UNITED STATES—Released in 2015, Narcos was one of the first novel, truly enticing Netflix Originals to hit the streaming goliath. It was a huge selling point at the time and was certainly “binge-worthy.” It was such a success that the fairly big-budget show got itself a spin-off in the form of Narcos: Mexico. Now, this was a big deal as Netflix is notorious for cutting good series short and leaving them for dead – see Marco Polo. Now, there’s another spin-off in the works from the same studio.
Ranking among Netflix’s top exclusives
Narcos is a fan favorite, and while it doesn’t crack the Most Popular TV rankings of the streamer for viewership in its first 91 days, which you can see listed here, it certainly made an impact. The shows that make up the list are much more recent, coming along after the likes of Narcos established Netflix as a place where you can find some worthy exclusive shows.
The original show ran for three seasons, and over that time – in which we followed the hunt for Pablo Escobar – it remained remarkably consistent. On Metacritic, the seasons get scores of 77, 76, and 78 out of 100. Viewership figures weren’t being officially revealed by Netflix at the time, but it clearly made a profound impact, connected to fans, and gave the platform a big-ticket name to hold up as a reason to join.
You can see how far-reaching its appeal was by the additional entertainment products to come from the show. Seeking to win over US players, Caesars Palace has collected many of the most popular online slots. Among the top ones noted in its five-star review is Narcos. You can read the full review of the site first, as the offering doesn’t boil down to one top-class slot, but it’s clear that having the Narcos slot gives the platform tremendous brand appeal.
In another line of gaming, Narcos: Cartel Wars Unlimited has amassed over 100,000 downloads on the Play Store alone, as well as a 4.8-star overall review score. Elements like these speak to Narcos’ popularity, which helped to spur the spin-off. Narcos: Mexico does have some impressive viewing figures. As relayed in this report, its third season was the biggest launch of the week, collecting a massive 50.3 million viewing hours.
Narcos spin-off to get its own spin-off
Narcos: Mexico began in 2018 and ran for three seasons. It received a proper ending, one that concluded the stories of the main characters, but certainly left the door open for more. This comes in the form of El Chapo’s stay in prison. For the second half of the third season, we see El Chapo gain control, take over the cartel, and essentially become the don of the prison. The final scene offers a big hint at following his real-life escape from the prison.
Reports are now circulating that Netflix has green-lit a spin-off to the spin-off that will follow El Chapo, his escape, and the years that he continued to evade the authorities. Gaumont Television will, once again, be the studio behind the Narcos show, and El Chapo actor Alejandro Edda is said to be keen on playing Joaquín Guzmán once again.
It takes quite a hit for Netflix to back one of its Originals beyond the first couple of seasons, let alone for two three-season runs.
If the pattern holds, maybe the Narcos spin-off for El Chapo will also take place over three seasons.
