La reina del sur

I found "Queen of the South" (2016) to be very similar to "La Reina del Sur" (2011) with both portraying Teresa Mendoza's life story surrounded by corrupted cops, politicians, drug traffickers and dealers wrestling for power and control of Colombia's cocaine import business to Mexico and the United States but the story line and events ave very different. I enjoyed them both very much but am partial to the earlier version which is more colorful and authentic in my opinion even though it is in Spanish with subtitles. Both are currently available on Netflix.

The lead female characters of the series are definitely embodying Pallas Athene archetypes, that is interesting for Mexican culture, as I understand the women are still behind in the social roles they can aspire to there. In this series Alice Braga, (Brazilian not Mexican) and actual niece of Sonia Braga is given low level crud errands and kept hostage in the cartel of the Number one drug lord in Mexico, only it is his wife's division of the cartel. His wife wants to go solo and run the drug empire her way or the highway and severe rivalry develops with this husband and wife. I guess the series illustrates the severity of the narco drug trafficking culture, shades of Breaking Bad maybe, but coming from the Mexican angle of things. Worth watching, Alice Braga does a good job, characters not bad, and plot keeps you interested to where this will all lead.

I am honestly very surprised at the low rating for this show. I consider myself a movie and TV snob who completely dislikes the same old same junk from CBS, NBC, and Fox, etc. I love Breaking Bad, Fargo, True Detective, Happy Valley, Sherlock and other quality shows that are similar. This show is no Breaking Bad, but it is enjoyable! For the first 2 episodes I have been pleasantly surprised. Give it a shot! The episodes move quickly and so far, I'm blue at the end that I have to wait another week to see what happens next. The acting is solid, the script is good so far, and if they can keep it up this will be a great show for the long run! I hope it stays around!

Queen of the South is an incredible action and suspense thriller about the rise of a Cartel Queen. It's not a true story so they can do anything they go anywhere they want with the story and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you captivated. It's a violent, fun drama with great performances by the cast. It's one of the rare drug cartels shows based of a strong female lead. It's a familiar story that's told in a fresh way and will keep you entertained throughout the entire series. It's a show where you shouldn't underestimate anyone and where anything can happen so it will keep you at the edge of your seat. I have to say that this show is so much better than I thought it would be and has only gotten better throughout the seasons.

Queen of the South is a USA Network production about a drug cartel run by a fictional woman named Teresa Mendoza played by Alice Braga. Teresa flees Mexico after her boyfriend is murdered and she settles in Dallas and builds her empire to become the biggest drug smuggler to the states. The first few seasons start out strong with Teresa having to fight for her life against Vargas family and takes over the territory. She eventually ends up controlling the southeast corner of the country. The later seasons were less for certain and very well over the top. The cast members over the years included Peter Gadiot, Hemky Madera, Joseph Campos, Joaquin de Almeida, David Andrews, Ryan O'Nan, and Brett Cullen. Overall it was a very entertaining series and unlike most cartel movies, this series does not end on a bad note. God series, good cast, definitely check it out.