The time is right for an Ugly Betty revival! Why ABC should bring back the hit comedy series!

The series that inspired Ugly Betty is getting a sequel, which makes this the perfect time to revive the ABC hit!

U.S. adaptations of telenovelas rarely work well but an exception was Ugly Betty. It was based on Yo soy Petty, la fea, which ran in Columbia from 1999-2001. The smash hit telenovela inspired numerous copies with much the same plotline: Betty, long looked down on for her unattractive looks and clothing, proves her smarts to become a huge success in business. 

Ugly Betty aired on ABC in 2006, reimagining the story of Betty (America Ferrera), a smart, glasses and braces-wearing fashion disaster, getting a job as assistant to Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius), who runs his family's fashion magazine, Mode. At first looked down on by others, Betty rises up as a success while helping stop the conniving Wilhelmina Slater (Vanessa Williams).

The show became a huge hit that boosted Ferrera to stardom, earning her both a Golden Globe and Emmy award. It ended after four seasons, with the cast moving on to other projects.

Now, the original Yo soy Betty is coming back with a sequel series, Betty, la fea: The Story Continues on Prime Video. It picks up 20 years after the series finale with Betty (once more played by Ana María Orozco) trying to repair her relationship with her daughter and estranged husband while saving the family business. The cast of the original series returns as well and it looks like a great sequel. 

So, with this coming out, is it time for ABC to revive the original Ugly Betty, too?

Why an Ugly Betty revival is perfect for today

Right now, revivals of old TV shows are the rage for the networks. Sure, Ugly Betty went off the air in 2010 but still enough time has passed to count for it. There's also fans who think the show should have lasted longer and a revival can provide more growth for the characters. 

The plotline for a new Ugly Betty could be perfect: Mode is facing the realities of magazine publishing in the 2020s, possibly forced to go digital-only with Wilhemenia overwhelmed and needing Betty's help. It can answer whether Daniel and Betty ended up getting together or not, but it's more fun to imagine Betty meeting someone else and is perhaps a mom now. 

The idea of Wilhelmina and Betty as allies would be nice, although there could, of course, be some tension. It's possible Wilhelmina still has some schemes in place that could cause trouble. Once more, Daniel would be in the middle trying to keep the family legacy going.

We'd also obviously need the rest of the crew back, with Amanda maybe growing after finding her birth father (while still retaining that nutty style of hers). At the same time, Mac has adjusted to being more of a boss but can still be at Wilhemina's beck and call in an instant. The episodes can also pick up on Betty's sister, Hilda, and what her nephew Justin is up to, perhaps finally achieving his own dreams of success in the fashion industry.

Betty as a mom herself could be a good turn as Ferrera's career has taken off with Superstore and her Oscar-nominated turn in Barbie. It can be a classic case of Betty's daughter having her own problems, and ironically, she finds her mom too pretty to live up to. The rest of the cast would also be open for a revival, and again, addressing the passing of time, the changes in fashion and magazines, and social media shifting can be good.

At the end of the day, the focus has to be on Betty, how she's grown yet still prone to a bit of clumsiness and quirky stuff and Ferrera could easily return to the part. ABC could use another comedy on the slate and the show's built-in fan base and curiosity on seeing a past TV show returning can add to the appeal. 

It's conjecture for now but between the passing of time, the fun cast and Ferrera's stardom, a return of Ugly Betty would fit for today and hopefully can be considered by ABC.

Ugly Betty seasons 1-4 are streaming on Hulu, Netflix, and Hulu on Disney+.