El Cartel de los Sapos

I was in Colombia while this series was on TV there. I had watched 1 or 2 episodes and they had stroke me with their very good acting, and production. I was amazed, because I had this image of telenovelas... Like some boring novelas that I had seen before...This is totally different. "El cartel de los sapos" was the first book I read in Spanish, when I got to colombia. This series is based on the book, although all the names have been changed. . First of all, the story is based on real events. "Fresa" or "Fresita", the narator, is called "la Flor" or "Florecita" in the book and in real life. He served a jail sentence in the U.S and is now out. Oscar Varela's real name was Orlando Henao... And so on. The story is the story of narcotrafic in Colombia, over the last 20 years. The only real name they kept is Escobar, but you have plenty of internet sites explaining who are the characters in real life. Orlando Henao, Diego Montoya (who was n°2 most wanted man in the FBI list, right after Ben Laden), and many others.

Very good actors. Very good... Technically it's well done. I'm watching the series now, a friend of mine brought me the DVD's from Colombia. I have all the episodes, and believe me it's worth it. If you have questions don't hesitate...

PS: a new season is coming in 2009!

As the daughter of Colombian immigrants to the USA and having lived in Miami for the past 30 years I can truly attest to the veracity of this series. The production value is high with authentic locations, props, wardrobe,etc. I was impressed by the image and sound quality on the DVD set because most Hispanic productions cut costs and this most important part of production suffers. Caracol has produced a top of the line show and one of which they can be proud of. The actors are all great, with some being superb such as Robinson Diaz as El Cabo and Julian Arango as Guadaña. Manolo Cardona has shown he can be a Hollywood leading man any day and I suspect it won't take long for us to see him there. It is a slice of the lives of the cocaine cowboys with never a dull moment. You will want to know what happens next at the end of each episode. As the previous post stated, "The Sopranos" a la Colombian. I advise you to get/rent the DVD set because the series shown on Telemundo is badly cut and the viewer looses out immensely.

Very good and thrilling TV series. At first I thought it would be similar to traditional Latino soap operas, but then I came to realize it tackles serious issues and present quite realistic picture of the Columbian mafia. The whole idea about displaying the world of drug cartels is very challenging. 'El Cartel de los Sapos' follow an interesting plot, filled with fascinating dialogues and amazing acting. I think Manolo Cardona shows remarkable acting skills. I wish he does well in USA and hope to see him in many more successful American movies in the future. Anyone who is looking for non-American series with meaningful script and persuasive actors, I recommend not to miss this one. Watch 1-2 episodes then decide whether you like it or not.