Who would dare allow these crime lords to share a list with anyone but themselves? These superior Netflix series about the drug trade are nearly as addictive as the substances trafficked onscreen.
Narcos: Seasons one and two indelibly dramatize the rise of Pablo Escobar and his Colombian cocaine cartel in the late ’80s. Pitting him against various rivals and two DEA detectives, the action is heart-pounding, the characters are densely drawn, and the setting is immersive. Season three is about the Cali cartel kingpins who replace Escobar’s Guadalajara syndicate, and it maintains the high bar for thrilling storytelling.
Narcos: Mexico: Producers refocused what would have been season four of Narcos as another series tracing the rise of the drug trade in a different country. Beginning with a loose group of marijuana farmers from Sinaloa, the spotlight falls on Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo as he unifies the growers and builds them into a fierce, powerful force protected by police and politicians. A young DEA agent (Michael Peña) becomes obsessed with bringing them down amid seriously hair-raising events. Diego Luna as Gallardo gives a performance that reminded me of Pacino as Michael Corleone.