The Argentine localized version of Desperate Housewives, Amas de Casa Desesperadas, has followed in the footsteps of its originator in becoming massively popular as soon as it's out of the starting gate.

According to Scotsman.com, August 30 saw the premiere of the show on Canal 13, and when 1.5 million viewers tuned in—despite it airing at the rather late hour of 11:30pm. "Desperate Housewives has many elements of a telenovela, which is the backbone of Latin American television," said Leonardo Aranguibel, production manager for Disney TV distribution arm Buena Vista International Television in Miami. "Women are always the protagonists. So having these beautiful stories interpreted by local stars ... we just knew it would be a hit."

Marcos Carnevale is responsible for converting the show for the Argentine market. "The characters and their conflicts are similar to the original version, but the big difference here is cultural," he said. "For example, Gabrielle Solis is a character who is a successful Latino immigrant to the U.S. and is treated like any other American citizen, but people like her just don't exist in Argentina. However, we do have 'new rich' people with bad taste like the Solises, so we curtailed the characters to fit that image."

Doppleganger Araceli Gonzalez compared herself her counterpart Eva Longoria (Gabrielle Solis). "When they told me they wanted me for the Eva Longoria role, I couldn't believe it, because I don't look anything like her," she said. "I thought I would play Susan because she has a teenage daughter like I do, and I often play sweet characters like her."

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