Rotten Tomatoes
Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Season 1 – El Chapo

Play trailer Poster for Season 1 – El Chapo Apr 2017 Action Crime Drama Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
Tomatometer 3 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán is notorious for being one of the biggest drug kingpins in history, but he obviously didn't start out at the top. This crime drama tracks El Chapo's life in crime, from his lowly beginnings in the Guadalajara Cartel in the 1980s through his rise to power -- and eventual fall -- as the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. Along the way, he battles enemies and people who try to stop him from building his empire.
Watch on Netflix Stream Now

Where to Watch

El Chapo — Season 1

Critics Reviews

View More
James Donaghy Guardian 06/27/2017
It would be wrong to characterise El Chapo as simply another gory story about opium-fuelled ultraviolence... Over time, it becomes a comment on the idea of Mexico as a failed state and the larger scandal of the failed war on drugs. Go to Full Review Jade Budowski Decider 12/19/2017
El Chapo is largely delivered in Spanish - but the show's intensity ensures you'll quickly forget you're reading subtitles and instead be on the edge of your seat wondering what move the kingpin might make next. Go to Full Review Peter Crawley Irish Times 08/14/2017
That it resembles some of the action of Narcos - the competition, the government, the grisly warnings and wars - but none of its intrigue is one problem. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
TimJourdanMedia T @RT79385483 09/05/2024 If you are coming directly from ,Narcos, it is very low quality in comparison. The acting is okey but nothing amazing, the dialogue feels corny, the camerawork is bland and the colorgrade is soulless. The worst is the choice of background music, missing to have any real impact or unable to create proper tension in certain scenes. I get that the series did not have the big budget like narcos but it underdelivered a lot. Like even during the gunfights, the guns have no recoil and it looks like they just added the same ,gunfire, png to all guns... The story is good, the acting is okey, the editing and camerawork is subpar and the musical arrangement is horrid. See more 12/08/2021 In comparison to Narcos: Mexico S1, it pales. Narcos: Mexico which clearly describes the players and their organizations and the power struggles among them. El Chapo does not. I just don't think it's that well scripted or acted, for that matter. OTOH, Narcos: Mexico has a bunch of appealing actors, in the American style! As a side note, I was shocked to see that the pivotal 1988 election theft and the pivotal role of Miguel Angel is essentially not mentioned. 3 stars is kind, tbh. See more 07/01/2020 Terrible successor to Narcos Mexico. They made Felix an old cholo with zero acting skills and while he doesn't get much screen time, it is enough to not watch this series further. I did though, the rest of the acting is also pretty bad. See more 04/07/2019 Not as well-dramatized as Narcos, and that makes El Chapo far more real. The season shows how an otherwise average drug-dealer is able to become a lord, partly through his own gumption and trickery, partly luck and partly the cowardice/corruption of those around. See more 12/14/2018 I'm trying to watch it but so far the acting is so bad lol. And I must be only 10 minutes in. See more erroll f @Repok 12/09/2018 Outstanding series based on perhaps the most prominent drug lord of all. With the fast pacing at times, the sub titles can be difficult to process, but a small price to pay for an engrossing TV experience. See more Read all reviews
El Chapo — Season 1

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

Silvana Aguirre

Creator

Carlos Contreras

Creator

Marco De La O

Joaquín Guzmán

Humberto Busto

Conrado Sol

Juan Carlos Olivas

El Güero

Alejandro Aguilar

Toño

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Apr 23, 2017 Episode 1 Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán must fulfill his promise to Pablo Escobar of moving cocaine across the border under a shortened timeline -- or pay the price. Details Episode 2 Aired Apr 23, 2017 Episode 2 Chapo wants to achieve patron status, but he feels uneasy and disrespected amongst other drug lords; Miguel Angel must make a decision. Details Episode 3 Aired Apr 30, 2017 Investigación The Mexican government recruits Amado to help control the escalating violence; the Avendaño brothers cross a line. Details Episode 4 Aired Apr 30, 2017 Nuevas alianzas A mass airport shooting arouses suspicion; meanwhile, a prominent cardinal dies; Ramon brings in a group of sicarios in a hunt for El Chapo. Details Episode 5 Aired May 7, 2017 Episode 5 The government puts a bounty on El Chapo's head, and he is forced to go into hiding; while in the dark, he plans to flee the country. Details Episode 6 Aired May 7, 2017 Episode 6 Don Sol feeds information to Gabriela as she looks for a victim to go on the record against Gen. Blanco; Chapo meets with a drug lord in Guatemala. Details Episode 7 Aired May 14, 2017 Episode 7 Don Sol continues to climb up the political ladder as he interrogates El Chapo; the drug lord offers him information in exchange for a deal. Details Episode 8 Aired May 14, 2017 Episode 8 Violence surrounds Gen. Blanco; El Chapo tries to acclimate to life in prison, but gets a rude awakening when he tries to bribe a guard. Details Episode 9 Aired May 21, 2017 Episode 9 The story of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, from his lowly beginnings in 1985 in the Guadalajara cartel to his rise to power and fall, as the boss of the Sinaloa Cartel. Details

More Like This

View All
Sobreviviendo a Escobar - Alias JJ % 88% Sobreviviendo a Escobar - Alias JJ Watchlist Narcos: Mexico 90% 67% Narcos: Mexico Watchlist TRAILER for Narcos: Mexico The Bridge 88% 83% The Bridge Watchlist Hotel Cocaine 17% 77% Hotel Cocaine Watchlist TRAILER for Hotel Cocaine Sacred Games 71% 81% Sacred Games Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Related TV News

View All
2017 Spring/Summer TV Premiere Dates
View All

El Chapo — Season 1

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Netflix Photo Credit: Courtesy of Netflix Photo Credit: Courtesy of Netflix Photo Credit: Courtesy of Netflix Photo Credit: Courtesy of Netflix View more photos

Season Info

Director
Ernesto Contreras, Manuel Cravioto
Creator
Silvana Aguirre, Carlos Contreras
Network
UNI
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
Action, Crime, Drama, Biography
Original Language
Spanish
Release Date
Apr 23, 2017
More Top TV Picks Netflix