Narcos is one of those great examples of what has happened to TV since video streaming platforms started getting involved in making content. It’s hard to imagine such a highly produced, intricate show based on the real-life war on drugs having been made in the era before the likes of Netflix showed up with cash to splurge and a willingness to experiment.
The original run of the Narcos followed a dramatization of the real-life exploits of famed Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar as he became a billionaire through the production and sale of cocaine, as well as his interactions with the USA’s Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and various other drug lords. Season three took us into the aftermath of Escobar’s fall from power and the activities of the DEA as they tried to shut down the famous Cali Cartel.
High praise from the critics
Netflix is always tight-lipped about its numbers, but there are a couple of clues as to how successful the series has been. For starters, they keep renewing it. There were three series of the show’s original incarnation and now Narcos: Mexico (originally meant to be season four, but now a somewhat separate spin-off) has been confirmed for a second outing.
There’s also the critical reception – Rotten Tomatoes gives it approval ratings of 79%, 92%, 96% and 89% for each successive season. Metacritic, another review aggregation site, gives it a similarly positive score in the high end of the 70s. Or you could look at the long list of accolades, which includes nominations for the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs.
Heck, you could even look at the merchandise. There’s not a superhero, Jedi, wizard or video game character in sight, but despite the fact that hard-hitting dramas aren’t supposed to attract licenced products, you’ll find hoodies, mugs and posters galore. There’s also the online slot game – NetEnt’s take on the crime series, which tells the story of the drug lord while providing a staggering 243 ways to win for players. True fans of the show may have already given it a spin, but if you haven’t, do yourself a favour and make sure you read up on how to win at slots. Only then do you stand a chance of winning a jackpot.
Lunch boxes probably wouldn’t be appropriate, but the hunger for merchandise is a strong example of the success Narcos has enjoyed.
Reflecting on season one of Narcos: Mexico
So, that second series of Narcos: Mexico. It was confirmed late last year that the spin-off, which shifts focus from Pablo Escobar to the drug trafficking taking place in Mexico during the 1980s, was being renewed for a second season.
The first season (and this where you get your ***SPOILER WARNING***) explored the consolidation of Mexican drug traffickers from loose coalition of marijuana growers and peddlers into the Guadalajara Cartel. It was based on the true story of DEA agent Kiki Camarena (Michael Pena) taking on cop turned crime lord Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo (Diego Luna). We saw Gallardo lose power then pull it back in a series of calculated moves and string of events ended with the dramatic execution of Camarena. We also finally got to meet the mysterious narrator of the whole series, Walt Breslin, after his identity was kept under wraps.
“What happened in Guadalajara in the early ’80s was the beginning,” Breslin said in the voiceover. Then, we get some clues as to what’s coming. “What happened in Guadalajara gave birth to the first cartel. From that, others would follow. And the violence and money and drugs, they just f**king explode. It changed the DEA, too. Maybe it woke us up, I don’t know. But it’s where the first shot was fired, the one that started the drug war. And after that, none of it would be the same. How could it be?
That was when the DEA knew they were in a war, he tells us. They were going to make sure that their enemies knew that, too.
What do we know about season two?
Well, we know from official sources that Scoot McNairy is out from behind his role as narrator to step into the limelight as Walt Breslin, the DEA agent brought in following the death of Kiki Camarena. Diego Luna, best known as Cassian Andor in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, is back as Felix Gallardo.
Also in the mix are Tenoch Huerta (from Get the Gringo) as Rafael Cara Quintero; relative newcomer Teresa Ruiz, who will play as Gallardo’s girlfriend, Isabella Bautista; and Alejandro Edda (Fear the Walking Dead) as a protégé of Gallardo, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who goes on to run the Snaloa Cartel.
With the US government having taken a more aggressive approach to tackling the drug trade, we’ll see Gallardo rethink his strategy while warily digging for moles inside his organisation. Operation Leyenda is officially in motion, with the promise of state of the art technology (for the eighties!) and more proactive tactics.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Joaquin Guzman play a more pivotal role this time out. We only saw a little of him during season one, but history tells us he’s on course to play a major role in the war on drugs, so he may well get more of the spotlight in Narcos: Mexico season two.
There’s a fair chance we’ll see more of Gallrardo’s nephew, Benjamín Arellano Félix, too. The real world man behind the character went on to become one of the biggest suppliers of cocaine in Central America, so it stands to reason he’ll start to get some focus.
As to where it’s all heading… in real life, Gallardo was arrested for the murder of Kiki Camarena, drug smuggling, racketeering and multiple violent crimes in 1989 and has been incarcerated ever since. That would make a pretty compelling end to season two, wouldn’t it?
There’s no official word on a release date yet, unfortunately. The next season was announced back in December last year, though, so it might not be too far away. Going on previous form, there’s a strong chance that the series will premiere in Autumn, with November a likely candidate give that it’s when the first season aired. 10 episodes seems like another likely bet when it comes to length.
The future of Narcos
There’s no saying just how long a TV show will last, these days. With studio execs likely to pull the plug as soon as ratings start to dip, we’ll just have to hope that Narcos maintains the quality that has attracted an army of fans. After all, given the real-life story, there are plenty more twists to come.