Rubí

Rubí Pérez is a strikingly beautiful young woman who grew up poor and uses a scholarship to study at an elite university, thanks to the sacrifices of her older sister, Cristina. She befriends Maribel de la Fuente, a kind, wealthy classmate whose physical disability sets her apart. Far from content, Rubí envies Maribel's social standing and sees marriage to a rich man as her ticket out of poverty. The series follows Rubí as she maneuvers through friendships, romantic entanglements and schemes, balancing charm with self-interest. Secrets, shifting loyalties and moral compromise drive the drama, while mystery elements keep viewers guessing about characters' true intentions. Her choices ripple outward, entangling lovers and friends in schemes that lead to heartbreak and betrayal.

First broadcast in 2004, Rubí is based on creator Yolanda Vargas Dulché's work and was produced for Mexican television as a prime-time telenovela. Bárbara Mori stars, with Eduardo Santamarina, Jacqueline Bracamontes, Sebastián Rulli and Ana Martín.

The series received attention from Mexican television award bodies, with critics and industry voters noting Bárbara Mori's performance and the telenovela's crafts, earning several nominations in acting and technical categories. Critics also singled out the script and supporting cast, making the series a regular presence in national award cycles.

Bárbara Mori's Rubí became a touchstone for melodrama antiheroines, its glamorous visuals and moral ambiguity often referenced across Latin American pop culture. Iconic scenes and the lead's style influenced fashion and television portrayals of ambitious women, and the character became shorthand in conversations about beauty, desire and consequence.

Audiences generally responded well, reflected in a 7.654/10 average from 402 votes, with viewers drawn to the mix of melodrama, mystery and moral tension. Major themes include class mobility, the cost of ambition, manipulation and the price of beauty, all delivered through intense relationships and shifting loyalties.