Griselda Review: Sofia Vergara Is Terrifyingly Good in the Narcos Team's New Crime Drama

Netflix's latest series to chronicle one aspect of the "War on Drugs" might not officially have a tie to the immensely popular Narcos, but Griselda certainly doesn't waste any time before making sure the audience knows that they're in for a similar ride, where shocking violence and dramatic twists and turns live alongside the dramatic interpretation of a real-life story. The premiere of Griselda begins with a quote from Pablo Escobar: "The only man I was ever afraid of was a woman named Griselda Blanco." Beginning the limited series this way is a smart, efficient trick; it not only manages to associate the show with Narcos (which shares much of its creative team with Griselda) and immediately steal some shine from that series, but it also establishes an expectation that Griselda, as played by Sofia Vergara, will be just as compelling and menacing as Wagner Moura was as Pablo Escobar. 

Of course, there's a risk in Netflix making a comparison between a new show and one that was so popular. It's making a claim to a certain level of quality. But the gambit pays off, as Griselda is a great addition to Netflix's growing library of drug trafficking dramas. Griselda — created by Narcos showrunner Eric Newman, Narcos co-creators Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard, and Silo executive producer Ingrid Escajeda — takes notes from Narcos, sure, but it also evokes other popular crime dramas that are, at this point, woven into the very presentation of drug trafficking shows on TV. There are hints of Goodfellas (the tracking shots, the narrative structure) and Scarface (Vergara's shifting performance across six episodes) along with the familiar Narcos vibe, but the show doesn't really coast on these influences, instead offering up a story that fits alongside those other shows and movies but has a vibe of its own.

7.5

Griselda

at Netflix

Like

• Vergara shows off her dramatic range
• Great period detail and vibe

Dislike

• The story cuts corners and glosses over some plot points

When we first meet Griselda Blanco, she's wounded and fleeing her husband, taking her kids away from Colombia and going to live with a friend in Miami, where she can start a new life. Despite her assurance that she's leaving the drug trafficking life behind, Griselda tries to establish a life for herself in America by selling the single kilo of coke that she smuggled into the States in her child's suitcase. Of course, there's no such thing as selling a single kilo of coke and then riding off into the sunset, and what follows is a six-episode story chronicling Griselda's path to establishing a drug empire and becoming "The Queen of Cocaine" in Miami, complete with warring drug gangs, sniveling snitches, government informants, and plenty of gory violence.

To be clear, Griselda isn't really reinventing the wheel here. These six episodes represent a pretty standard narrative, as we watch Griselda stumble through her first few drug deals in Miami before eventually building her confidence and becoming a menacing figure in the world of drug trafficking. One of the downsides of the limited series is that it can only cover so much territory across six episodes, which leaves some of the storytelling feeling rushed and some of Griselda's motivations insufficiently explored. If you know anything about the real Griselda Blanco, you know that her life is filled with details that would add depth and realism to the character portrayed here, and it's hard to ignore that most of what's left out, namely anything about Blanco's childhood, robs this specific story of some richer character exploration.

With that said, Vergara makes up for most of the holes in her character's motivation, indulging in a dramatic performance that's miles away from her most famous turn on the sitcom Modern Family. Vergara brilliantly shapeshifts across these six episodes, showing Blanco first as a vulnerable, sometimes clumsy, but also assured woman, before morphing her into a powerhouse drug lord whose ruthless ambitions might end up being her downfall. It's a magnetic performance that elevates the familiar storytelling and makes Griselda a must-watch for any fans of gritty crime dramas. 

Premieres: Thursday, Jan. 25 on Netflix
Who's in it: Sofia Vergara, Alberto Guerra, Martin Rodriguez, Vanessa Ferlito
Who's behind it: Doug Miro, Eric Newman, Carlo Bernard, Ingrid Escajeda (creators)
For fans of: Narcos, Snowfall, Queen of the South
How many episodes we watched: 6 of 6