Ugly Betty (season 1)

'Ugly Betty (season 1)
Promotional poster for season 1
Country of origin	USA
No. of episodes	23
Release
Original network	ABC
Original release	September 28, 2006 (2006-09-28) – May 17, 2007 (2007-05-17)

The first season of the American dramedy television series Ugly Betty began airing on September 28, 2006 and concluded on May 17, 2007.

In addition to the twenty-three regular episodes in season one, a special, "The Beautiful World of Ugly Betty", was aired on April 12, 2007. Another special, which was a half-hour update recapping the first ten episodes, aired during the month of January 2007 on local ABC affiliates and various cable networks.

Being produced in Los Angeles, the success of the season would lead to the production of the show's second season.

For the first season of Ugly Betty, nine characters were initially included in the main cast. Michael Urie and Kevin Sussman were originally credited as Special Guest Stars but were upgraded to regulars mid-season. However, Kevin Sussman's character was written off the show in the fifteenth episode but was still credited as a regular for the rest of the season. Rebecca Romijn's character was introduced in the middle of the season and was immediately credited as Starring.

Ugly Betty follows the daily life of Betty Suarez, a promising college graduate from a struggling Latino family in Queens. She was promptly rejected at a "job interview" at Meade Publications in Manhattan based solely on her appearance (thus the series' title). However, company CEO Bradford Meade spots her and has her hired as an executive assistant to his son Daniel Meade, the newly installed Editor-in-chief at MODE magazine. Bradford is primarily motivated by his wish for Daniel to stop bedding his assistants, particularly after catching him having sex in his office with one potential applicant. Betty is passionate when it comes to journalism, but she is not very interested in fashion and is sometimes clueless about the company's motives and organizations.

Betty finds herself helping Daniel both personally and professionally. Daniel at times has been labeled a "himbo" and a "manwhore" (the latter quoted from the fictional Fashion TV). Daniel had always been outshone by his brother Alex Meade. He has no confidence in his own abilities, except as a lothario. He is not experienced in the fashion industry and was placed as the editor-in-chief of MODE solely based on his namesake. However, as the story progresses so does Daniel's potential.