Scripted remakes can be much tougher than creating originals, warns Telemundo exec
As well as Sergio Mendoza, the panel featured Alexander Keil, José Pastor, María Pinilla, Silvia Cotino and Elisa Martín de Blas and was moderated by José María Irisarri
Adapting a scripted series based on a hit show can be “much more work” than creating a piece of original IP, according to Sergio Mendoza, VP of scripted development at NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises.
Speaking during a panel on the internationalisation of Spanish-language content at Conecta Fiction & Entertainment this week, Mendoza challenged the conventional wisdom that adapting a finished show can be an easy path to success.
“Writers sometimes think adapting will be easier, but in my experience it’s much more work than writing something from scratch,” Mendoza said.
“You have to make decisions with much greater weight. When you’re working with a successful format, every choice you make is scrutinised – and that can determine whether the adaptation succeeds or fails.”
Mendoza, whose credits include Falsa Identidad and Señora Acero, recently oversaw the adaptation of hit Spanish drama Velvet, originally produced by Bambú Producciones for Antena 3. The Telemundo version, Velvet: El Nuevo Imperio, premiered on May 19 and marks a significant creative departure from the original — not least in setting.
“From an executive production standpoint, adaptation is definitely more demanding,” said Mendoza. “”he original Velvet was well-known and beloved. So the question was always, ‘How far do we deviate from the original and how much do we stay the same?’”
In Telemundo’s case, the major creative shift was to update the setting from 1950s Madrid to present-day New York.
“There’s always audience feedback,” Mendoza added. “If you stray too far people say it’s not what they expected. But if you don’t change enough, they ask why they should bother watching your version.”
Beyond Velvet, Mendoza praised the strength of Spanish creativity, not just in selling finished tape and formats globally, but in the particular success Spanish comedies have had in crossing borders.
“Drama translates fairly easily; we all cry or feel moved by similar things. But comedy is much trickier; it varies from country to country,” he said. “That’s why it’s so impressive that Spanish comedies are performing so well internationally.”
The panel also highlighted recent examples of successful format exports, such as Poquita Fe (adapted in Germany by SKP Entertainment and Joyn) and Machos Alfa (adapted in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy by Netflix and Contubernio). Earlier hits like Escenas de Matrimonio and La que se avecina, both from Mediaset España, also paved the way.
Moderator José María Irisarri, founder and president of Onza, added: “While common sense has always told us that comedy travels poorly, it’s now clear that Spanish comedies are travelling well – both in format adaptations and finished versions.”
Alongside Mendoza and Irisarri, the panel featured Alexander Keil (SKP Entertainment, Germany), José Pastor (RTVE), María Pinilla (Banijay Iberia), Elisa Martín de Blas (Contubernio) and Silvia Cotino (Mediterráneo Mediaset España), all of whom shared international success stories from Spain’s audiovisual sector.
