• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, June 15, 2007

New NBC programming chief Ben Silverman is hoping to replicate success. He brought the Colombian telenovela "Ugly Betty" to ABC last year; now he's bringing another novela from that South American country to his new network.

NBC Universal has acquired the rights to "Without Breasts There is No Paradise" from a Colombian production house. No potential launch date was announced. NBCU's re-branded Universal Media Studios will produce the show, which will also carry a Spanish version on NBCU-owned Telemundo.

"Ugly Betty," where Silverman is an executive producer, has been lionized in the media and by ABC executives as a breakout first-year hit. But it trailed both CBS' "Survivor" and NBC comedies in the key 18-to-49 demo in the Thursday 8 p.m. hour.

One factor potentially working against Silverman is the networks' tendency to engage in copycat activity--going to the well one too many times. They often try to replicate a show that has some traction, only to watch it flop. Less worrisome is the abject failure of telenovelas on first-year MyNetworkTV. But those ran nightly, which is the practice in many foreign countries, and demand considerable viewer devotion. In general, the News Corp. network had a slew of troubles that NBC won't face.

A call to an NBCU representative was not immediately returned.

Still, Silverman, who joined NBC earlier this month, is known as a specialist in importing foreign hits and transforming them into American successes.

"Without Breasts There is No Paradise" focuses on a young woman who is frustrated that "her figure is a barrier to deliverance from poverty and a pampered life as a drug-trafficker's lover." NBCU billed the show as "provocatively titled," which could help its pre-launch marketing efforts. The "Desperate Housewives" title was given some credit for driving initial viewership to the ABC hit drama.

The Telemundo version will have a different cast and script. Known as "Sin Tetas No Hay Paraiso" in Spanish, NBCU said it set a record as the "most-watched soap opera in Colombia." "I scour the world for the best ideas and for the game-changing hit shows. "Sin Tetas" is one of those shows," Silverman said.

His co-chairman atop NBC Entertainment, Marc Graboff, added: "We recognize that the telenovela phenomenon is here to stay, and we want to take advantage of one that's a proven hit. It will be fascinating to see how American viewers embrace this kind of unique storytelling."

"Ugly Betty" looks to have received more recognition than results. By one measure, it posted a 3.7 for the season among adults 18-to-49, considerably behind the 5.1 for "Survivor: Fiji." NBC's "The Office," where Silverman is also an executive producer, delivered a 4.1, with its "My Name Is Earl" drawing a 3.9.