Have you ever wanted to find a genre of shows that combine crime, extreme thrill, some romance, and of course some drama? I have the perfect group of shows for you that are quite accessible on streaming apps such as Netflix. Throughout this article I will discuss three shows that definitely deserve your attention. What all three of these shows have in common is a strong lead character and of course cocaine; which can be inferred from the title of the article. Cocaine, in case you are unaware, was a regularly used substance between the 1970s and the 1990s throughout many United States cities such as Miami and Los Angeles. What is covered by TV Shows more specifically though are the people who are responsible for producing, sending, and profiting from the cocaine trade. Those people are called Narcos, which will lead us into our first show.

Narcos:

First airing in 2015, Narcos follows the Colombian drug cartels that were prominent during the 1980s and the 1990s including the Medellín Cartel led by the infamous Pablo Escobar, and the Cali Cartel. Narcos has a very intense, but interesting story line as it gives you a lot of action, but moves the plot line at a slow pace. The show follows two DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) agents named Agent Murphy and Agent Peña who spend their days and nights trying to capture the narcoterrorist Pablo Escobar. When it came to the casting of the roles the producers and directors did an excellent job, as the main actor Wagner Moura looked freakishly similar to Don Pablo Escobar. Attached below will be a side by side comparison of the two where you can judge for yourself if you think he was casted well. Agent Peña is played by a recent fan favorite actor Pedro Pascal who is known to be an attractive figure on the screen. I will also attach a picture of him as Agent Peña to give y’all the opportunity to decide if you think he is as attractive as some say. The show has a span of three seasons, where season 1 solely follows Pablo Escobar and the formation of the Medellín cartel, season 2 continues and ends Pablo’s story while also introducing the Cali Cartel, and finally season 3 follows the Cali cartel in total. The show can be a bit gorey at times and is mostly produced in Spanish as the native Colombians and people in the cartels dominantly speak Spanish over English. The officers serving the US speak English as well so occasionally you will be able to have an idea of what’s going on. To watch the show in the best way possible I would recommend turning English subtitles on and do not change the language setting. Overall I would rate the show a 10/10 because of it being easily enjoyable and having a good pace because I am not able to binge it in one day, but I also won’t take forever to finish it. Although Escobar is clearly a villain, it is interesting to see his family side and how he acted apart from work. Even though he was committing illegal activities, you have to hand it to him for possessing so much power over the Colombian government and even the United States as well. To transition into the next series covered we will be taking the cocaine empire from South America to Central America where Narcos: Mexico is set.

Narcos Mexico:

Narcos Mexico is set in Mexico, as the name explains, and it focused on the illegal drug exchange that was taking place during the 1980s. The show begins at an early stage in drug trafficking in Mexico, when there was no organization and the drug sale of choice was Marijuana. This organization then evolved into the Guadalajara Cartel, led by Miguel Gallardo. In addition to the Cartel, the show follows two Drug Enforcement Agents who have no idea how challenging it will be to catch and destroy the Guadalajara Cartel. The show is three seasons long and was filmed between 2018 and 2021. There are many famous names featured in the show such as Diego Luna as Miguel Gallardo, aka the Don of the Guadalajara Cartel, and Bad Bunny as Arturo Perez, a member of a smaller gang Narcos Junior. I personally have not watched this series yet because I am still aiming to finish the original Narcos show, but I am eager to start the new series soon. My final show I will talk about goes back to the first show I reviewed, as it is a show that is based solely on Pablo Escobar’s life from a young age to death.

Pablo Escobar: Reign of Terror

In simple terms this show is designed to show the audience Escobar’s youth, and the actions that led to his demise. Since it is a biographically based show, we see Escobar’s more vulnerable family side as well as his violent, ambitious work lifestyle. I would say the actors were well cast, as the man who plays Pablo Escobar received many awards for his role at the Cartagena film festival. I will also attach a photo of Andrés Parra who plays Escobar in the series. This series is also on my watchlist because I enjoy Narcos so much, and would love an extended version of Escobar’s section.

Now, I am not saying that you have to watch any of these shows if they do not suit your typical watch pattern, however they might be a new discovery for you to enjoy. All of these shows feature high intensity situations like police chases that will get your blood flowing and your heart rate will for sure intensify. They are also all dramas making their storylines more interesting and some even include love interests if that strikes your fancy. I personally enjoy watching these shows because they combine a globalization element as they provide both the American perspective in terms of drug enforcement and the host countries perspective through their own governments, and the cartel members. Hopefully all of my advocating for these shows will give you a new sense of direction the next time you scroll for a show on Netflix.