Griselda (Netflix series 2024)
Griselda is a genuinely thrilling new Netflix series that plays like a cross between Scarface and The Godfather.
It already got a lot of attention, because the family of the titular character tried to get it banned before release.
This crime drama series is based on the life and times of Colombian-born Griselda Blanco, who in the 1980’s became a queenpin of the Miami cocaine trade, and was also rumored to be part of the Medellin drugs cartel.
The new series, from the creative minds of the highly successful Narcos-team, plays fast and loose with the facts, but don’t let that stop you from sniffing the goods, especially if you’re in the mood for some character driven mayhem and violence.
Griselda is a dream project for Colombian superstar Sofia Vergara, who became a household name in Hollywood through the popular comedy series Modern Family, for which she received multiple Emmy nominations.
Griselda gives her the chance to show off a very different side of herself as an actress. She plays a tough and uncompromising character, who grew up under difficult circumstances and throughout the series is basically taking revenge on a world that didn’t have a place for her.
That doesn’t mean she is portrayed as a heroine, because she definitely wasn’t. She was, in Vergara’s own words, ‘a woman, a mother, a drug lord and a killer.’ In fact, she didn’t show any mercy at all to her enemies and according to legend even the infamous Pablo Escobar was afraid of her.
For Sofia Vergara it must have been a delight to show Hollywood what she is capable of. Even though there are lots of side characters, she is in every scene, commanding attention, respect and fear everywhere she goes.
The production design does a marvelous job of conjuring up the late seventies and early eighties, the cinematography is equally impressive, while the superb soundtrack adds to the feel of the series, conveying the sense of fun and hedonism the time period is known for, especially in sunny (but bloodshot) Miami, Florida.
Griselda (the series) plays like a cross between The Godfather and Scarface, as Griselda (the character) goes from ambitious and confident to world weary and paranoid.
Griselda achieved her dream but ultimately paid a high price for her life of crime. I’m always a bit mixed on the way criminals are routinely glamorized, but based on the first couple of episodes I would say that Griselda is definitely worth the watch.