# The best Brazilian telenovelas of all time

The top ten of the ranking of the 60 best telenovelas that Globo published for its 60th anniversary (voted by 60 journalists and experts), plus the ratings classics that complete the list.

- 28 votes · 20 items
- Jul 1, 2025 · Rodrigo Fernandes Souza
- https://even.best/en/l/297/the-best-brazilian-telenovelas-of-all-time

## Top 20

1. **Vale Tudo** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — 1988. Gilberto Braga, Aguinaldo Silva and Leonor Bassères; 'Who killed Odete Roitman?' and a Brazil of corruption. Number one in the ranking.
2. **Avenida Brasil** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — 2012. João Emanuel Carneiro; Nina's revenge on Carminha brought the country to a standstill.
3. **Roque Santeiro** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — 1985. Dias Gomes and Aguinaldo Silva; banned in 1975 and released ten years later, with the widow Porcina.
4. **The Next Victim** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — 1995. Silvio de Abreu; a string of murders guided by the Chinese horoscope.
5. **A Favorita** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — 2008. João Emanuel Carneiro; Flora and Donatela, and the mystery of which one was the villain.
6. **The Clone** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — 2001. Glória Perez; Jade, Lucas, Morocco and human cloning; a hit in dozens of countries.
7. **Tieta** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — 1989. Aguinaldo Silva, from Jorge Amado; Betty Faria returns rich to Santana do Agreste.
8. **Terra Nostra** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — 1999. Benedito Ruy Barbosa; Italian immigrants on São Paulo's coffee farms.
9. **Pantanal** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Manchete, 1990. Benedito Ruy Barbosa; the telenovela that took viewers from Globo, remade by Globo itself in 2022.
10. **Dancin' Days** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — 1978. Gilberto Braga; Sônia Braga and disco fever.
11. **Mulheres Apaixonadas** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — 2003. Manoel Carlos; domestic violence, alcoholism and elder abuse.
12. **Que Rei Sou Eu?** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — 1989. Cassiano Gabus Mendes; a satire of Brazil set in the imaginary European kingdom of Avilan.
13. **O Bem-Amado** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — 1973. Dias Gomes; mayor Odorico Paraguaçu and his cemetery; Brazil's first colour telenovela.
14. **Family Ties** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 2000. Manoel Carlos; Vera Fischer, Carolina Dieckmann and the head-shaving scene.
15. **The Slave Isaura** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1976. Gilberto Braga; Lucélia Santos as the white slave; exported to dozens of countries.
16. **Gabriela** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1975. Walter George Durst, from Jorge Amado; Sônia Braga in Ilhéus.
17. **Selva de Pedra** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1972. Janete Clair; Regina Duarte, Francisco Cuoco and an episode with 100% of Rio's audience.
18. **Por Amor** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1997. Manoel Carlos; Regina Duarte swaps her daughter's dead baby for her own.
19. **The Cattle King** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — 1996. Benedito Ruy Barbosa; Antônio Fagundes and the struggle for land.
20. **Senhora do Destino** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — 2004. Aguinaldo Silva; Maria do Carmo searches for the daughter kidnapped by villain Nazaré Tedesco.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.