A
téléroman is a French-language
dramatic programmingDramatic programming in the UK, or television drama and television drama series in the US, is television program content that is scripted and fictional along the lines of √a traditional drama. This excludes, for example, sports television, television news, reality show and game shows, stand-up...
television series, similar to a
soap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
or a
Spanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
telenovelaA telenovela is a limited-run serial dramatic programming popular in Latin American, Portuguese, and Spanish television programming. The word combines tele, short for televisión or televisão , and novela, a Spanish or Portuguese word for "novel"...
, in
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In
FranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the
téléroman genre is known as
feuilleton télévisé (similar to a
serialSerials are series of television programs and radio programs that rely on a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode by episode fashion. Serials typically follow main story arcs that span entire television seasons or even the full run of the series, which distinguishes them from...
).
Téléromans are one of the most popular television series formats in
QuébécoisQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
cultureThe Culture of Quebec emerged over the last few hundred years, resulting from the shared history of the French-speaking majority in Quebec. It is unique to the Western World; Quebec is the only region in North America with a French-speaking majority, as well as one of only two provinces in Canada...
, and are also shown on French television.
In Quebec, nearly all the major television networks air
téléromans, including the public broadcaster
Radio-CanadaTélévision de Radio-Canada is a Canadian French language television network. It is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, known in French as Société Radio-Canada. Headquarters are at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal, which is also home to the network's flagship station, CBFT-DT...
, which broadcasts them nationally, and the private networks
TVATVA is a privately owned French language television network in Canada. The network is currently owned by Groupe TVA Inc. , a publicly traded subsidiary of Quebecor Media...
and V.
TFOTFO is a Canadian French language educational public television network in the province of Ontario. It is the only French-language television network in Canada whose operations are based entirely outside of Quebec....
in
OntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
has also produced one téléroman.
In France, the
TF1TF1 is a national French TV channel, controlled by TF1 Group, whose major share-holder is Bouygues. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network...
network and the subscription channel
Canal+Canal+ is a French premium pay television channel launched in 1984. It is 80% owned by the Canal+ Group, which in turn is owned by Vivendi SA. The channel broadcasts several kinds of programming, mostly encrypted...
air
feuilletons télévisés. Some famous teleromans produced in France include Riviera, Sous le soleil, Plus belle la vie, and Cinq soeurs.
One of the first téléromans on Canadian television was
La famille PlouffeLa famille Plouffe was a Canadian television drama, more specifically a téléroman, about a Quebec family that first aired in the French-language on Société Radio-Canada in 1953. The show was created to fill a void in francophone television in Canada...
. This
téléroman proved highly successful, and has helped the genre become a staple on Canadian French television. English Canadian networks have also adapted a number of Quebec téléromans for English viewers, including
La famille Plouffe,
Lance et CompteLance et Compte is a series of Quebec téléromans revolving around a Quebec City ice hockey team. The series aired from 1986 to 1989 on the Radio-Canada network, and revival series on TQS in 2001 and on TVA from 2004 to the present....
and
Les Hauts et les bas de Sophie PaquinLes Hauts et les bas de Sophie Paquin is a Canadian television comedy-drama series, which premiered on Radio-Canada in 2006...
, with varying degrees of success.
Notable téléromans
- 4 et demi...
- Au nom de la loi
Au nom de la loi is a limited-run Quebecois téléroman series on Radio-Canada, seen from September 15, 2005 to November 17, 2005...
- Les Belles histoires des pays d'en haut
Les Belles Histoires des pays d'en haut is a Canadian television drama series, which aired on Radio-Canada from 1956 to 1970. One of the longest-running programs in the history of Canadian television, the series produced 495 episodes during its 14-year run and was one of the first influential...
- La Bonne aventure
La Bonne aventure was a French-Canadian soap opera TV series which ran from 1982 to 1986. In total, 143 episodes aired. It became one of the more popular and successful television series in Quebec during its tenure.-Cast:* Sébastien Brunette...
- Chambres en ville
Chambres en ville was a Québécois téléroman written by Sylvie Payette that aired on TVA from 1989 to 1996.-Plot:This is the story of flatmates living in a dormitory. With young people she was welcoming into her house, Louise has certainly played all roles and jobs possible: mother, nurse, listener,...
- Le Cœur a ses raisons
Le cœur a ses raisons is a French language Québécois téléroman which heavily parodies American soap operas, often involving great exaggeration to ridiculous proportions. Its English title would literally be The Heart Has Its Reasons, but the distributor has chosen to translate it by Sins of Love...
- Les Dames de coeur
- Diva
- La famille Plouffe
La famille Plouffe was a Canadian television drama, more specifically a téléroman, about a Quebec family that first aired in the French-language on Société Radio-Canada in 1953. The show was created to fill a void in francophone television in Canada...
- Francoeur
Francoeur was a Canadian television series, first aired by TFO in 2003. It was the first Franco-Ontarian téléroman. The series has produced 44 episodes to date....
- Grand-Papa
Grand-Papa is a French-Canadian soap opera TV series written by Janette Bertrand which originally aired between 1976 and 1979. The series totaled 115 episodes.-Plot:...
- Les Hauts et les bas de Sophie Paquin
Les Hauts et les bas de Sophie Paquin is a Canadian television comedy-drama series, which premiered on Radio-Canada in 2006...
- Jasmine
- Lance et Compte
Lance et Compte is a series of Quebec téléromans revolving around a Quebec City ice hockey team. The series aired from 1986 to 1989 on the Radio-Canada network, and revival series on TQS in 2001 and on TVA from 2004 to the present....
- Plus belle la vie
Plus belle la vie also known by the acronym PBLV is a French daily feuilleton télévisé created by Magaly Richard-Serrano, Bénedicte Achard, Georges Desmouceaux et Olivier Szulzynger, and produced by Hubert Besson, Michèle Podroznik and François Charlent...
- Providence
Providence is a Canadian French language drama television series which aired on Radio-Canada since January 4, 2005.-Plot:Taking place in the fictional town of Providence in the Eastern Townships, the series focuses on the Beauchamp family and their cheese-making enterprise that was part of the...
- Les Soeurs Elliot
Les Soeurs Elliot is a Canadian television drama series, which will air on TVA in the 2007-08 season.The series will star Sylvie Léonard, Isabel Richer and Julie Perreault as three sisters whose lives are thrown into turmoil when their father returns after disappearing thirty years...
- Terre humaine
Terre humaine is a French-Canadian soap opera TV series written by Mia Riddez-Morisset which originally aired between September 1978 and March 1984. The series totaled 229 episodes....
- Virginie
Virginie was a French-language Canadian television series that aired Monday through Thursday on Radio-Canada . It debuted in 1996. The show examined the public and private lives of teachers, students, and families at the fictional Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc high school...