Quem Ama Cuida

TV Globo’s 7pm slot has been in confident hands lately, and Quem Ama Cuida keeps the streak alive. Letícia Colin leads as Adriana, a physical therapist who loses nearly everything in a flood and rebuilds her life around a powerful jewelry dynasty. Colin is the best reason to watch: there is warmth in her and steel underneath, and she sells both without showiness.

The soap machinery around her mostly works. Chay Suede and Jesíta Barbosa give the central romance genuine pull, Tony Ramos classes up every scene he is in, and Tata Werneck lands jokes the scripts do not always deserve. Agatha Moreira and Mariana Ximenes sharpen the family drama whenever the plot hands them something pointed to do.

It is not ambitious television. Story turns arrive exactly when you expect them, and the villains lean cartoonish this early in the run. But the show knows what it is, and at this hour that honesty counts for a lot.

Episodes air on TV Globo and reach Globoplay in Brazil after broadcast, with TV Globo Internacional carrying them overseas. Our score: 7/10. If you want a dependable weeknight soap with a superb lead performance, queue this one up tonight.