Spoiler alert: This post contains spoilers on the first and second seasons of “Narcos”. Continue reading at your discretion.
Pablo Escobar may be long gone, but that doesn’t mean “Narcos” is over. It just means there are other bad guys to replace him and keep the business going. Netflix renewed the show for two more seasons, which guarantees that we will have be at least 20 more episodes of the acclaimed series, with next 10 from season 3 ready for you to indulge in.
The focus will now be on the Cali Cartel, the most powerful drug cartel you’ve never head of, and by the look of the trailer, maybe you should have.
Who’s coming back?
The ever-present agent Peña will be returning, with Pedro Pascal reprising his role. The brilliant Mexican actor Damián Alcázar will get much more screen time as the jefe de jefes and leader of the Cali Cartel, Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela.
However, alongside Wagner Moura’s Pablo Escobar, one that definitely won’t be is Boyd Holbrook’s DEA agent Steve Murphy.
Who are the newcomers in the series?
There are a lot of new additions on this third season, including Francisco Denis as the other Rodríguez Orejuela brother Miguel, as well as Alberto Ammann and Pepe Rapazote as the cartel’s other co-founders, Pacho Herrera and Chepe Santacruz Londono. Edward James Olmos also joins the cast, with a very special appearance as agent Peña’s father.
Other new characters include Arturo Castro as Miguel’s son William, Kerry Bishe as Christine, an American woman married to a member of the cartel, and Michael Stahl-David and Matt Whelan as DEA partners Chris Feistl and Daniel Van Ness.
So, should you be watching?
Let’s recap: The Cali Cartel first appeared on season 2 of the show. The group consists of brothers Gilberto Orejuela (Damián Alcazar), Miguel Rodríguez (Fransisco Denis), and Helmer “Pancho” Herrera (Alberto Ammann). Meanwhile, the fourth honcho, Jose “Chepe” Santacruz-Londono, is expected to be introduced in “Narcos” Season 3.
It’s easy to assume that once Escobar is gone the show would lose its momentum, but it’s important to consider that the Cali and Escobar operations were completely different, with the former being run “like a Fortune 500 company” and referred to as “f*cking Cocaine Inc.”. While the ladder (like you know if you’re a fan of the series) consisted of a much less sophisticated business that resembled more like a gang than a company.
These key differences between operations offer a very good chance that season 3 of “Narcos” does in fact a compelling story to tell. This also can serve as a guarantee that the show won’t be reusing the same plot over and over again, as its fourth season will move on to another narcotics history makers. But we won’t spoil that one for you just yet.
Season 3 of “Narcos” is available right now for streaming on Netflix, so you probably should get your binge supplies ready!