La Casa de las Flores

The show is billed as a "dramedy" -- but while there's an air of winking humor to it, audiences shouldn't expect a slapstick, laugh-out-loud kind of deal. La Casa de las Flores kicks off its pilot episode with a suicide, that of the patriarch's longtime secret mistress (who also narrates the show from beyond the grave, Desperate Housewives-style). The family stumbles upon the body hanging inside their hugely popular flower shop while the father's crowded, paparazzi-laden birthday party is in full swing. This kicks off a series of events that put the entire family at risk of having their secrets exposed, from sex tapes being leaked to illegitimate children being discovered. At the center of it all is a furious matriarch (longtime telenovela fixture Verónica Castro) determined to keep up appearances.

One way the show breathes a bit of life into the genre is with its treatment of social issues. You may not expect a telenovela to be "woke," but the show's treatment of race (daughter Elena is freaked out about telling her old-fashioned family about her engagement to her African American, English-speaking boyfriend) and LGBTQ issues (son Julián struggles with his sexuality) is a welcome inclusion. Couple these modern updates with the addictive quality of a classic soap, and it makes for a fun, not-so-guilty pleasure.