El Capo

El Capo, the most wanted drug dealer in Mexico, has been intercepted while hiding with his trusted men, his wife and his lover. During his escape, he declares war on the government and his own past.

El Capo (2009-2014) is a Colombian national-television narco telenovela created by Gustavo Bolívar for RCN. Marlon Moreno plays Pedro Pablo León Jaramillo, the most wanted drug dealer in Mexico, who is nicknamed El Capo. When he is intercepted while hiding with his trusted men, his wife and his lover, Katherine Vélez plays Isabel Cristina Marín, and the chase becomes a war he declares on the government and his own past. The engine of the series is the fugitive's struggle to protect his family and his empire while the authorities close in, with episodes built from hideouts, betrayals, shootouts and tense domestic confrontations. Across three seasons and roughly two hundred and twenty-six episodes, the story runs as one continuing serialized arc rather than standalone cases. Its tone mixes operatic melodrama with gritty crime, carrying the emotional excess of a soap opera into the violent world of the drug trade. Set in contemporary Mexico, the series has a grounded, sweeping atmosphere of paranoia and loyalty. Fans of Narcos and Pablo Escobar, El Patrón del Mal will find resonance in its narco-crime engine and its heightened family drama.

Audiences rated the series positively overall, with the first season praised and later seasons rated markedly lower.

• Narcosshared narco crime saga tones, drug kingpin protagonist, telenovela-style serialized melodrama
• Pablo Escobar, El Patrón del Malshared telenovela format, serialized melodrama of crime and family loyalty
• Breaking Badshared kingpin rise and fall, serialized crime-family intrigue, cartel violence

Created by

Gustavo Bolívar

Release Date

2009-08-24

Episode runtime

60 min

Rating

7.2 / 10 (1267)

What is El Capo about?

A Colombian telenovela-style narco drama following the most wanted drug dealer in Mexico as he hides with his family and lover while declaring war on the government and his own past.

What is El Capo like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of El Capo as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is El Capo violent?

Yes. Ember rates the violence in El Capo as brutal.

What did critics think of El Capo?

Audiences rated the series positively overall, with the first season praised and later seasons rated markedly lower.

Which shows are like El Capo?

Shows with a similar feel include Narcos, Pablo Escobar, El Patrón del Mal, and Breaking Bad.

How long is El Capo?

El Capo: 3 seasons, 226 episodes.

Is El Capo still running?

No, El Capo has ended.