America Ferrera’s Ugly Betty Returns to Netflix in August

The America Ferrera-led Ugly Betty heads back to Netflix on August 1. According to the streaming platform, its extensive catalog will include all four seasons of the comedy-drama.

Based on the Colombian telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea, Ugly Betty centers on the titular lead who lands a job as a secretary in the popular high-fashion magazine Mode. Betty Suarez — a wannabe writer from New York — is clever, enthusiastic, and hardworking. However, her sense of style and looks hardly fit any beauty standards.

Per the show’s synopsis, when Bradford Meade (Alan Dale) enthrusts his inexperienced son Daniel (Eric Mabius) to take charge of the publishing company, “he hires Betty to be Daniel’s new assistant — mostly because he knows that she may be the only woman in Manhattan with whom the younger man won’t sleep with.”

The naive, poncho wearing, Guadalajaran protagonist experienced bullying from her colleagues making fun of her appearance, but her optimism and kindness persisted, which soon after helped her survive the cutthroat world of high fashion.

Ugly Betty Was Way Ahead of Its Time

Apart from making a household name out of Ferrera — who most recently starred as Gloria in the 2023 live-action adaptation of Barbie — Ugly Betty also received various awards and nominations from several award-giving bodies. Lauded for its brave exploration of important topics, the comedy-series touched on a variety of themes, including immigration, harmful beauty standards, and queer identity. It also managed to incorporate some telenovela elements, complete with outstanding and sometimes comedic storytelling.

Ugly Betty stars Ana Ortiz as Hilda Suarez, Michael Urie as Marc St. James, Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina Slater, Judith Light as Claire Meade, Ashley Jensen as Christina McKinney, and more.

All four seasons of Ugly Betty premiere on Netflix on August 1.