaUnivision production concluded on Monday May the 12th in the U.S. on Univision at 9pm.

“Having María Sorté play the character of Señora García, with her charisma, and the rest of the cast—like Guillermo García Cantú, bringing this leading-man presence and also that of a father—and this story, where we could understand what’s happening today in terms of communication between parents and children. It was important for the telenovela to have these two spheres: Señora García in her own world, coming from a humble background striving to grow, and the Portilla family with Guillermo, showing this contrast in parenting styles. I think this helped make it something you could sit and watch with your family, and for children—the group we most wanted to reach—to have those conversations at home, where they could question, have fun, and bond with their parents while watching TV,” Castro told PRODU.

Castro believes that “we are at an important moment, of returning to the classic structure of the telenovela, with family-oriented melodramas that enable co-viewing and quality family time—stories that feel safe and comfortable to watch at home. I think that’s important right now. Las Hijas de la Señora García is a very classic and sweet telenovela; there are very few kissing or passion scenes. It’s more about family issues and communication. I think that’s something we need to keep working on. I believe the era of telenovelas filled with violence or heavy sexual/erotic content is over. Now we’re returning to basics, and that’s something worth embracing.”

Las Hijas de la Señora García immerses the audience in a tale of ambition, motherhood, and the search for identity. Ofelia García (María Sorté) does everything in her power to fulfill her dreams through her daughters, Valeria (Oka Giner) and Mar (Ela Velden). However, the young women, tired of living in their mother’s shadow, fight to set their own boundaries and build their own futures. The telenovela explores the generational divide and the importance of forging your own path.

An innovative element of this production was the creation of three different endings.

“Making the final decision on which ending would air was a bit complicated. I know that half the audience loves me, and the other half hates me,” Castro joked.

FINAL NUMBERS

The finale of Las Hijas de la Señora García reached 10 million Total Viewers over its full run and became the most-watched drama on all U.S. television—regardless of language—during the 2024–2025 season among U.S. Hispanics, including Total Viewers, Adults 18-49, and Adults 18-34. It was Univision’s most-watched primetime telenovela since May 2024 among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, and the most-watched among Adults 18-34 since February 2024.

The grand finale on Monday May the 12th:

-Positioned Univision as the #1 primetime network among U.S. Hispanic Adults 18-49 and Women 18-49
-Reached 1.7 million viewers who watched all or part of the hour-long episode, averaging 1.4 million viewers, placing Univision ahead of CBS, NBC, FOX, and The CW in Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34 in that time slot
-Outperformed all of Telemundo’s primetime telenovela finales since 2022 in Total Viewers, Adults 18-49, and Adults 18-34 (as of 2024)
-Surpassed all of Telemundo’s primetime programming—including La Casa de los Famosos and La Jefa—in Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34
-Attracted more Adult 18-49 and 18-34 viewers than all of NBC’s (including —The Voice and Yes, Chef) and FOX’s (including America’s Most Wanted: Missing Persons and America’s Most Wanted) original primetime programming, as well as CBS’s new Price Is Right episode

On ViX and Digital Platforms:

–Las Hijas de la Señora García has been the most successful telenovela in the U.S. this year
-Since its debut, it has attracted over 1.2 million unique users and generated a total of 8.5 million hours of streaming
-Throughout its airing, it generated more than 218 million social media impressions and was Univision’s most talked-about telenovela on social media this year
-It generated five times more views than other telenovelas on Univision.com

In Mexico, Las Hijas de la Señora García also ended strongly in March on Las Estrellas.

LOS HILOS DEL PASADO

Castro also shared that among his upcoming projects is a new version of El Privilegio de Amar—based on Delia Fiallo’s telenovela Cristal—which is titled Los Hilos del Pasado. This title was included in TelevisaUnivision’s upfront presentation on Tuesday the 13th in New York.

“We’ve already started filming the new project with Yadira Carrillo (who returns to melodrama after 17 years), David Zepeda, Eduardo Santamarina, among others,” he noted.

Los Hilos del Pasado is adapted by Vanesa Varela and José Alberto Castro. The scripts are written by José Alberto Castro, Vanesa Varela, Patricio Saiz, and Fabiola López Neri.

The plot centers around Carolina, a successful fashion designer, who discovers that Cristina, the young model she has been mistreating, is actually the daughter she was forced to abandon years ago. Upon learning the truth, Carolina will stop at nothing to repair their broken bond and weave together the threads of destiny and love.

Filming is taking place at Televisa San Ángel’s Stage 15 and will include locations in Paris, Milan, New York, and several cities near Mexico City.

Castro added that he is developing three more stories for the next two years, including an original story from his production company Entrelíneas. “We are also reviewing and adapting two more stories, similar in style to what we’ve done with Televisa,” he concluded.