queen of the south It is the most successful series produced by the American television channel Telemundo. In addition, it is one of the most famous Spanish-speaking series in history. This series created by Roberto Stopello has three seasons. The first was released in 2011, the second in 2019, and a third installment is on the air.
In what we expect and to prepare before its premiere in streaming in Latin America, we tell you everything you need to know about queen of the south.
You may also be interested in: When I Met El Chapo: The Story of Kate del Castillo.
The origin of the iconic story of The Queen of the South
queen of the south is based on the book of the same name written by Arturo Pérez Reverte and published in 2002. The Spaniard began his career working as a journalist, but for several years he became a full-time author.
Although Pérez wrote about many political conflicts throughout his career as a journalist, he says that he did not rely on any real person to create the character of Teresa Mendoza. However, he was inspired by various corridos from different bands such as Los Tigres del Norte and Los Tucanes de Tijuana.
For example, in the famous corrido «Party in the Sierra» of Los Tucanes de Tijuana mentions a woman known as «La Reina del Pacífico». That name is the alias by which the infamous drug trafficker Sandra Ávila Beltrán is known. She played a key role within the Sinaloa cartel for several years, until she was apprehended by authorities in 2007.
The lyrics of this corrido describe it as «A beautiful lady“, and refers to her as”that big business” Y “a very heavy lady«. In another corrido composed by Los Tigres del Norte called «Queen of Queens“They talk about what a woman is like who” does not bow before the law.
queen of the south
In addition, Ávila Beltrán is the niece of both Rafael Caro Quintero and Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, two of the most famous drug traffickers in the Guadalajara cartel. Interestingly, the lives of both men also inspired a television series: the acclaimed Netflix production Narcos: Mexico.
But not only this, but she was also married twice to men who, ironically, were police commanders. Both men were killed, and this is another similarity the Queen of the Pacific has to the Queen of the South, as her husband also died an untimely death.
For all this, it is almost impossible to deny that Ávila Beltrán was the main inspiration for the creation of Teresa Mendoza.
The role that defined a career
Mexican actress Kate del Castillo (The same moon) began his career when he was just 19 years old. However, she became a global star thanks to his starring role in queen of the south. Today, it is impossible to think of her and not immediately think of the character of Teresa Mendoza.
In the series, Teresa is a woman born in Culiacán who becomes involved in the world of drug trafficking when she marries a pilot who is closely related to the Sinaloa cartel. However, after her death, she is forced to flee the country and take up residence in southern Spain. There, she once again plunges into a life of crime but as the head of her own organization.
In the book, Mendoza is always described as a woman, elegant, intelligent, beautiful, and with great business skills. Thanks to Kate’s talent, all of those traits translate perfectly to the small screen incarnation of her.
Among the other members of the cast, the Mexican Humberto Zurita (under the shrapnel), who plays Epifanio Vargas. Vargas is responsible for the death of Teresa’s husband, and is also heavily involved in the world of politics. It is because of him that, despite the power she gained in Spain, the Queen of the South decides to return to Mexico to seek revenge and prevent Vargas from being elected as senator of Sinaloa.
Also, mention should be made of the great role played by the Spanish Cristina Urgel (Light) as Patricia O’Farrell, a woman Mendoza meets in jail who helps her start her business. In addition to them, the cast also includes Rafael Amaya as “El Güero”, Iván Sánchez as “El Gallego”, and Alejandro Calva as “Batman”, among others.
a resounding success
With a budget of 10 million US dollars, queen of the south it was the second most expensive series produced by Telemundo. However, this huge investment definitely paid off. Throughout the time it was on the air, La reina del sur broke several audience records and even “marked a before and after for Hispanic television”.
It was for this reason that they decided to renew it for a second season, even though the first one covered all the events of the book. Kate del Castillo acknowledged that at first she was not convinced to play Mendoza again, but in the end she agreed to do it and she had a very positive reception from the audience. Thanks to this, Kate will also participate in the third season.
The second season of the series was produced by Telemundo in collaboration with Netflix. Thus, its popularity grew even more thanks to the fact that it is available on this popular platform. Likewise, the third season will also be produced with the help of this giant of streaming.
Most of the recording of the first season took place in Spain, although it was also recorded in Morocco, the United States, and of course, in Mexico. The production of the second season took place in Spain once again. However, it was revealed that most of the third season will be filmed in Peru and other Latin American countries.
In addition, an American version of the series was also created titled Queen of the Southwhich today has 5 seasons.
A series riddled with controversies
Like all series that deal with the lives of drug dealers, queen of the south has been surrounded by controversy. Since its premiere in 2011, when it was broadcast by Galavisión, there were many people who asked that it be withdrawn from programming.
Its sexually explicit scenes were what annoyed some audiences the most, as was its excessive use of violence. Furthermore, one of its main criticisms is that it glorifies and idealizes the life of drug dealers for our entertainment. This is understandable, since the violence caused by the war against drug trafficking is one of the biggest problems in our country.
The authorities even went so far as to protest the broadcast of the series. In Culiacán, the government requested that the transmission be interrupted, citing the Sinaloa Law that prohibits narcocorridos, since the musical theme of the series belongs to this genre.
Also, the Undersecretary of Regulations and Media of the Ministry of the Interior argued that it violated an article of the Federal Law on Radio and Television that prohibits content that glorifies violence.
queen of the south
However, the biggest scandal in which she was definitely involved was the fateful meeting between Kate del Castillo, the American actor Sean Penn, and “El Chapo” Guzmán. The actress was invited to meet with the drug lord after she read a tweet in which she claimed to trust him more than the government. At this meeting, “El Chapo” would grant her the rights to tell the story of her life.
Being one of the most wanted fugitives by the authorities, the Mexican government was clearly not happy with the fact that this meeting was held. The country’s Attorney General’s Office launched an investigation against her as a result of this, and also for alleged money laundering.
Today there is a legal order to apprehend and interrogate the actress, but it is only valid within Mexican territory. Because of this, Kate has not returned to the country since 2016, and queen of the south no longer recorded here.
To all this, where can you see queen of the south?
The first two seasons of queen of the south are available to view on the platform streaming from Netflix. These have 63 and 60 episodes respectively, so you definitely have time to binge the entire series before its third season premieres.
When does the third season premiere? The new chapters of queen of the south they will arrive on December 30, 2022 to Netflix.