Si nos dejan (2021) bursts onto the screen from Univision and Las Estrellas, serving up a fresh reboot of the 90s classic Señora Isabel. With a powerhouse cast led by Mayrín Villanueva, Alexis Ayala, Scarlet Gruber, and Marcus Ornellas, this glossy update rethreads the original’s heart with sharper edges – rewriting the rules on age, ambition, and second chances.
Alicia Montiel (Mayrín Villanueva) was living the dream – power couple vibes, three kids, and a husband who happened to be one of Mexico’s most respected journalists. Too bad Sergio (Alexis Ayala) was secretly playing co-anchor with Julieta (Scarlet Gruber) behind her back. When Alicia finds out, she doesn’t just cry into her pearls – she files for divorce and flips the script on her life.
Enter Martín Guerra (Marcus Ornellas): younger, hotter, also a journalist… and her ex’s biggest rival (oops). As Alicia steps into her freedom era, she’s done apologizing, done shrinking, and very ready to fall in love on her own terms.
More than just a reboot – Si nos dejan keeps the melodrama of the 1993 original but layers in some grown-woman wisdom and socially woke edge. Alicia’s journey is the feminist novela arc we didn’t know we needed, and Mayrín Villanueva delivers it with her usual grace, grit, and that quiet “don’t mess with me” energy.
Based on: Señora Isabel (1993)
Telebesitos Tip 💋
If you’re over telenovelas that treat women 40+ like leftovers, Si nos dejan is your clapback and Mayrín Villanueva is your blueprint.
The internet was mad… We were obsessed:
Reading reviews of this show made it clear the age-gap police were out in full force – plenty of viewers couldn’t handle Alicia (Mayrín Villanueva) scoring a younger, seriously fine man like Martín (Marcus Ornellas). The disbelief was loud. But this show dared to celebrate mature romance that doesn’t play by youth-obsessed rules – and it’s that boldness that makes it stand out. Fight us in the comments but we were living for it.
