This doctoral thesis studies the representation of Brazil and the Brazilian identity in telenovelas broadcasted daily by TV Globo at 8 p.m. (the program with the highest audience rates at the time in Brazilian television) during the period that ranges from the end of military dictatorship to the return of democracy by direct vote (1964–89), having the debates on the election for president of the Republic and the 1988 Constituent Assembly as the background. This text analyses the formation of the Brazilian sense of identity through the study of telenovelas, and its relevance throughout the consolidation of television in Brazil. Changes the telenovelas underwent over time are also studied, as they interfere with how the viewer thinks and watches this product. The soap opera Vale Tudo was chosen as a study case not only because it was broadcasted during an important time in the country s social and political life, but also because it is considered to be a timeless classic: it discusses ethics and poignant issues in the Brazilian structure, such as the Brazilian jeitinho, patrimonialism, white collar crime, among other issues that are part of national history. With three reruns in thirty years, it airs for the first time in the year of the Constituent Assembly and ends at the beginning of the year in which Brazilians have their first democratic election after the military dictatorship. In addition, Vale Tudo was—along with other contemporary telenovelas—one of the last soap operas to pass through the government s censorship department. In order to prove that Vale Tudo is a timeless classic, two resources were used. First, a general decoupage of the telenovela: character analysis, plot summary, important dialogues, soundtrack, and the main topics addressed. Second, the reruns, especially the 2018 rerun in celebration of the plot s 30th anniversary. The critic s and the public s acceptance of the telenovela on social media proves that, despite being technologically and narratively outdated, Vale Tudo continues to be relevant for the Brazilian public. With all these narratives, at the end of this doctoral thesis the importance of different soap operas in portraying Brazil and Brazilians is proven, as well as the role of telenovelas in the formation of the Brazilian sense of identity from the 1970s onward.