Netflix’s 94% Crime Thriller Is Officially Dead, but Its Legacy Is Bigger Than Ever

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Boyd Holbrook and Paulina Gaitan in Narcos

Published Jul 6, 2026, 11:52 PM EDT

Giovana Gelhoren is a High-Trending Topics Writer at Collider, covering the most-talked-about stars, movies, and TV shows. Before joining Collider, she was a Digital News Writer at People Magazine and served as Associate Editor at SheKnows, where she honed her expertise in celebrity coverage and entertainment journalism.

A proud Latina from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Giovana graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Journalism and International Studies. She has interviewed countless celebrities, including Anne Hathaway, Halle Berry, Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Brenda Song, and is known for her encyclopedic knowledge of film, TV, and pop culture.

From 2015 to 2017, Netflix's true-crime drama Narcos made history on the platform. Drawing in millions of viewers and enthralling fans in every chapter, the three-season and 30-episode series became a blueprint on how to make a true-crime story still feel modern, dynamic and high stakes, no matter how many viewers knew how Pablo Escobar's life panned out. With fast-paced writing, sharp directing and incredible performances from stars like Wagner Moura and Pedro Pascal, the series hit the jackpot, and became proof of the potential true-crime TV had.

Since the end of the series, TV has shifted to reflect Narcos' success. From its spin-off series, Narcos: Mexico, to some less connected TV shows on Netflix and beyond, the series has undoubtedly helped turn gritty, true-crime-inspired cartel dramas into one of TV’s most durable prestige genres. So, as Narcos creator Chris Brancato confirms the end of the Narcos franchise, the series' legacy will continue to live on.

'Narcos' Became a Proof of Concept

For those who still haven't tuned in to the series, Narcos largely focused on the infamous Colombian drug lord as the leader of the Medellín Cartel. After reaching a tragic end in the Season 2 finale of the show, Narcos continued on in Season 3, picking up after Escobar's fall and focusing on the rise of the Cali Cartel. At every step of the way, the series was beloved by viewers and critics alike. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series soared with viewers with a 94% on the Popcornmeter, as well as reaching an average 89% among critics. Among the praise, critics highlighted the series' non-stop, nail-biting action and storytelling, leaving viewers at the edge of their seats in every episode. "Narcos is power-packed, addictive and worth the ten hours you'll spend stuck to your screen," wrote one review.

By doing so, the series proved that while many viewers knew Escobar's fate, and perhaps even details about how his drug empire came about, viewers can still flock to a show that is equal parts historically accurate as it is entertaining. In fact, having the events based on real-life events not only didn't remove the series' sense of danger or scale, but worked in its favor with viewers tuning in to learn more, and getting sucked into the action with a larger emotional depth.

The 'Narcos' Legacy Has Lived On

Since coming to an end in 2017, Narcos' legacy has continued to live on. In fact, a big chunk of that is linked to Brancato, who has since worked on Narcos: Mexico, Hotel Cocaine, Godfather of Harlem and The Westies, which is set to come out on July 12, 2026. "One could argue [that] every single crime show [of mine] since Narcos is another iteration of Narcos," he told Deadline. "For sure, we have a few things cooking that are in the crime genre that will give Narcos a run for its money." The Westies, for instance, which will star Titus Welliver and J. K. Simmons, is another true-story crime drama, this time following the notorious Irish-American mob that ruled New York's Hell's Kitchen from the 1960s through the 1980s.

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But Brancato's work isn't the only way in which Narcos' legacy lives on. Shows like 2024's Griselda, starring Sofía Vergara on Netflix, 2020's ZeroZeroZero, which is often considered one of the best prestige crime dramas after Narcos, and Snowfall, which has spanned six seasons on Hulu, can all be linked to Narcos' success in the genre.

Therefore, while Narcos came to an end after three seasons in 2017, the series has backed a gritty, nail-biting subgenre that will continue to live on for years after its success. Plus, with Brancato carrying on his niche with exciting new shows like The Westies, Narcos' finale was certainly less like a closed door and more like the start of a much bigger TV legacy.

Release Date 2015 - 2017

Network Netflix

Showrunner Chris Brancato

Directors Andrés Baiz, Josef Kubota Wladyka, Fernando Coimbra, Gerardo Naranjo, Guillermo Navarro

Writers Andrew Black, Julie Siege, Nick Schenk, Dana Calvo, Clayton Trussell, Zachary Reiter, Allison Abner, Adam Fierro, Steve Lightfoot, David Matthews