‘Narcos’ is one of the best crime-drama television series you can find on Netflix. The show initially explored the rise and fall of Colombian drug cartels, primarily focusing on the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar and the Medellín Cartel in the first two seasons. Later on, the mainline series got its first companion series in the form of ‘Narcos: Mexico,’ which focused on the creation and rise of the Guadalajara Cartel in Mexico. In 2024, ‘Griselda’ was released, a series focusing on Griselda Blanco dubbed “the godmother of cocaine.” Despite the show taking place in roughly the same timeline and having the same showrunners, it is not officially a part of the ‘Narcos’ Universe. It’s not a crossover or a spinoff, but rather a standalone show.
Still, if we include ‘Griselda’ ‘Narcos’ franchise currently has 7 seasons with 66 episodes spanning all three series, and in this article, we’re bringing you the right order to watch them.
Editor’s Note: This watch was updated in January 2024 with the release of ‘Griselda.’
All ‘Narcos’ seasons in release date order
The first show ‘Narcos’ ran from August 2015 until September 2017. Initially, the show was scheduled to have one more season, but instead, the showrunners decided to run it in a different direction and reset the show from the ground. This is how ‘Narcos: Mexico’ was created. ‘Narcos: Mexico’ ran from November 2018 until November 5, 2021. Both shows have three seasons each. ‘Griselda’ was released on Netflix on January 25, 2024, and consists of a single season spanning 6 episodes.
- ‘Narcos’ Season 1 (2015) – 10 episodes
- ‘Narcos’ Season 2 (2016) – 10 episodes
- ‘Narcos’ Season 3(2017) – 10 episodes
- ‘Narcos: Mexico’ Season 1 (2018) – 10 episodes
- ‘Narcos: Mexico’ Season 2 (2020) – 10 episodes
- ‘Narcos: Mexico’ Season 3 (2021) – 10 episodes
- ‘Griselda’ (2024) – 6 episodes
Are all seasons of ‘Narcos’ connected with ‘Griselda’? What’s the best order to watch them?
”Narcos’ and ”Narcos: Mexico’ are connected but not in the way you would think. While ‘Narcos’ primarily focuses on the rise and fall of the Medellín Cartel in Colombia, ‘Narcos: Mexico’ serves as a sort of companion series that explores the origins and growth of the Guadalajara Cartel in Mexico.
The first three seasons of ‘Narcos’ cover the story of Pablo Escobar and the Medellín Cartel, while ‘Narcos: Mexico’ starts from the beginning, examining the emergence of the Mexican drug trade and the formation of powerful cartels. The issue of the exact watch order depends on whether you are watching the series for the first time or you’re looking to get the most accurate timeline possible. If you are new to the franchise, it would be best to watch it in release date order. If you have experience with the franchise and you’re familiar with the time periods that they cover, it would be good to watch it in chronological order.
When it comes to ‘Griselda’ it deals with roughly the same timelines and themes but the showrunners stated on several occasions that ‘Griselda’ is separate from the world of Narcos and as such, the shows are not connected to each other. The best course of action is to watch ‘Griselda’ in its original release date order.
‘Narcos’ series in chronological order
The original ‘Narcos’ series covers the period between the late 1970s to early 1990s. Pablo Escobar became a major player in the cocaine trade during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and his cartel’s operations reached their peak in the mid to late 1980s. ‘Narcos: Mexico’ covers roughly the same period and covers a different cartler altogether. It starts in the late 1970s and continues into the 1980s, exploring the early days of the Mexican drug trade and the rise of the Guadalajara Cartel.
As you can see by the timeline alone, there is a lot of overlap between the series as far as the years ago. In theory, you could watch one season of ‘Narcos’ and then move to one season of ‘Narcos: Mexico’ but there is a far more accurate chronological order of the ‘Narcos’ franchise, and it stands like this:
- ‘Narcos’ Season 1 Episode 1
- ‘Narcos: Mexico’ Season 1 Episode 1
- ‘Narcos’ Season 1 Episode 2
- ‘Narcos: Mexico’ Season 1 Episode 2
- ‘Narcos’ Season 1 Episode 3
- ‘Narcos: Mexico’ Season 1 Episode 3
- ‘Narcos’ Season 1 Episode 4
- ‘Narcos: Mexico’ Season 1 Episode 4 – Season 2 Episode 10
- ‘Narcos’ Season 1 Episode 5 – Episode 6
- ‘Narcos: Mexico’ Season 3 Episode 1
- ‘Narcos’ Season 1 Episode 7 – Episode 9
- ‘Narcos: Mexico’ Season 3 Episodes 2 – 3
- ‘Narcos’ Season 1 Episode 10
- ‘Narcos’ Season 2 Episode 1 – Episode 10
- ‘Narcos: Mexico’ Season 3 Episodes 4- 5
- ‘Narcos’ Season 3 Episodes 1-5
- ‘Narcos: Mexico’ Season 3 Episode 6
- ‘Narcos’ Season 3 Episodes 6 – 10
- ‘Narcos: Mexico’ Season 3 Episodes 7-10
- ‘Griselda’ Season 1 Episodes 1 – 6
The addition of ‘Griselda’ to this timeline wouldn’t make sense as we’ve said since the show takes place in 70′ and 80′ with the earliest point in the show taking place in 1964. There aren’t too many touch-points between the three series and watching ‘Griselda’ between ‘Narcos’ episodes would seem like you’re watching something altogether different, this is why it’s best to follow Griselda’s timeline as a standalone story.
Where to watch all seasons of ‘Narcos’?
Both ‘Narcos’ and ‘Narcos: Mexico’ and ‘Griselda’ can be watched on Netflix. All three shows are Netflix originals, so for the best viewing experience, this is where you should be heading.
Are there going to be more seasons of ‘Narcos’?
Sadly, ‘Narcos’ franchise has ended its run, and there won’t be any additional seasons made. Originally, ‘Narcos: Mexico’ was supposed to have a fourth season, but the show was concluded in 2021 with the release of a third season. There are small chances that some other drug cartel might be picked up to adapt, but there’s nothing concrete about it, and as far as it stands, ‘Narcos’ franchise is over. As far as ‘Griselda’ franchise goes, it’s more or less the same. The show was never meant to have several seasons and Griselda’s story is pretty much done as far as Netflix is concerned.
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