# La Reina del Sur (2011)

> A woman of humble origins rises to become a drug trafficking legend.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/29091

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 183
- Episode runtime: 42 min
- Status: Returning Series
- Genres: crime, drama
- Created by: Roberto Stopello, Lina Uribe, Darío Villegas
- Network: Telemundo
- Cast: Kate del Castillo, Rafael Amaya, Humberto Zurita, Iván Sánchez, Cristina Urgel, Alberto Jiménez, Miguel de Miguel, Santiago Meléndez
- TMDB rating: 7.8/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1704637/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: brutal
- Tone: melodramatic, intense, operatic, gritty

## What critics say

Audiences broadly rate the series positively, with strong praise for its lead performance and dramatic momentum, though the final season is widely considered weaker.

## Synopsis

La Reina del Sur (2011-present) is a Spanish-language American crime drama series created by Roberto Stopello, Lina Uribe and Darío Villegas for Telemundo. Kate del Castillo plays Teresa Mendoza, a woman of humble origins who builds a drug trafficking empire and becomes a legend, while Rafael Amaya, Humberto Zurita and Iván Sánchez play principal figures tied to her world. Its engine is ambition colliding with loyalty and betrayal, as Teresa must outmaneuver rival traffickers, corrupt officials and dangerous partners to keep her position. The series unfolds as a long serialized saga of three seasons, its story carried across alliances, double crosses and violent reprisals. It is a Telemundo production with the heightened emotional register of a telenovela, blending melodrama with gritty crime. Set in the drug underworld of Mexico and beyond, it is steeped in cartel culture, glamour and danger. Fans of Narcos, Pablo Escobar, El Patron del Mal and other rise-and-fall crime sagas will find resonance in its blend of operatic romance and brutal criminal business.

## Shows like La Reina del Sur

- [Sin senos sí hay paraíso (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/59247)
- [El Chapo (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/62359)
- [El Capo (2009)](https://ember.film/tv/28808)
- [Capadocia (2008)](https://ember.film/tv/28912)
- [Queen of the South (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/58743)
- [Griselda Blanco: The Black Widow (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/54124)
- [Pablo Escobar: The Drug Lord (2012)](https://ember.film/tv/39529)
- [Senora Acero (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/56546)
- [La piloto (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/63053)
- [The Club (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/80598)

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