# Kingpin (2003)

> A Mexican drug trafficker tries to hold his family and his cartel together as rivals and rot close in around him.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/4318

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 6
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, drama
- Created by: David Mills
- Network: NBC
- Cast: Yancey Arias, Sheryl Lee, Bobby Cannavale, Angela Alvarado, Brian Benben, Shay Roundtree, Neko Parham, Eduardo Palomo
- TMDB rating: 7.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0324865/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: dark, brooding, tense, intense

## What critics say

Critics found Kingpin a dark, ambitious crime drama held back by uneven execution and a short run that cut off its story.

## Synopsis

Kingpin (2003) is an American crime drama miniseries created by David Mills for NBC. Across six hour-long episodes, it follows Miguel Cadena (Yancey Arias), a Mexican drug trafficker whose ambitions pull his household into the cartel's violence. His wife Marlene (Sheryl Lee) finds herself bound to a life she cannot leave, while his volatile brother Chato (Bobby Cannavale) pushes the family toward ever riskier moves. Delia Flores (Angela Alvarado) and Captain Lazareno (Eduardo Palomo) add pressure from the edges of the law and the underworld. Each episode builds the tension of a family trying to hold a criminal empire together while rivals and authorities close in. Its mood is dark, brooding and morally heavy, with a prestige ambition shaped by the influence of The Sopranos and The Godfather. Fans of The Sopranos, The Godfather and Macbeth will find resonance in its portrait of ambition, betrayal and a household sliding into ruin.

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