Season 1 • Episode 117
LatestEl fantasma de Elena is a Spanish-language telenovela produced by the United States-based television network Telemundo. The first season comprised 117 episodes transmitted in the USA from July 20, 2010 to January 7, 2011. As with most of its other soap operas, the network broadcast English subtitles as closed captions on CC3. It stars Elizabeth Gutiérrez and Segundo Cernadas as protagonists and Ana Layevska as the main antagonist in a double role. It has had different titles. When the original story was changed after just 30 episodes, the novela was renamed "Elena contra Elena". Two weeks later, the script was taken to a new direction again and its title was changed to "La venganza de Elena". Finally, the novela was named "El desafío de Elena" just after 20 episodes. After the 60th episode, the novela was renamed back to its original name "El fantasma de Elena".
Acting
Ana Layevska's dual role as Elena/Daniela is gloriously unhinged.
Writing
Four rebrandings in one season—writers were flying by seat of pants.
Production
Telemundo's glossy melodrama aesthetic at peak telenovela excess.
Creator
Humberto 'Kiko' Olivieri
Elizabeth Gutiérrez
Elena Lafé
Segundo Cernadas
Eduardo Girón
Ana Layevska
Elena Calcaño / Daniela Calcaño
Fabián Ríos
Montecristo Palacio
Carlos Montilla
Darío Girón
Elluz Peraza
Antonia "Latoña" Sulbarán
Katie Barberi
Rebeca Santander de Girón
Braulio Castillo Jr.
Tomás Lafé
Zully Montero
Margót Uzcátegui Ruth Merchán "La Reina"
Jessica Mas
Dulce Uzcátegui
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The show's four title changes weren't marketing stunts—the writers literally rewrote the premise three times mid-season after viewer backlash.
This was Telemundo's attempt to blend classic telenovela tropes with the then-trendy 'dead wife returns' supernatural thriller formula popularized by La Sombra del Pasado.
US
