Griselda review: Netflix narcotics show is just fine

❘ Published: 2024-01-17T17:00:00

Netflix

The team behind Narcos and Narcos Mexico is back with another narcotics scandal – but this time, we can’t help feeling like we’ve seen Griselda before.

If streaming platforms have proved a point time and time again, it’s that audiences love a good drug scandal. From Big Pharma documentaries to aforementioned shows such as Narcos, narcotics tend to hold a guaranteed sense of appeal to the average viewer. It makes sense, then, for Griselda to come along and knock the socks off of those who watch it, yet it falls just short of doing so.

Netflix has started off on a strong foot with its 2024 slate, largely thanks to the success of Fool Me Once and The Brothers Sun. While one has a strong IP, the other has exceptional craft and stunning action sequences. Griselda has neither, nor really sings the full praises of its subject matter. This doesn’t mean it’s awful or not worth watching, but it does blur into a broader, more forgettable picture.

As the title suggests, the limited series follows the life and rise to power of Griselda Blanco, one of Colombia’s most notorious drug lords. Unlike her rivals, who would fear the outcome of extradition to the U.S., Blanco makes it her home, running her trade out of Miami in the 1980s. In turn, viewers see Modern Family star Sofia Vergara in her first dramatic role – which shows flair, but can never truly escape her vibrant real-life persona.

Vergara flexes her dramatic chops

As far as Vergara is concerned – who also serves as an executive producer on the show – she didn’t want to look anything like herself, or her Modern Family character. At a recent press conference, she stated “The most important thing for me was to disappear. Sofia to disappear, Gloria from Modern Family to disappear. I didn’t want people to think it was Gloria with a fake nose.” However, although the star never intended to look directly like Blanco, plenty of Vergara’s true character shines through. Even with a fake nose, eyebrows, and lots of facial change, viewers can’t help but feel that they are watching Vergara over Griselda in the Netflix adaptation.

What’s particularly joyous to see is that dialogue is just as much in Spanish as it is in English. In Spanish-led scenes, Vergara’s inhibitions drop completely, feeling Griselda’s peaks and pits from her heart without needing to think about it. It’s easier for us to make the comparisons when we see Vergara act in English, though she consistently gives it her all.

Griselda is very much an ensemble series, though Vergara’s name is probably the only one that’s overly familiar to Western audiences. The supporting cast effortlessly gels into the unfolding storyline, dancing to the tune that Vergara is setting in her leading role. It might be Griselda Blanco’s world in 1980s Florida, but both the cast and series itself highlight how dependent she was on the strengths of those around her.

We’ve sort of seen it all before

If viewers are wondering whether they’ll remember Griselda six months down the line, they’re probably right to be concerned. As far as bingeing goes, the Netflix series falls into a dangerous category – being good enough, but not being too much. As a result, the depiction of Blanco’s life is often adequate, not bringing anything new to the wider social conversation. The show’s USP seems to be showing a strong and independent woman in her own right, but whether it achieves this successfully is certainly up for debate.

After watching its six episodes, many might be left wondering – have we seen this all before? It’s possible that both a tale of narcotics supremacy and a woman finding her own feet have been better tackled separately, with the blending of the two worlds resulting in something that is likely to fly under the radar. In short, there’s little in the way of magic spark here – viewers may often feel as lost as Blanco does in the earlier episodes of the series.

That being said, a great deal of thought and research has obviously been put into this. Shootouts are deadly, the 1970s is effortlessly edgy, and Griselda’s growing web of a drug cartel is never confusing. There’s certainly a warmth in its undertones, which doesn’t go unnoticed.

Griselda review score: 3/5

Viewers will certainly enjoy Griselda in the moment, but they’ll be hard-pressed to remember it as time goes by. Sofia Vergara continuously works hard to remove herself from her Modern Family shadow, but an adequate storyline can often overshadow her progress.

Griselda streams on Netflix from January 25. Check out our other Netflix hubs below: