Audience studies of popular culture have recently revived in Anglo-America and Latin America, but the literature often makes reference to only a few major works, like those of Katz and Liebes or Morley, and discusses those few works over and over. The most watched television genre globally is probably the Latin American telenovela, or soap opera, that has a dominant presence during prime time in most of the regions' networks. Although many Latin America researchers have been concerned about the telenovela's role and impact on society, relatively few have done audience studies to understand the phenomenon. A review of 26 telenovela studies from Brazil and Spanish-speaking Latin America is presented with a methodological critique. A final summary of findings shows that, although an emerging picture of the telenovela audiences is present, much still needs to be done.
