Brazilian Biblical Telenovela Leads June Wit List

A Rainha da Pérsia (The Queen of Persia), a new Brazilian version of the biblical telenovela A História de Ester, generated the most buzz on Instagram out of all the new series that made their debut in June, according to The WIT.

Produced by Seriella Producciones, the telenovela tells the story of Esther, a young Jewish woman who became queen of the Persian Empire and played a crucial role in protecting her people. The series, airing on Record TV and Univer Vídeo, amassed 213,000 Instagram followers after its premiere on June 17, boosted by the star power of its cast, which includes Bárbara Borges (1.7 million followers), Carlo Porto (948,000) and Iran Malfitano (513,000).

Another telenovela adaptation, La historia de Juana (The Story of Juana), landed in second place, with 11,000 followers. The Mexican adaptation of the Venezuelan series Juana le virgen bowed on June 3 on Las Estrellas. It tells the story of a young virgin who accidentally becomes pregnant after a hospital mistakenly artificially inseminates her. The star-studded cast features Irina Baeva (3.9 million followers), Fabiola Guajardo (2.5 million), Brandon Peniche (1.6 million) and Cynthia Klitbo (809,000).

La noche perfecta (The Perfect Night), a late-night talk show hosted by Sebastián Wainraich, picked up 5,000 Instagram followers after debuting on Argentina’s Canal 13 in early June. On the show, Wainrach, who has 649,000 followers of his own, performs entertaining monologues and discusses various topics with celebrity guests, accompanied by a live band.

Spain’s Apatrullando sees reporter Jalis de la Serna and YouTuber Zazza el Italiano team up to “patrol” the streets of some of the most emblematic and fashionable cities as summer approaches. The series began airing on laSexta on June 12, amassing 3,000 followers. Zazza el Italiano’s Instagram counts 517,000, while de la Serna’s has 10,000.

The Prime Video drama My Lady Jane came in fifth place, with 2,000 followers. Based on the novel of the same name, it reimagines the tale of Lady Jane Grey, aka the Nine Days’ Queen, with an uplifting twist. In this version, the damsel in distress saves herself and then the kingdom. Emily Bader, who has 30,000 followers of her own, stars as the titular queen. She is joined in the cast by Dominic Cooper (263,000 followers), Rob Brydon (243,000) and Edward Bluemel (119,000), among others.

MGM+’s Hotel Cocaine garnered 1,000 follows after its U.S. premiere in mid-June. Starring Danny Pino, Corina Bradley and Michael Chiklis, it centers on Roman Compte, a Cuban exile, CIA operative and general manager of the Hotel Mutiny, which was the glamorous epicenter of the late ’70s and early ’80s Miami cocaine scene. Pino has 222,000 followers on his own Instagram, while Bradley has 96,000 and Chiklis counts 81,000.

The seventh spot on June’s list went to the Portuguese competition show Mistura Beirão (Beirão Mix), which picked up 941 followers. Hosted by Maria Cerqueira Gomes (512,000 followers) and Rui Simões (83,000), the branded competition sees ten professional bartenders be judged on their skill and creativity in preparing cocktails. It made its debut on TVI on June 15.

Stories From My Gay Grandparents, a dramedy available on KindaTV on YouTube, racked up 662 followers on Instagram after all episodes dropped on June 23. After a near-death experience, a grandma and grandpa reveal their long-hidden truth: they are a gay couple. It is created by Scott Farley, who also stars alongside Perrie Voss. Both have 2,000 followers on Instagram.

The reality series Family Empire: Houston, airing on OWN in the U.S., collected 451 followers after its June 28 debut. It follows the multigenerational Braden family in Houston, Texas, where sister cousins Nicole, Jermeshia and JaQuita are the co-founders and managing directors of the Braden Real Estate Group. The trio has a collective dream to follow in the footsteps of they grandmother Oscarene, a real estate entrepreneur. Nicole has 81,000 followers of her own, while JaQuita has 5,000 and Jermeshia counts 3,000.

Rounding out the top ten is the Canadian sci-fi thriller Société distincte (Distinct Society) with 190 followers. The Club illico series centers on Marc, who has never recovered from the mysterious disappearance of his younger brother Gabriel, 15 years earlier. When Marc is finally ready to move on, he receives a letter that could potentially explain his brother’s disappearance. The cast includes Antoine Pilon (88,000 followers) and Juliette Gosselin (52,000).

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