Cosita rica

On September 30, 2003, Venevisión started airing Cosita rica at 9:00 pm. The last episode was aired on August 30, 2004, with Sabor a ti replacing it.

During its broadcast, the telenovela became a hit among viewers due to its combination of humor, romance and drama with political and socio-cultural commentary. At the time the telenovela was on air, Venezuela was going through a presidential recall referendum, and the media was heavily polarized. The character of Olegario Pérez was seen as an alter-ego of then president Hugo Chávez, and events in the telenovela mirrored what was happening in the country.[5]

After the end of the broadcast of Cosita rica, the Venezuelan government created the Law on Social Responsibility on Radio and Television which aimed as censuring writers and television content produced in the country. This affected subsequent telenovelas produced by RCTV (which lost its license in 2007 after the government of Chavez refused to renew it for its anti-government stand) and Venevisión, as writers became restrictive in terms of what content they could write and produce.[6]

Paula, the most popular girl of the neighborhood, dreams of becoming a dancer. The day she meets Diego Luján, the young heir of a cosmetic holding, she can't stop thinking of him. Diego is about to get married with the famous model Vicky Cárdenas. But destiny is going to play its cards and the sudden encounter between Paula and Diego turns into a love story.

Paula and Diego meet again and during the week they spend together, their lives change forever. Diego promises Paula to cancel his engagement to Vicky and they both agree to meet at the airport to start a new life.

When Paula arrives at the airport, she sees how an old and weak man can't manage the luggage he carries, so Paula decides to help him. When they are about to cross the immigration line, the authorities discover drugs inside the old man's luggage that Paula is holding, but the man has disappeared and Paula is sent to jail for five years. Paula cannot get in touch with Diego to explain him the situation. Diego looks for her with any success.

Today, five years later, Paula leaves jail. She wants to recover her life and to revenge the man who destroyed her future. She starts working as makeup girl. One day, she is hired to make up a bride. This is the day when she reencounters Diego, who is going to get married. The impact is mutual. But there's nothing to do. It's too late.

The day of the wedding, Diego's father dies unexpectedly and the worst comes when he finds out that he is not the heir. Olegario Pérez, the bastard son of Diego's father, will manage the holding. From one day to another, Olegario Pérez will become one of the most powerful executives of the country. The worst comes when Olegario meets Paula by chance and he falls in love with her. Olegario asks Diego to help him conquer a woman. Without knowing that the woman is Paula, Diego helps his stepbrother writing love letters, choosing the flowers, the restaurants and the presents for him. Paula starts falling in love with him and she accepts to get marry to Olegario. A duel begins for the love of Paula between the two brothers.

• Acosta-Alzuru, Carolina (2011), "Venezuela's Telenovela Polarization and Political Discourse in Cosita Rica", in Venezuela's Bolivarian Democracy: Participation, Politics, and Culture Under Chávez (eds David Smilde, Daniel Hellinger), Duke University Press

• Cosita rica at IMDb