Narcos: Mexico

• 1. Introduction

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  Narcos: Mexico is a Netflix crime drama, and its production carried a real death before a single episode reached viewers. Carlos Muñoz Portal, one of the show's location scouts, was found murdered on the 15th of September 2017. His body had multiple gunshot wounds, and it was discovered in central Mexico near the town of Temascalapa. A spokesman for the attorney general in Mexico said the remote location meant there were no witnesses. Authorities promised to keep investigating and said they were weighing the possibility that a narco gang was involved. The murder has not been solved.

  That loss hangs over a series built to dramatize the very violence it could not entirely escape. How did a planned fourth season of one show turn into a separate series? What story does it choose to tell, and how much of it is true? And once the cameras rolled, who played the people at its center, and how did critics respond?

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• 2. A Season Becomes a Series

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  On the 6th of September 2016, Netflix renewed Narcos for two more seasons, just a few days after the second season arrived. Production on the fourth season began in Mexico in late 2017, after the third season was released. Then, on the 18th of July 2018, Netflix announced a change of plan. The fourth season would instead "reset" with almost an entirely new cast, under the new title Narcos: Mexico.

  Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard, and Doug Miro are credited as the creators and producers. The result was a companion to the original rather than a continuation of it. Narcos centered on the establishment of Colombia's illegal drug trade. Narcos: Mexico turns to the development of Mexico's.

  The first season was released on the 16th of November 2018. Netflix renewed the series for a second season on the 5th of December 2018, and that season premiered on the 13th of February 2020. Showrunner Eric Newman, who had spoken publicly about the casting, left in October 2020.

  On the 28th of October 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a third and final season. In the same announcement, it said that Diego Luna would not be returning to reprise his role as Félix Gallardo. The third season premiered on the 5th of November 2021.

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• 3. From Growers to Empire

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  In the story's opening years, the traffickers of Mexico are a loose, disorganized confederation of small independent marijuana growers and dealers. The series treats this fragmented scene as the true origin of the Mexican drug war. Its drama begins with one man who sees a way to bring order to it.

  Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, played by Diego Luna, unifies several plazas, the territories that traffickers controlled, during the 1980s. The result is the Guadalajara Cartel, which the series dramatizes as an infamous drug empire. Around him stand business partners. Tenoch Huerta plays Rafael "Rafa" Caro Quintero, and Joaquín Cosío plays Ernesto "Don Neto" Fonseca Carrillo. Neto's nephew, Amado Carrillo Fuentes, is played by José María Yazpik.

  Opposite them is Kiki Camarena, a Drug Enforcement Administration agent played by Michael Peña. Camarena moves his wife and young son from California to Guadalajara to take a new post. His wife, Mika, is played by Alyssa Diaz. He soon learns that the assignment will be harder than he could ever have imagined.

  His boss in the city is Jaime Kuykendall, head of the DEA's Guadalajara bureau, played by Matt Letscher.

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• 4. Rivals, Agents and Reporters

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  As the seasons pass, the series widens its lens well beyond Guadalajara. Pablo Acosta, played by Gerardo Taracena, leads the Juarez Cartel in the first two seasons. Juan García Abrego, played by Flavio Medina, leads the Gulf Cartel in the second and third. Alejandro Edda plays Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, a member of the Sinaloa Cartel, across all three seasons.

  The Tijuana Cartel centers on three Arellano Félix siblings. Alfonso Dosal plays Benjamín, the leader and eldest brother. Mayra Hermosillo plays Enedina, a high-ranking member. Manuel Masalva plays Ramón, the youngest brother and an enforcer.

  On the law enforcement side, season two introduces Operation Leyenda. Its members include the DEA agents Kenny Moss, Sal Orozco, and Daryl Petsky, along with the Mexican police officers Danilo Garza, Ossie Mejía, and Amat Palacios. Guiding the audience through it all is Walt Breslin, a DEA agent and the story's narrator, played by Scoot McNairy. The character is loosely based on Hector Berrellez.

  Season three brings in civilians and officials. Luis Gerardo Méndez plays Victor Tapia, a Juárez police officer drawn to a series of killings. Luisa Rubino plays Andrea Nuñez, a young journalist at La Voz de Tijuana, and Alejandro Furth plays her boss, Ramon Salgado. José Zúñiga plays Jesús Gutiérrez Rebollo, a Mexican military general opposing the cartels.

  Alberto Guerra plays Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, an independent trafficker who uses his fishing business as a front.

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• 5. Crossovers and Crew

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  In December 2017, Michael Peña and Diego Luna were announced as the stars of the upcoming series. A few days later, Matt Letscher joined in a regular role. Showrunner Eric Newman revealed other key cast members, including Tenoch Huerta, Joaquín Cosío, Teresa Ruiz, Alyssa Diaz, and José María Yazpik.

  Yazpik was a returning face. He reprises the role of Amado Carrillo Fuentes from the third season of Narcos. So does Alberto Ammann, who plays Hélmer "Pacho" Herrera of the Cali Cartel.

  Colombia also reaches into the Mexican story through Wagner Moura, who plays Pablo Escobar again in seasons one and three. Francisco Denis returns as Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela in season one, and Damián Alcázar returns as Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela in season three. Pêpê Rapazote, Eric Lange, and Julián Arango are among others who carry their Narcos roles over.

  Behind the camera, Amat Escalante and Alonso Ruizpalacios directed episodes. They were joined by Andi Baiz, a Colombian who had directed several episodes across the first three seasons of Narcos.

  Moura went further than reprising his role. He directed two episodes of the third season.

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• 6. Fact and Liberty

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  The deaths of John Clay Walker and Albert Radelat were real events, but the series softens one detail. Reports say that both men were tortured beforehand. This is one of several places where the writers took liberties to streamline the Mexican drug war into a single coherent narrative.

  Sofia Conesa, portrayed as the love interest of Rafael Caro Quintero, was named Sara Cosio in real life. Isabella Bautista, a friend and business associate of Félix Gallardo, is based on Sandra Ávila Beltrán. The killing of Héctor Luis Palma's family on Félix Gallardo's orders is also disputed. It is believed to have been carried out on the orders of the Arellano Félix brothers, and in a more brutal fashion.

  The assassination of El Azul in season three never occurred. In real life, Juan José Esparragoza Moreno was active until at least 2014, when he supposedly died of a heart attack that remains unconfirmed.

  On the night of the 6th of February 1997, General Enrique Cervantes, the Secretary of Defense, called Gutiérrez Rebollo and ordered him to report to his office immediately. There the Anti-Drug Czar was arrested. The series changes this: Andrea Núñez finds a bank account receiving over US$2 million and links it to him.

  The season three escape of the Tijuana Cartel men from the Guadalajara airport, after the murder of Cardenal Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo, is also altered. They flee in a TAESA plane, allegedly owned by Carlos Hank González. In fact, he never owned the airline. Several theories exist about that day's escape, and none effectively links TAESA to the case. Hank was also never prosecuted or sentenced for the organized crime links alleged against him.

  Yazpik explained why the real name could appear on screen. In his words, "since Hank is already dead, his name can be used, while in other seasons, when faced with a possible lawsuit, they opted to change the names".

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• 7. Critics and Awards

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  Season one of Narcos: Mexico holds a score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 39 reviews with an average rating of 7.4 out of 10. The critics consensus called it "Dangerous, thrilling, and highly addictive." It praised the electric performances of Diego Luna, while remarking that Michael Peña spent most of the season wearing one constant expression. On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average of 80 out of 100 from 7 critics, which indicates "generally favorable reviews."

  Season two stands at 81% on Rotten Tomatoes from 16 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.6 out of 10. Its consensus judged the season more violent than before without spoiling the drama that fans had come to love. Season three scores 100% from seven reviews, with an average rating of 7 out of 10.

  The awards record begins in 2019. Diego Luna was a nominee for Best Actor in a Drama Series at the Critics' Choice Television Awards. He was also a nominee for Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV series at the Platino Awards, where the series itself was named in the Best Ibero-American Miniseries or TV series category. Alberto Ammann was listed for Best Actor in an International Production at the Actors and Actresses Union Awards.

  In 2020, Carla Hool was named for the Casting Society of America's Television Pilot and First Season category for drama. The series closed its awards run in 2022 at the International Emmy Awards. There it was a nominee for Best Drama Series, and Scoot McNairy, the voice that narrates the story, was a nominee for Best Performance by an Actor.

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