Pedro Pascal has it all. He has a hand in several major franchises (including the Star Wars saga with his lead role on The Mandalorian and HBO’s series adaptation of the video game, The Last of Us), a devoted fan base representing multiple generations, and some pretty epic lines of dialogue under his belt. Let’s take a dive into some of the coolest things the MCU’s Mr. Fantastic actor has said throughout his celebrated career.

"I Can Bring You In Warm, Or I Can Bring You In Cold" - The Mandalorian

I was immediately sold on Pedro Pascal's cosmic bounty hunter, Din Djarin, in the hit Disney+ original TV show, The Mandalorian, as soon as he uttered these chilling words to his bounty in the opening moments of the premiere episode of the Star Wars spinoff.

"Sometimes You Gotta Do Bad Things To Catch Bad People" - Narcos

Pedro Pascal starred in the fact-based Netflix original crime drama, Narcos, as DEA agent Javier Peña. With this quote, he. demonstrate the lengths that someone in law enforcement sometimes must go to in the effort of making an arrest, especially if the perpetrator is a criminal as notorious and untouchable as Pablo Escobar (played by Wagner Moura).

"Because I Love You. In A Way You, You Can't Understand. Maybe You Never Will. But If That Day Should Come, If You Should Ever Have One Of Your Own, Well, Then, I Hope You Do A Little Better Than Me" - The Last Of Us

In one of the most heartbreaking episodes of The Last of Us, Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) finally reveals to Ellie (Bella Ramsey) that he saved her from the Fireflies because making a cure out of her immunity would have killed her. She finds this unforgivably selfish, but his explanation for why he chose her over the remaining human race, echoing something his father told him in his youth, hit me harder than nearly anything I have seen on the post-apocalyptic HBO series.

"After I Turn Sad, I Grow Angry" - Game Of Thrones

Widely considered to be Pedro Pascal's Hollywood breakthrough, including by the actor himself in a video for GQ, is when he joined the Game of Thrones cast as Oberyn Martell in the fantasy series' fourth season. The sharp-tongued prince is noted for having a complex range of emotions, as he sums up quite efficiently with this brief collection of words.

"My Son Don't Have ADD! He Just Like To Jump!" - Saturday Night Live

Pedro Pascal made his hosting debut on Saturday Night Live in an episode that featured one of the most popular bits from the celebrated sketch comedy TV show's 48th season. In it, he plays the eponymous, Spanish-speaking "Protective Mom" of Louis (Marcello Hernandez), who does not approve of his new, white girlfriend, Britney (Chloe Fineman), and insists to her that her son does not need to take ADD medication.

"When You Grow Up Without Something You... End Up Spending A Lot Of Time Thinking About It" - The Wild Robot

Pedro Pascal lent his voice to the instant classic family film, The Wild Robot, in the heart-stealing role of Fink the Fox, who becomes an unlikely ally to the lost, A.I.-powered being, Roz (Lupita Nyong'o). In one scene, he explains to his new mechanical friend the concept of love, adding that he knows a lot about it because he never received it in his youth.

"I Cried Through The Entire Thing. It Made Me Want To Be A Better Man" - The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent

In The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Pedro Pascal stars opposite Nicolas Cage, playing a wildly exaggerated version of himself, as the wealthy Javi Gutiérrez, who wants nothing more than to see the Face/Off star visit his home for his birthday. The Oscar winner and billionaire end up really hitting it off and bond over their love of movies like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Paddington 2, the latter of which Javi convinces Cage to watch by describing it as life-changing.

"I Don't Know If You Like Me Or If You Just Like The Places I Take You" - Materialists

In writer and director Seline Song's 2025 A24 movie, Materialists, Pedro Pascal stars as Harry, a wealthy New Yorker courting Dakota Johnson's matchmaker, Lucy, while uncertain if she reciprocates his affection.

"Life Is Good! But It Can Be Better" - Wonder Woman 1984

In Wonder Woman 1984, Pedro Pascal plays multi-millionaire and media mogul Maxwell Lord, who is constantly asked by those he meets to repeat his famous catchphrase, which he always happily obliges. Fun fact: Patty Jenkins' 2020 sequel marked the actor's second time starring in an adaptation of the DC comic after appearing in a failed pilot for a Wonder Woman TV series from the mid-2000s.

"This Is The Way" - The Mandalorian

As a fan of The Mandalorian, I never tire of hearing Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin utter what is not just a simple catchphrase, but an expression of his devotion to his creed.

"The Next Thing I Know, I'm FaceTiming With A Six-Year-Old Who Has No Idea Who I Am Because My Character Wears A Mask For The Entire Show" - Saturday Night Live

In the opening monologue of his SNL debut, Pedro Pascal described a time when a fan stopped him and asked if he could say hello to his son, who is a fan of The Mandalorian. Unfortunately, he did not have Din Djarin's helmet and armor with him, so the encounter, via video chat, was seemingly not quite what the child might have hoped for.

"Well, I Feel A Little Lightheaded. Maybe If You Give Me A 60-lb Pack And I Slung A Buddy Over My Shoulder, I Can Make It" - Brothers & Sisters

One of Pedro Pascal's early TV roles was a guest spot on ABC's Brothers & Sisters as a homeless former Marine named Zack. In addition to poverty, he is also struggling to reintegrate himself into society, which he cheekily hints at after paramedic and fellow war veteran Justin Walker (Dave Annable) asks if he can walk to the ambulance by himself.

"Years ago, You Asked Me What Two Men Could Do Living Together On A Ranch. I'll Answer You Now. They Can Look After One Another, Protect Each Other. They Can Keep Each Other Company" - Strange Way Of Life

Pedro Pascal is an outspoken advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights and has even played a few members of the community, such as Silva in writer and director Pedro Almodóvar's 30-minute Western, Strange Way of Life. He portrays the role opposite Ethan Hawke as his former lover, Jake, to whom he provides a short, sweet summation of how a romantic relationship between two men is really no different from a relationship between a man and a woman.

"Wherever I Go, He Goes" - The Mandalorian

For all of its exciting action sequences and intriguing additions to Star Wars lore, the heart and soul of The Mandalorian and the one thing that keeps fans invested in the series is the impenetrable bond between Din Djarin and his foundling, Grogu, who was referred to as "Baby Yoda" early on.

"If You Love Someone, You Can Always See Their Face" - The Last Of Us

Some fans of The Last of Us believe that Joel goes too far in the Season 2 episode in which he kills the bitten Eugene (Joe Pantoliano), depriving him of the chance to see his wife once more, no matter how hard he pleads. I will give Pedro Pascal's character some credit, though, for the way he reminds the desperate man that he can still see Gail (Catherine O'Hara) right there and then if his love for her is strong enough.

"The Enemy Of My Enemy Is My Friend, Until He Becomes My Enemy Again. When That Happens, God Help Them" - Narcos

Here, Pedro Pascal's Narcos character, Javier Peña, expresses his personal variation on a seminal Sanskrit saying.

"Why Do You Make Sparkly, Fast, Romantic Montages Of Me Every Single Day?" - Saturday Night Live

When Pedro Pascal made his SNL hosting debut, the show included a sketch poking fun at his reputation as "the internet's daddy." In the bit, he plays a teacher presenting a school assembly about the rules of technology use on campus, during which he takes the opportunity to address weird "fancams" his students have made of him on TikTok.

"I Like Those Odds" - The Mandalorian

This quote from The Mandalorian is iconic for a couple of different reasons. On one hand, it shows that Din Djarin is a warrior of calculated skill, and on the other, it is the inverse of one of the most famous quotes from Harrison Ford's Star Wars character, Han Solo, which is, "Never tell me the odds."

"Size Doesn't Matter When You're Flat On Your Back" - Game Of Thrones

While Oberyn Martell's unbridled confidence is one of the reasons Game of Thrones fans fell in love with Pedro Pascal's character, it would also seal his downfall as one of the last things he said to The Mountain before the behemoth (played by three different actors) savagely murdered the prince.

"Wizard" - The Book Of Boba Fett

In an episode of The Book of Boba Fett that could more accurately be described as a Mandalorian bonus episode, Din Djarin uses this positive slang term, originating from 1999's Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, to express his satisfaction with his new ship, an N-1 Starfighter built by Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris).

"If You Say 'Look For The Light,' I Will Break Your Jaw" - The Last Of Us

In the first episode of The Last Of Us, we learn the Fireflies' hopeful slogan, "When you're lost in the darkness, look for the light," which Joel Miller has no patience for at this time.

"You Can't Keep Your Own Office Going, But You're Going To Run Mine. Leave You Mess Here And Start A Whole New One" - Eddington

In one of the best scenes from writer and director Ari Aster's satirical COVID-19-era Western, Eddington, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal), the mayor of the fictional eponymous town, confronts the local sheriff, Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix), about his recently announced mayoral campaign.

"What Good Is Being The King If Nobody Knows It?" - Narcos

With this Narcos quote, Pedro Pascal's Javier Peña points out a harsh truth that even the most powerful criminals are forced to contend with.

"It Is Rare To Meet A Lannister Who Shares My Enthusiasm For Dead Lannisters" - Game Of Thrones

This Game of Thrones quote is a testament to Oberyn Martell's passionately vengeful motivation against the Lannisters for the justice committed against his sister.

"I Don't Know. All I Know Is That When I Wake Up, I Know I've Lost Something" - The Last Of Us

No person goes a single night without dreaming, but not everybody remembers their dreams, despite still waking up with their emotional remnants. Joel Miller hints at being this kind of person in a The Last of Us episode in which his younger brother, Tommy (Gabriel Luna), asks what he dreams about. His answer also suggests that the tragic death of his daughter, Sarah (Nico Parker), haunts his subconscious.

"Are You A Jedi?" - The Mandalorian

Din Djarin's response to meeting Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in the Season 2 finale of The Mandalorian has gone down in history as one of the series' most unintentionally hilarious lines.

"Storytelling Is Lying-Adjacent, And I Lie For A Living. Watch And Learn" - The Wild Robot

In The Wild Robot, Fink the Fox uses his talent for dishonesty to teach Roz how to tell Brightbill a bedtime story.

"I Have 34 First Cousins... I Know They're Proud Because They Give My Phone Number To Every Single Person They Meet" - Saturday Night Live

Pedro Pascal did not shy away from poking fun at his extensive family from his home country of Chile, adding that he gets calls and texts on a daily basis asking to wish fans a happy birthday, questions about Grogu, etc.

"I Feel Like A Tornado In A Trailer Park" - Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Even though this line from 2017's Kingsman: The Golden Circle is kinda lifted from Pixar's Cars, Pedro Pascal makes it his own with the way he delivers it as Southern-fried secret agent, Whiskey.

"There’s No Way Out, Carlitos. You’re Going To Disneyland" - Narcos

Something funny about this Javier Peña quote from Narcos that may or may not be intentional is that Pablo Escobar once perfectly blended in with the crowds at Walt Disney World while paying the theme park a visit with his family in the early 1980s, according to Newsweek.

"When It Comes To War, I Fight For Dorne. When It Comes To Love, I Don't Choose Sides" - Game Of Thrones

Game of Thrones' Oberyn Martell is among the LGBTQIA+ characters whom Pedro Pascal has played. The character explains here that he feels romantic feelings for both men and women.

"Because He Was Outstanding In His Field" - The Last Of Us

One of the few comparatively lighthearted episodes from the first season of The Last of Us sees Ellie passing the time by reading from a book of childish puns. Here, Joel provides the punchline to the setup, "Why did the scarecrow get an award?"

Sometimes, you get to a point where you need a new show to binge – and thankfully, there are plenty of great dramas out there that are readily available. Whether it’s some of the best shows to binge on Netflix or some of the best HBO shows out there, there are so many dramas that you can dive right into. Here are some of the best that I would recommend.

Yellowstone (2018 – 2024)

Running for five seasons, Yellowstone is one of those neo-Western dramas that just exploded when it first came out. The series follows the lives of those who live on a large cattle ranch – the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch – as well as the Broken Rock Indian reservation and the land developers who want to take it all away. I can literally think of no other drama to dive headfirst into other than this one.

Narcos (2015 – 2017)

Narcos, a Netflix series with three seasons, follows the story of Pablo Escobar, a real-life drug lord, and how he became the legend we all know him as. Season 3 follows the aftermath of his defeat. As someone who loves a good crime drama, I think this show is one of the best to sink your teeth into.

Game Of Thrones (2011 – 2019)

There is no better cast out there than the Game of Thrones cast, and you will think the same thing once you watch this series. The legendary HBO show is based on the A Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R.R. Martin. It follows the story of several influential individuals who all look for one thing – to rule Westeros and the Seven Kingdoms, as well as the lives that are taken in the process. With eight seasons, it’s an easy binge.

Outlander (2014 – Present)

Based on the novels of the same name, Outlander takes romance and history and makes it into the steamiest drama that you’re going to love. The series follows the story of a World War II military nurse who is sent back in time to the 1700s and falls in love with a Highland warrior. Yes, this is a legit series, and it takes so many twists and turns that you’ll love every second of it.

The Wire (2002 – 2008)

The Wire is considered one of the best HBO shows of all time, and for good reason. The crime drama is set in Baltimore, Maryland, and each season discusses a new part of the city and how it’s related to the legal system there, from education to drugs. While it’s shocking that the series never won Best Drama at the Emmys, it’s still an incredible show, one that deserves so much praise.

Stranger Things (2016 – Present)

While plenty see Stranger Things as sci-fi (for good reasons), it is, at its core, a fun drama that features some really cool mysteries. The series begins in the 1980s with Will Byers going missing and his mother and friends trying to find him in a town full of secrets. The series itself is one of Netflix’s biggest hits, so it’s certainly worth the time to watch.

The Bear (2022 – Present)

I legitimately don’t care what people say. This show is way more drama than comedy, and I stand by that. The Bear follows the story of a young chef who travels back to Chicago in order to save his brother’s restaurant after he passes and tries to turn it into a fine-dining restaurant. The series has an incredible The Bear cast and is constantly nominated for so many awards. It’s so good.

Ozark (2017 – 2022)

Over four seasons, Ozark follows a married couple as they move to the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri to launder money for the Mexican drug cartel. However, as they arrive, they run into trouble that turns their lives upside down. The series was a huge hit on Netflix and earned plenty of praise during its run.

Silo (2023 – Present)

One of the best Apple TV+ shows will have you on the edge of your seat. Silo, which is based on the trilogy of novels Wool, Shift, and Dust, follows the story of a community that somehow lives in a vast underground silo that has 144 levels and the conflicts that arrive in this dystopian world.

Lost (2004 – 2010)

When we think of dramas, Lost certainly tops the list. The series, which aired for six seasons, follows the lives of plane passengers who survive a crash on a distant island. However, they start to realize that this place is not a typical island and that there are deadly forces at work. While the Lost finale is highly discussed as one of the worst out there, the rest of the series is great to watch.

House Of The Dragon (2022 – Present)

If you love Game of Thrones, chances are you’ll enjoy House of the Dragon as well. The series, based on the novel Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin, focuses on the story of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen and how she fights for the throne in the legendary Dance of Dragons when her half-brother takes it. It’s undoubtedly one of the best fantasy shows right now.

Peaky Blinders (2013 – 2022)

Starring Cillian Murphy as the iconic Tommy Shelby, Peaky Blinders is a period crime drama that follows the lives of the Peaky Blinders crime gang and their rise to power in Birmingham after World War I.

Bridgerton (2020 – Present)

If you’re looking for a romantic drama to dive into, then Bridgerton is the one for you. With three seasons (so far), the series follows the lives of the Bridgerton children back in the 1800s in England, with each season focusing on a new romance filled with scandalous drama and steamy moments.

Squid Game (2021 – Present)

Squid Game is hands down the biggest Netflix show of all time, and for good reason. This drama, hailing from South Korea, tells the story of a group of competitors who all play children’s games in order to win a large amount of money – but the competition takes a deadly twist when people are literally eliminated from life when they lose the games.

The Walking Dead (2011 – 2022)

The Walking Dead was, at one point, one of the biggest shows on television, and as someone who has watched all eleven seasons of The Walking Dead, I still think it’s a great series to dive into. Based on the comics of the same name, the show mainly follows Rick Grimes, a former cop, who leads his group of survivors as zombies – known as “walkers” – take over the world.

Yellowjackets (2021 – Present)

Yellowjackets is hands down one of the best Showtime shows, and I will always recommend it to anyone who wants to dive right into it. The series follows two timelines—one in which a high school soccer team must survive in the Canadian wilderness when their plane crashes over the mountains and do whatever it takes to make it out alive, and the other decades later, where the survivors are still dealing with the consequences of their actions.

The Last Of Us (2023 – Present)

If you want to talk about the best video game adaptations out there, I can think of nothing better than The Last of Us. Based on the video game franchise of the same name, The Last of Us follows Joel Miller, a survivor of a zombie outbreak, who is tasked with getting a teenager across the United States because she might be the cure for the rest of the world.

The Queen’s Gambit (2020)

I only put one miniseries on this list, but trust me when I say The Queen’s Gambit is the best miniseries to dive into. The series, based on the novel of the same name, follows the story of a young woman named Beth Harmon in the 1950s and 60s as she rises to fame as a chess player but also deals with substance abuse. The series was a huge hit and was a career-changing role for star Anya Taylor-Joy.

Barry (2018 – 2023)

I could go on about Barry for years. The series follows the life of a former U.S. Marine who takes on a new job as a hitman, but when he goes to California for a job, he finds himself drawn to the life of an actor and questioning his role in his life. The Barry cast is so talented, and all four seasons are so intense you’ll want to binge it for hours.

Alice In Borderland (2020 – Present)

Japan has always had some amazing dramas to dive into, and one that I love is Alice in Borderland. The series, based on the manga of the same name, follows the lives of two young people who work together to survive dangerous games in Tokyo. If they don’t succeed, they are killed by lasers shot from the sky. Yes, this is an intense drama, but it’s worth every second watching.

Breaking Bad (2008 – 2013)

I have to put Breaking Bad on this list. The famous AMC series follows the life of a high school science teacher who turns to a life of crime in order to provide for his family after his sudden cancer diagnosis. Considered one of the best dramas of all time, Breaking Bad is worth every second watching – and of course, the Breaking Bad cast is incredible as well.

Better Call Saul (2015 – 2022)

If you’ve seen Breaking Bad, then Better Call Saul is the subsequent drama that you should dive into. The series, which is a spinoff of Breaking Bad, follows the beginning years of the iconic lawyer, Saul Goodman, who originally began as Jimmy McGill. But throughout six seasons, we see him fall into a life of crime.

This Is Us (2016 – 2022)

This Is Us is one of those dramas that only comes once in a lifetime because, I swear, there is something that we can all connect to with this show. The series mainly revolves around the lives of three siblings and their connections to each other from across the United States, as well as seeing flashbacks of their past to growing up with their parents. It doesn’t sound like it would be dramatic, but trust me when I say you’ll find something to cry about with this show in the first episode.

The Sopranos (1999 – 2007)

The Sopranos is another great drama that I think everyone thinks of when they hear the word “crime.” The series, which comes from HBO, tells the story of Tony Soprano, a mobster from New Jersey, and how he deals with his personal and professional life with the mob and the problems he runs into.

Black Mirror (2011 – Present)

There are some excellent anthology shows out there, but Black Mirror is the type of drama that will have you on the edge of your seat. The series has different episodes each season, and all of them display some strange dystopian concepts in a not-so-far future that will truly shock and entertain you, from strange afterlives to how we view social media.

All Of Us Are Dead (2022 – Present)

South Korea has some of the best horror shows out there, and one that I will always recommend is All Of Us Are Dead. The series follows a group of high school students who must survive when a zombie outbreak begins within their walls and how they try to communicate to the outside world that they need help.

You (2018 – Present)

Oh, hello there, you. Yes, you, reading this, because surely, you’ll end up being the next thing Joe Goldberg is obsessed with. You is a drama that follows Joe, a seemingly normal man who falls in love way too quickly – and when he loves, he loves hard and will take out whoever threatens that relationship or your life.

Black Doves (2024 – Present)

Starring Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw, Black Doves is the latest spy thriller that will have you on the edge of your seats. The series follows a young woman whose identity is revealed, putting her life in danger. Her employers send an old friend to keep her safe, sending them on a whirlwind espionage adventure.

The Haunting Of Hill House (2018)

There are plenty of Mike Flanagan TV shows to check out on Netflix, but I always recommend The Haunting of Hill House before any of the others. The series alternates between two timelines: one of a family moving into a seemingly normal house with a dark past, and the next day, the family comes back together to face the darkness they had once encountered in their new home.

The Crown (2016 – 2023)

The Crown, which detailed the life of Queen Elizabeth II, had six seasons that followed her rise to become the monarch we all knew her as and how her reign changed as the decades progressed. The series earned several awards and nominations over its six-season run.

Dexter (2006 – 2013)

While plenty of people talk about the Dexter finale, the series itself is still a great drama to drive into. Following the titular character, Dexter is a blood splatter analyst by day and a serial killer by night, who uses his job to find horrible people and take them out as a way to suit his dark urges. But when one other killer starts to challenge him, he decides to take matters into his own hands and end them.

Succession (2018 – 2023)

HBO has been a huge producer of dramas for years, and Succession is hands down one of the best in the last decade. The series follows the Roy family, a hugely successful family that owns an entertainment conglomerate. Their lives are thrown upside down thanks to a health scare from their patriarch. Now, the question of who will own the company after he passes causes drama.

These are just some of the best dramas out there to check out – all of which are great ways to spend a weekend. I think it’s time for another binge. Who’s up for a marathon?

There have been a lot of movies over the years that feature famous actors playing real-life cops in the stories they are telling. Just as there are movies with real-life gangsters, the movies about the cops are equally interesting, and often the same movies feature versions of real cops and real robbers, like The Untouchables, Catch Me If You Can, and Donnie Brasco. Here is our list of movies that feature portrayals of real police officers and law enforcement officials.

Frank Serpico - Serpico

Frank Serpico, played by Al Pacino in the movie Serpico, was famous in the 1970s for bringing down important, but corrupt, members of the New York City Police Department. The movie, like the real-life story is harrowing and incredible. Pacino is perfect as the real-life Serpico.

Eliot Ness - The Untouchables

It's more than fair to say that director Brian de Palma's masterpiece The Untouchables plays pretty fast and loose with the actual historical facts surrounding Eliot Ness and his crew taking down Al Capone in Chicago during Prohibition. the broadest of the strokes are true, in that Ness and Capone were real people and Ness was partly responsible for nabbing Capone, but otherwise, it's just a really great work of fiction. In the movie, Ness is played by Kevin Costner.

Javier Peña - Narcos

Like most TV shows and movies, Narcos isn't 100% true to real life, but it gets most of the story correct, some of the real-life cops are condensed down into just a few characters, like Javier Peña, played by Pedro Pascal. Peña was actually one of the cops in on the investigation and chase for Pablo Escobar, but in the show, he's a combination of more than one DEA agent.

Melvin Purvis - Public Enemies

Melvin Purvis was an FBI agent who was famous in his day for bringing the likes of Pretty Boy Floyd and John Dillinger to justice, or, at least to their death, as the movie portrays. In the movie Public Enemies, he is played by Christian Bale.

Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle - The French Connection

Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) in The French Connection seems almost too over the top to be based on a real guy, but he was. The real guy who helped take down the French drug smuggling ring was named Eddie Egan. He was on the job in the NYPD for 16 years before he caught the acting bug after appearing in a small role in the French Connection.

Bill Tench - Mindhunter

Mindhunter is one of those Netflix shows that most people believe got canceled way too quickly. The show tells the story of the first FBI agents to dive headfirst into understanding the minds of serial killers and the formation of the Behavioral Studies Unit at the FBI. Robert Ressler, who the character Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) is based on, was one of those agents.

Wyatt Earp - Tombstone

It's hard to think of Wyatt Earp being. 1. a bad guy and 2., a police officer. But he was kind of both. He was definitely a sheriff in Tombstone, as he is shown to be in the movie of the same name, played by Kurt Russell. He wasn't strictly a "good guy" in real life and there is plenty of evidence that he and his brothers were just as much "a gang" as the Cowboys and they were all looking to make more money in town.

Joseph D. Pistone - Donnie Brasco

Joe Pistone must have cajones of steel to do what he did in real life. If you don't know who he is, check Donnie Brasco, which tells his story pretty accurately. Played by Johnny Depp in the movie, Pistone went so deep undercover that he almost became a made member of the Bonanno crime family.

Frank Hamer - The Highwaymen

Frank Hamer, who was played by Kevin Costner in The Highwaymen was a legendary Texas Ranger who was primarily responsible for hunting down and eventually killing the notorious Bonnie & Clyde. In the 1967 movie Bonnie and Clyde starring Warren Betty and Faye Dunaway, Hamer was played by actor Denver Pyle.

Dave Toschi - Zodiac

In regards to 20th-century lawmen, there is no more famous one than San Francisco detective Dave Toschi. Toschi played a large part in the fruitless hunt for the Zodiac killer, as portrayed in Zodiac, where he was played by Mark Ruffalo. He was also supposedly the basis for the fictional detectives Frank Bullitt, Steve McQueen's character in Bullitt, and Harry Calahan in the Dirty Harry franchise.

Carl Hanratty - Catch Me If You Can

Tom Hanks' character in Catch Me If You Can was based on a real FBI agent named Joeseph O'Shea. O'Shea worked on a number of notable cases during his time at the Bureau, most famously the Frank Abagnale case as portrayed in the movie.

John McLoughlin - World Trade Center

There were tragically only 20 people pulled out of the collapsed World Trade Center in the days after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Port Authority police officer John McLoughlin was one of the last. He was trapped for 22 hours under the rumble and his fellow first responders worked non-stop to free him. It's an incredible story and Nicolas Cage's portrayal of McLoughlin in World Trade Center has all the emotion you would expect.

J. Edgar Hoover - J. Edgar

Leonardo DiCaprio is great at playing eccentrics from Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby to Howard Hughes in The Aviator, to the legendary (and controversial) former director of the FBI J. Edgar Hoover in J. Edgar. It's a different kind of movie about a LEO for a very different kind of LEO than the cop on the beat, but it's a great movie and as always DiCaprio puts on an excellent performance of the enigmatic FBI boss.

Eliot Ness - The Untouchables TV Series

While Kevin Costner may have played the most famous version of Eliot Ness in The Untouchables, he was the first. In the late '50s/early '60s Robert Stack, later of Unsolved Mysteries fame, played a very fictionalized version of the legendary Fed on The Untouchables TV show. It wasn't about Ness napping Al Capone, it was more a standard police procedural with Ness and his crew chasing down the criminal of the week, often high-profile ones from the 1930s when the show was set.

LAPD Gangster Squad - Gangster Squad

2013's Gangster Squad is a decent movie with some great performances about a crew of LAPD detectives who form a...well... gangster squad to take down legendary mobster Mickey Cohen (played by Sean Penn in the movie) in Los Angeles in 1949. Most of the characters, like John O'Mara (Josh Brolin), are loosely based on real members of the squad and it even features a scene with Josh Pence playing a rookie on the squad, Darryl Gates, who would find infamy later as the Chief of Police in LA during the Rodney King beating and subsequent riots.

Holden Ford - Mindhunter

John E. Douglas was one of the FBI agents who helped start the now-legendary Behavioral Science Unit. The excellent show MIndhunter, a show Netflix canceled way too soon) features a fictional version of Douglas named Holden Ford, played by Jonathan Groff.

Pat Garrett - Pat Garrett And Billy the Kid

Like most of the best Westerns in film history, Pat Garrett And Billy the Kid isn't really the true story of the legendary lawman Pat Garrett (James Coburn) tracking down the outlaw Billy The Kid. Take into account the film's director, Sam Peckinpah, and what you get is a wildly entertaining, but hardly factual account. It's such a crazy movie though, it's worth mentioning on this list.

Mark Fuhrman - The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story

One of the biggest villains in many peoples' eyes in the O.J. Simpson murder trial was LAPD detective Mark Fuhrman. He was seen as dirty and racist (for good reason) and he became a lightning rod during the long trial that gripped the nation's attention in 1995. In the incredible FX mini-series, The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Furman is played by Steven Pasquale.

Dan White - Milk

Josh Brolin's performance as murderer Dan White in Milk is fantastic. White was not a cop when he murdered Harvey Milk (Sean Penn in the movie), he was a former cop and the performance is so good, that it deserves inclusion on this list.

In a world that is surrounded by some of the best television shows ever, from the best programs on Netflix to the best series on Max, there have been plenty that have won Outstanding Drama, Comedy or Limited or Anthology Series at the Primetime Emmy Awards. A few I could think of are Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Ted Lasso, Modern Family and many more. 

There are also so many shows that have never won any of these awards. Despite their impressive reputations or stellar casts, these 32 shows have never won Best Series in any category at the Emmys. Prepare to have your mind blown.

This Is Us 

This Is Us was a famous NBC show known for its brilliant storytelling and episodes that always found a way to make you cry. It was led by a brilliant This Is Us cast which included Sterling K. Brown (who won an Emmy for this show), Milo Ventimiglia and more. Somehow, the series never won Outstanding Drama at the Emmys. What's even worse is Mandy Moore never won an Emmy for her portrayal of the matriarch of the Pearson family. That, in itself, is a sin. 

Shameless

Yes, I know that in the later years of Shameless, the episodes didn't feel the same without Emmy Rossum as part of the fearless Shameless cast. However, the first few seasons of the dramedy became some of the best television at the time – and one of the best Showtime shows. And still, it never won Outstanding Comedy. 

Enlightened 

Enlightened only ran for two seasons, but they were full of great acting, a fun story, and so much more. Plus, it was led by the legend Laura Dern. The series, however, was never nominated for Outstanding Comedy. The only nomination that came through was for Dern, and she didn't win. 

The Walking Dead

Say what you want about The Walking Dead, but as someone who watched all eleven seasons of the show, those first five were excellent television. The only praise this show ever got in the Emmy world was for its visual and practical effects on the zombies – but the acting and the show as a whole? It went completely over the heads of those who chose the nominations. 

Dickinson 

Dickinson was one of the best Apple TV+ original shows. I fully believe this series was never nominated for Outstanding Comedy because it flew under the radar at first as one of the streaming platforms' first series. Hailee Steinfeld at least should have garnered a nomination, but there was no love for this series. 

Parks And Recreation

You're probably shocked to see this on the list, but Parks and Recreation never won a single Emmy Award. The show was top-rated and well-known for its talented Parks and Recreation cast, but not even Amy Poehler won the Emmy for her lead performance in the show. And the series, while nominated twice for Outstanding Comedy, never won.  

Dexter

I still believe Dexter is worth rewatching despite its later seasons being less than stellar. But the first four seasons of Dexter are classic TV. The plot twists are great, the acting is fantastic, and the backstory behind the serial killer is one of the best in Showtime history. While the series was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series several times, it never won. 

The Wire

I know. The Wire is one of the best shows in HBO history and television in general. And yet, somehow, the series never won any Emmy awards. It was never even nominated for Outstanding Drama. The only praise the Television Academy ever gave it was in the form of its writing – which was excellent, understandably – but come on, only that? 

The Brady Bunch

This sitcom from the 1970s is considered one of the most well-known and created several spinoffs. It also spawned one of the best-known TV catchphrases ever ("Marcia, Marcia, Marcia"), yet somehow, this series was never nominated for Outstanding Comedy -- or a single other Emmy award.

Peaky Blinders

Peaky Blinders has gained a lot more popularity over the last few years thanks to the growing stardom of Cillian Murphy from the Oppenheimer cast, but this show was one of the best the BBC had to offer. It featured several other major stars too, like Anya Taylor-Joy, Tom Hardy, Sam Claflin, and many more, and it was a fantastic story. But it was never nominated for a single Primetime Emmy Award. I'm upset even writing that down. 

Doctor Who

Doctor Who is one of those shows that has ebbed and flowed in quality. Some doctors have been great, others have been forgettable. But you can't deny the impact this series has had and the stories it tells with its most excellent doctors. And yet, Doctor Who has never been recognized in terms of acting, writing, or anything at the Emmys. The only nomination it ever got was for Outstanding Derivative Interactive Program in 2020.  

Better Call Saul

When Better Call Saul was confirmed after Breaking Bad, many believed it would never live up to its predecessor. Still, the prequel series about Saul Goodman was almost as good as the original – and to some, it's even better. But while Better Call Saul was nominated several times for Outstanding Drama, it has never won. 

Hannibal

Hannibal was a tremendous psychological horror-thriller that aired for three seasons and told stories that would blow the minds of anyone who watched it. It was scary and psychological and everything you could want – but it was never nominated for Outstanding Drama Series. 

New Girl

I loved New Girl and will rewatch it over and over again, but it seems like the Emmys forgot about the popular sitcom series after its first season. New Girl was only nominated for a few awards in 2012, not even for Outstanding Comedy Series. After that, it wasn't nominated again. 

Parenthood 

Parenthood lasted six seasons and had some of the best writing about modern-day family life. It is a more dramedy version of Modern Family. But the only person who ever got recognition for the show at the Emmys was Jason Ritter, and that was for a guest appearance on the series. 

Chuck

Starring Zachary Levi, Chuck was the spy drama that everyone enjoyed when it first came out in 2007, and it lasted for five seasons. But despite the show's fun nature and entertaining stories, it was never nominated for Outstanding Comedy. Its stunt work did receive some praise, though. 

The Good Place

This one surprised me when I found out, but The Good Place and The Good Place cast have never won an Emmy award. The show was nominated for 14, including Outstanding Comedy Series, but aside from that, it has never actually won an award. Considering the love this show got, that's very shocking – almost as much as the twist in Season 1. 

Narcos

Narcos was one of those crime drama TV shows that took the world by storm and has only gained more popularity over the last several years, especially with Pedro Pascal's rise to fame. But the series, which told the story of Pablo Escobar, was only ever nominated for Creative Arts Emmy Awards, and never for Outstanding Drama. 

Chappelle's Show

Dave Chappelle is hands down one of the most influential voices in comedy and sketch television. Chappelle's Show is an excellent example of that, showcasing the comedian in some of the funniest sketches of the 21st century. However, the series was never nominated for Outstanding Comedy. It was, however, nominated for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series but didn't win. 

The Flight Attendant 

Kaley Cuoco is known for her role in the Big Bang Theory cast, but it's a sin that people don't talk about her incredible performance in The Flight Attendant more. And while she and the show were nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series, it never won. 

Daredevil

Daredevil was one of the best Marvel TV shows on Netflix, lasting for three seasons and telling authentic superhero stories that didn't seem as intense as aliens invading from the galaxy. Instead, it was a much more grounded show with excellent battle sequences. But despite its popularity, Daredevil was never nominated for Outstanding Drama Series. Maybe Daredevil: Born Again will earn that privilege – only time will tell. 

Married…With Children

Married…with Children was one of the best sitcoms of the late 1980s to 1990s, lasting ten years and eleven seasons, and it brought up one of the best-known names in comedic television, Ed O'Neill. But this series, despite its long run, never won a single Emmy Award. Talk about the definition of snub. 

Station Eleven

Station Eleven was a miniseries that came out of Max (previously HBO Max), an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Emily St. John Mandel, and was one of the best post-apocalyptic TV shows out there. However, while the miniseries received praise, it was not nominated for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.

WandaVision

There was a rumor that WandaVision would be a multi-season series, but it was put into the Emmys as Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. Of all the MCU shows on Disney+, the show was a huge hit but didn't win at the Emmys. 

The Leftovers

The Leftovers was an excellent supernatural series that showed what would happen when 2% of the world's population suddenly vanished without a trace. The series was popular and featured a fascinating story. But the show was never nominated for Outstanding Drama Series. 

Perry Mason

Perry Mason is an HBO series people adored, but it didn't live as long as it should have, because it was canceled by Max after Season 2. On top of that sad news, it hasn't been nominated for Outstanding Drama at all. The only people who have received praise are Matthew Rhys and John Lithgow, both of whom have only been nominated and not won.

Star Trek

While the Star Trek franchise has gone on for many years, the original Star Trek series (the one that pioneered and started it all) was never nominated for a single Emmy Award. This show, which meant so much to so many people, didn't even get to compete in this prestigious awards competition. But no matter – we'll always live long and prosper without an Emmy win. 

Jane The Virgin

I know it's rare for some of the best CW shows to get nominated for Primetime Emmys, but Jane the Virgin should have been a contender. The series features an original idea, bold storytelling, and the impressive Jane the Virgin cast. And yet, the Emmys never gave it the praise it deserved. In fact, only the narrator was nominated. 

BoJack Horseman

There are some excellent adult animated shows on Netflix, and BoJack Horseman stands out as one of them. The series is a realistic telling of what it's like to fall out of the spotlight in Hollywood and what can happen to people. Despite its acclaim, the series was never nominated for Outstanding Comedy at the Emmys. It did get two nominations for Outstanding Animated Program, but it deserved Comedy. 

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

I could not think of a better example of a show that deserved way more Emmy love than Buffy the Vampire Slayer in its earlier seasons. The show, led by Sarah Michelle Gellar, is a staple in supernatural television. However, it has yet to receive a nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.

Oz

Oz is considered one of the best TV shows ever, taking place in a men's prison and following the stories of prisoners over six seasons. However, despite its reputation and impact on TV, it was never nominated for Outstanding Drama. The only actor who was nominated in the series was Charles S. Dutton for a guest appearance on the show. 

Mindhunter

Mindhunter, starring Jonathan Groff, was an excellent TV show on Netflix from director David Fincher, and everyone was sad when Season 3 was confirmed never. The series was fantastic and featured storytelling unlike any other. But despite its fresh tales and incredible acting, Mindhunter was never nominated for Outstanding Drama. It's such a shame. 

Even more TV shows have never won these types of Emmys, but these are just some of the first that come to mind. But now, I know I need to rewatch some of these to give them the love they deserve – or have fun showing them to others—time for a binge-fest. 

Pedro Pascal has made a career out of starring in TV shows and movies where he plays an R-rated badass. To prove this point, his latest hit is The Last of Us, he had a stand-out role in Game of Thrones, and he was on Netflix’s Narcos as well as Kingsman: The Golden Circle. In short, he’s been in tons of projects that aren’t exactly kid friendly. Turns out, there's a good chance his parents might have let him watch these as a kiddo, considering the films he saw at such a young age, but his dad had to draw the line somewhere, and that line hilariously was The Breakfast Club of all movies. And the actor revealed why that was the one film he wasn't allowed to watch as a kid. 

Pascal admitted he was a bit shocked by his dad's ban on The Breakfast Club, considering he was allowed to watch movies like The Big Chill and First Blood. And knowing that, I’m also a bit shocked; I'm also convinced the actor probably would have been able to watch some of his own work if it came out back then, considering the other films he was able to see. 

The actor went on to explain why his dad wouldn’t let him and his sister watch the John Hughes’ classic on Late Night with Seth Meyers, saying: 

Meyers noted that there is no nudity in The Breakfast Club, and it’s not a violent movie by any means. However, it does deal with mature topics, and I understand Pascal’s dad not wanting his kids to watch a movie where the kids bash their parents.  However, the patriarch of the Pascal family's logic is still a little funky.

Pascal also noted that he was allowed to watch Sixteen Candles, and both he and Meyers agreed, that movie was probably worse to watch as a kid compared to The Breakfast Club. 

The talk show host then joked that that was a “wild swing” in Pascal's parents' opinion from being dead set on their kids not seeing this high school classic to basically using the movie as a babysitter stand-in. 

Now, it seems like a good portion of Pedro Pascal’s work is not necessarily kid friendly. He might be great as the lead of The Last of Us cast, but as an adult that show terrifies me, so I would not allow a 10-year-old to watch personally. Also, Game of Thrones would be a hard pass too, considering the actor has one of the more R-rated death scenes out of the entire GoT cast. However, The Mandalorian I might be OK with a kiddo watching, like The Breakfast Club it might not be the most kid-appropriate, but it’s really not that bad. 

To see the film Pascal’s father banned, then un-banned him from watching, you can stream The Breakfast Club with a Hulu subscription. If you want to watch any of the actor’s arguably more R-rated work you can watch new episodes of The Last of Us every Sunday on HBO or with an HBO Max subscription at 9 p.m. ET, and new episodes of The Mandalorian will be available to those with a Disney+ subscription starting March 1. 

I’m sure within the last couple of years you’ve heard a name pop up in the media a lot, and that would be the impeccably talented Pedro Pascal. While he’s made strides through some of his biggest hits like The Mandalorian, Pascal has been in the business for some time now and has some awesome roles that you should check out if you’re a fan of the actor. 

Recently in 2023, he's taken on The Last of Us, portraying Joel Miller from the beloved video game, but he's done so much more. From Game of Thrones to movies like Kingsman: The Golden Circle, here are some of the best Pedro Pascal movies and TV shows that are streaming right now, or available to rent. 

The Last Of Us (2023 - Present)

As the most recent show he's worked on, we need to talk about The Last of Us. Based on the beloved video game of the same name, The Last of Us follows Joel Miller in a post-apocalyptic world when he is tasked with getting a young teenager across the country. But as they travel, dangers arise, both in the form of infected and humans. 

The Last of Us is one of my favorite video games of all time, and the most deserving of an adaptation, but this show has knocked it out of the park. Pedro Pascal's performance of Joel is better than I could have imagined, as he captures all the little nuances of the character from the video game while also adding on his own touches from his acting style. He's just so good. Through all the changes, this is the video game adaptation you don't want to miss. 

Stream The Last of Us on HBO Max. 

Graceland (2013-2014)

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if undercover members of U.S. government organizations lived together? That’s what Graceland is all about. Several people from the law all live together in a beach house on the coast of California, known as “Graceland,” where they work together. 

For the first season of the show, Pascal portrayed Juan Badillo, an FBI officer who is assigned to a case. While he was only a recurring cast member, he’s certainly one of the memorable faces, as his storyline is integral to the first season and creates conflicts for many. 

Stream Graceland on Hulu.

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

In this sequel to the 2017 film, Wonder Woman 1984 follows the legendary hero in the eighties as she tries to live a normal life while also fighting crime. But soon, her world is turned upside down when Steve, a man from her past that she thought was long-gone, returns back to her. 

Pedro Pascal actually portrays the villain in Wonder Woman 1984 - well, one of them - playing Maxwell Lord, a businessman that uses the outside world to his advantage to become almost like a god. While Maxwell Lord is a bit out there, Pedro Pascal truly showed his capabilities of playing a villain, even if his reign of terror didn’t last that long.

Stream Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max. 
Rent Wonder Woman 1984 on Amazon.

Game Of Thrones (2014)

I feel like I don’t even need to tell you about Game of Thrones. You probably already know about it. This famous fantasy series follows the people of Westeros (and some in Essos) as they all fight for one thing - the right to rule the country on the Iron Throne and take out all their enemies. 

While the Game of Thrones cast is stacked with talent regardless, Pedro Pascal was a part of that during Season 4, when he played Oberyn Martell, who was one of the main heads of the Martell family, and a skilled lover and fighter. This was the first time I had ever seen Pascal act and damn it, I wanted more of Oberyn so much. Pascal brought out so much charisma in that character and he could have gone far - ya know, if his character didn’t end the way it did, but a girl can dream. 

Stream Game of Thrones on HBO Max. 

The Equalizer 2 (2018)

He wants revenge, and he’ll get equal no matter what. In The Equalizer 2, starring Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal, a former Marine goes on a quest for revenge around the world when he discovers that one of his closest friends was murdered. Now, it’s up to him to avenge their death. 

Pascal plays Dave York, the main partner of Denzel Washington’s character, Robert McCall, for most of the movie, and I have to say - seeing him in The Equalizer 2 just further makes me think that he would be stellar in more action parts just like this. Dave York was the perfect partner and this is also partly because of the great chemistry both Pascal and Washington had. What a great sequel to be a part of.

Stream The Equalizer 2 on Starz. 
Rent The Equalizer 2 on Amazon. 

Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)

Spies and thrills is what comes from The Kingsman series. In Kingsman: The Golden Circle, we follow the same group of fantastic spies, The Kingsman, as they team up with another big secret organization from across the world to take down a huge enemy that could threaten the lives of innocent people - so normal, everyday life. 

Man, I want to see Pascal in more agent roles. He was smooth as Agent Whiskey. You can’t sit here, look at this man, and say he doesn’t look good as a secret agent. He’s slick, sly, and every ounce of suave that he needs to be to rock this role. Even if he probably won’t be popping up in another Kingsman movie (for reasons you’ll find out later on if you watch it), I want to see him in more spy roles because he was excellent here. 

And yes, if you've seen that fan-edit of him on TikTok, this is the movie that it's from. You're welcome.

Rent Kingsman: The Golden Circle on Amazon.

We Can Be Heroes (2020)

This has to be one of the most adorable kids movies out there. We Can Be Heroes follows little kids, who are the children of famous superheroes. But when their parents are kidnapped by aliens that are threatening to destroy the world, they have to work together to save them and become heroes themselves. 

Pascal portrays one of the superheroes in the film, Marcus Moreno, a swordsman who is the leader of the heroics (basically, the Avengers in this world), and he’s badass for when you get to see him on the screen, but the time he has with his onscreen daughter, Missy, is definitely some of the highlights of the cute family film. It was a huge hit for Netflix, so who knows? Maybe we'll get more Moreno in the future. 

Stream We Can Be Heroes on Netflix.

Narcos (2015-2017)

If you want a crime drama where Pascal really shows his skills as an actor, check out Narcos. This famous series follows the story of Pablo Escobar, a famous drug kingpin, and his rise to power through the business of cocaine. 

While Wagner Moura was fantastic as Pablo Escobar, Pedro Pascal portrayed Javier Pena, the real-life DEA agent that was tasked with bringing down Escobar in real life. He is freaking amazing in this role. As someone who was always fascinated by this lifestyle and how Escobar did it, I was also just as intrigued to learn about the agents who hunted him down and Pascal was the perfect portrayal. 

Stream Narcos on Netflix.

Triple Frontier (2019)

In this Netflix original film, a group of U.S. Army Delta Force operators are living their lives, but come back together for one single cause - this time, not for the sake of the world, but to plan a heist to rob a crime lord in South America to combat the crime there.

While this film has plenty of famous faces, like Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac and more, I always really liked Pascal’s character the most. Catfish, as his character is called, was a special ops pilot and damn, does he know how to fly the heck out of a plane. His scenes were always the coolest to watch, even as someone who isn’t the biggest fan of heist movies. Truly out of this world. 

Stream Triple Frontier on Netflix.

The Mandalorian (2019 - Present)

You knew it was coming. This very popular Disney+ show takes place in the Star Wars universe and is called The Mandalorian, following Din Djarin. Acting as a bounty hunter across the galaxy, one day, he runs into a child -- referred to by fans as Baby Yoda -- and takes him under his care. 

Pedro Pascal is the lead character in The Mandalorian, Din Djarin, and while his face is covered for most of it (as this is the way), he embodies this role. From the movements to the mannerisms to even the way he speaks, there is no other soul on this Earth that I think could play Din Djarin better than this man right here. We’ve gotten to see his face a couple times in the show, but at the end of the day, mask or not, the dude is just a badass and only Pascal could show off that skill.  Now if The Mandalorian Season 3 could just get here already, I'd be happy. March 2023 can't get here soon enough.

Stream The Mandalorian on Disney+.

From zombie worlds to the galaxy's above, Pedro Pascal is truly a man capable of many different faces and character's, and you just might have found a new show or movie to fall in love with. Now I'm going to go and obsess over The Last of Us just a little more, happy binging!

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There is no way to get around it, there are an insane number of great Netflix TV shows, with something for literally everyone (at least everyone who loves critically acclaimed series from a myriad of genres). Keeping track of them all, however, is a task that is easier said than done.

From entertaining and enchanting sci-fi adventure stories like Stranger Things, to hilarious and disturbing dark comedies like Dead to Me, the library of originals keeps growing by the year, so much so that sometimes we find ourselves forgetting about all the awesome movies on Netflix, which, as we should remember, was what brought us all to the streamer way back when. But, before we get too sidetracked, let’s break down the best original Netflix shows. There’s a lot, so buckle up…

Stranger Things (2016 - Present)

Whether you’re obsessed with all things ‘80s (the culture, the style, Dungeons & Dragons), a longtime horror-hound, or simply someone who loves superbly written television, Stranger Things is right for you. As we look toward the show’s highly anticipated return with Stranger Things Season 4, now is the perfect time to go back and see how it all started for Eleven, Hopper (and how he ended up in Russia), and the rest of the residents of Hawkins, Indiana, and all their adventures.

Stream Stranger Things on Netflix.

The Queen’s Gambit (2020)

The 2020 limited series The Queen’s Gambit is hands down one of the best shows, not only on Netflix, but anywhere to come out in the past few years. From Beth Harmon’s (Anya Taylor-Joy) days learning to play chess in the basement of an orphanage to becoming the top player in the world by the show’s fulfilling ending, there isn’t a dull moment. Hell, you don’t even have to love the game of chess (or know anything about it) to get wrapped up in this binge-worthy drama.

Stream The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix.

The Crown (2016 - Present)

There is a reason (multiple reasons, actually) why The Crown is one of the best shows on television right now, but for the sake of brevity we’ll only dive into a couple of them here. First, the cast (which has taken home acting awards in each of its four seasons), no matter who’s playing whom, has been amazing from the beginning and only continues to get better with each iteration of the royal family. Then you have Peter Morgan’s attention to detail and dedication to treating his subjects with respect but also not holding back his portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II and the world around her. Add those together with the music and the show’s ability to make the audience care about every single character and you have a recipe for greatness.

Stream The Crown on Netflix.

Bridgerton (2020 - Present)

There are still plenty of questions after the whirlwind that was the first season of Bridgerton, but the scandalous Netflix period drama, with its fair share of sex, drama, and sexy drama did breathe new life into the genre upon its release in late 2020. With its outstanding ensemble cast that is as talented as it is diverse, the incorporation of modern songs into England’s Regency era, and all those fanciful costumes, there are plenty of reasons why Bridgerton grabbed a hold of its audience and never let go.

Stream Bridgerton on Netflix.

Mindhunter (2017 - 2019?)

Who knows if we’ll ever get to see Mindhunter Season 3, but let’s not dwell on things like that right now. Instead, let’s look back on the two amazing seasons David Fincher gave us in his drama about the formation of the FBI’s criminal psychology department led by Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff), Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), and Wendy Carr (Anna Torv). From engaging personal dramas involving the central cast to all those great interviews with the likes of Ed Kemper (Cameron Britton) to the dramatization of the Atlanta Child Murders, this show has (had?) it all.

Stream Mindhunter on Netflix.

Ozark (2017 - Present)

The Netflix family crime drama Ozark is one of the TV shows ending in 2021, with its fourth and final season being split up into two parts. This just means you have a little more time to rewatch the Primetime Emmy Award-winning series or start it for the first time before the final chapter. Anchored by a cast that includes Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, and Julia Garner as people embroiled in criminal enterprises, Ozark is dark, twisted, and no surprise here, a rather enjoyable experience.

Stream Ozark on Netflix.

Dear White People (2017 - Present)

Anytime an Ivy League university claims to be “post-racial,” you know it is going to be anything but, and the characters in Dear White People, the long-running Netflix dramedy know that all too well. Based on the 2014 film of the same name, the show doesn’t hold back in its handling of issues such as race, class, and social justice in this gripping and biting critique of the modern educational system. With enough humor to balance out some of the more dramatic elements, Dear White People will have you on an emotional roller coaster throughout.

Stream Dear White People on Netflix.

Russian Doll (2019 - Present)

We’re currently living in the golden age of time loop stories, and the Netflix series Russian Doll is proof of that. The show follows Nadia (Natasha Lyonne, who also co-created the show with Leslye Headland and Amy Poehler), a woman who keeps dying and reliving her 36th birthday party as she attempts to make sense of the madness around her. With clever writing, direction, and performances from its central cast, Russian Doll sinks its teeth into its premise from the first scene and doesn’t let go until the season finale. Don’t worry, there’s more on the way.

Stream Russian Doll on Netflix.

The Umbrella Academy (2019 - Present)

Fans of quirky superhero adventure stories will surely love The Umbrella Academy, the Netflix original series about a group of estranged siblings with some truly amazing powers who are brought together by their father’s death and end up banding together to save the world. There is already a great deal of speculation surrounding Season 3, so why not go back and start it again so you’re more than ready when The Umbrella Academy makes its eventual return.

Stream The Umbrella Academy on Netflix.

GLOW (2017 - 2019)

One of the Netflix cancellations fans were most upset to see go, GLOW was truly something special. One part history lesson about one of the most notorious promotions in the ‘80s and one part drama about a struggling actress finding a place for herself in the world, the wrestling-based Netflix comedy was a slobberknocker of a good time. The wrestling, writing, acting, and general feel of the show were all top notch, and it’s a bummer that we’ll never get a proper conclusion for the glorious ladies of wrestling.

Stream GLOW on Netflix.

Dead To Me (2019 - Present)

Dead to Me Season 3 will the end of the road for this dark comedy about two California women with one hell of a way of bonding, but at least Liz Feldman’s series starring Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini will be going out on its own terms. Over the course of the show’s first two seasons, we watched as Jen Harding (Applegate) and Judy Hale (Cardellini) met in a grief support group and form a rather unique bond, considering their situations. Cleverly written and brilliantly acted, this refreshing take on the grieving process is shockingly fun to watch.

Stream Dead To Me on Netflix.

Daredevil (2015 - 2018)

Long before Disney+ came around and starting launching a slew of Marvel TV shows, Netflix produced several series centering on some of the comic book publisher’s more grounded characters. The first of the bunch, Daredevil, landed in 2015 and brought a level of grit and believability to the genre and introduced its fair share of memorable characters (and spinoffs) along the way. Even though the show was cancelled after only three seasons, it’s still one of the best superhero options on Netflix.

Stream Daredevil on Netflix.

Santa Clarita Diet (2017 - 2019)

Zombie shows typically focus more on the horror elements than any humor, but Santa Clarita Diet isn’t your traditional show about the undead; hell, it’s not even a traditional comedy. Despite that, the horror-comedy starring Drew Barrymore as a suburban real estate agent with an appetite for human flesh and Timothy Olyphant as her husband stuck in the middle of the whole mess, was one of the most clever spins on the genre during it’s three-season run on Netflix.

Stream Santa Clarita Diet on Netflix.

Lupin (2021 - Present)

There have been countless adaptations of the classic French thief Arsène Lupin over the years, but the most recent take, Lupin, is honestly one of the best and most inventive of the bunch. Set in modern-day France, the Netflix crime thriller follows Assane Diop (Omar Sy), a man on a mission to get back at a wealthy and well-established family for an injustice they inflicted against his father. With more adventures on the way, now’s the perfect time to check out the first five chapters of the remarkable title.

Stream Lupin on Netflix.

Unbelievable (2019)

Based on the real-life story of a sexual assault victim and the local authorities who didn’t buy her story, 2019’s Unbelievable is a riveting, if not maddening, drama following a young woman in her darkest moments. One of the best true crime series streaming on Netflix, Unbelievable is a truly remarkable piece of television and should be revisited for its lessons just as much, if not more than the drama that unfolds over the course of its narrative.

Stream Unbelievable on Netflix.

Master Of None (2015 - Present)

One of the best shows you can binge over a single weekend, Master of None is honestly one of the best titles on Netflix. Created by star Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang, the show’s two seasons (with more on the way) make for some of the best television in recent memory, including the iconic episode “Thanksgiving” which earned Ansari and co-writer/co-star Lena Waithe a Primetime Emmy in 2017. Seriously, go back and watch that Season 2 barn burner of an episode.

Stream Master Of None on Netflix.

Black Mirror (2011 - 2019)

Being one of the few shows to be praised by Stephen King should be enough to sell anyone on Black Mirror, but some could use more convincing. The long-running anthology horror/sci-fi series literally has something for everyone. From episodes that play out like unused Twilight Zone episodes to those that seem like twisted versions of Star Trek, each installment is amazing in its own, unique way. The show also served as a launching pad for some of today’s biggest stars.

Stream Black Mirror on Netflix.

The Narcos Franchise (2015 - Present)

The gritty crime dramas Narcos and Narcos: Mexico are sprawling shows set in Colombia and Mexico, respectively, and follow some of television and history’s most notorious drug-lords. Fans of series like Breaking Bad and movies like Sicario will feel right at home with the franchise’s unapologetic approach to the subject matter.

Stream Narcos on Netflix.

Stream Narcos: Mexico on Netflix.

The Haunting Franchise (2018 - 2020)

Mike Flanagan has been making a strong case for being one of the greatest horror minds of all time with Doctor Sleep and his two Netflix supernatural stories The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor. Both of these two horror shows gave fans of the genre some of the best scares and family drama in recent memory, making everyone more than excited to see where Flanagan’s career goes from here.

Stream The Haunting Of Hill House on Netflix.

Stream The Haunting Of Bly Manor on Netflix

BoJack Horseman (2014 - 2020)

Netflix has had its fair share of hits in the world of adult animation, but few compare to the Raphael Bob-Waksberg’s BoJack Horseman and its story about a humanoid horse (Will Arnett) who, despite being one of the biggest sitcom stars of all time, struggles to find a steady gig and his way in life all these years later. Who would have ever thought a cartoon about a self-loathing horse would be this much fun (or so heavy)?

Stream BoJack Horseman on Netflix.

Easy (2016 - 2020)

Created by writer/director Joe Swanberg, Easy was an anthology series focusing on a diverse cast of characters in and around the greater Chicago area. Over the course of three seasons, the oftentimes hilarious, but always real, show touched on some of life’s most delicate topics and situations, as told by an all-star cast that included everyone from Dave Franco to Aubrey Plaza. Anyone familiar with Swanberg’s previous work (Drinking Buddies, Happy Christmas) knows what to expect here.

Stream Easy on Netflix.

Orange Is The New Black (2013 - 2019)

One of the first big Netflix originals, Orange is the New Black broke a lot of ground for the streaming service and its push for original content upon its release in 2013. Over the years, the dramedy about life in a women’s prison introduced the world to some of TV’s most iconic characters and voices, including Laverne Cox, who stole every scene with her portrayal of Sophia Burset.

Stream Orange Is The New Black on Netflix.

This was just around 20 of the best Netflix original shows you can stream right now and there are plenty more where that came from. With countless other series premiering in 2021, it is only a matter of time before we have make even more additions to this list.

Narcos: Mexico has become of Netflix’s signature shows, and fans want more. The critically acclaimed drama has made quite a bit of noise on the streamer, with many comparing it favorably to its parent show. Based on the way Season 2 ended, many wondered if a potential third season was in the cards. Now, we have confirmation that Narcos: Mexico will indeed be returning for a third season. However, this announcement comes with a bit of bad news.

Although Netflix has officially ordered a third season of Narcos: Mexico, the show’s star – Diego Luna – will not be returning for the new season, per Deadline. The trade also reports that the show will also have a new showrunner when it returns, as series co-creator Carlo Bernard will be taking over day-to-day duties for Eric Newman, who is said to be taking a step back from both Narcos series. Newman will, however, remain with the show as an executive producer. He also released a statement in which he formally announced his departure:

The third season of Narcos: Mexico will also see a familiar face moving behind the camera. Wagner Moura, who portrayed Pablo Escobar on the show, is returning to the series to direct two episodes.

There are a number of things to look forward to with Season 3 of Narcos: Mexico, but Diego Luna’s absence is admittedly disappointing. Luna played drug lord Felix Gallardo, who was sentenced to prison at the end of Season 2. This may have led some to question Luna’s future with the show, and it would seem that it did indeed spell the end for him, at least for right now.

It should also be noted that Diego Luna has another project on the horizon, which may or may not have played into this development. The actor is currently set to work on Disney+’s Cassian Andor series, in which he’ll reprise his role as the titular character from Rogue One. Like many other productions, that show was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic but, according to Deadline, it’s now moving into pre-production.

Luna’s Gallardo may not be physically present, but his absence will definitely be felt. Narcos: Mexico Season 3, which is set in the ‘90s, will explore the aftermath Felix’s arrest, as his drug empire is splintered. And all the while, new kingpins begin to come onto the scene.

Narcos: Mexico is certainly entering a new chapter, and Diego Luna will be missed. But by the sounds of it, Season 3 is shaping up to be another exciting era in this franchise’s history.

The first two seasons of Narcos: Mexico are now streaming on Netflix.

The explosion of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is one of history's most infamous catastrophes, having been the focus of several realistic dramas, and even a highly fictionalized horror flick. Yet, no depiction of the tragedy has been as realistic or horrific as the 2019 HBO miniseries, Chernobyl.

Creator Craig Mazin’s Golden Globe-winning, five-episode event was watched by millions of viewers brave enough to witness the unsettling terror that brave Ukrainians had to endure in 1986 to safely evacuate Chernobyl following the explosion. The HBO series’ sharp writing and brutal authenticity was enough to get people interested in history again, something we do not give television enough credit for these days.

There is plenty to learn from your favorite streaming services, through which you will find shows like Chernobyl that both educate and entertain. These 11 historical dramas are some of the best examples.

Band Of Brothers (Amazon Prime, HBO NOW)

Another one of the most acclaimed historical miniseries to air on HBO is this World War II era drama from executive producers Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, who had collaborated on the similarly harrowing war epic Saving Private Ryan. What separates Band of Brothers from that Oscar-winning drama is the inclusion of recorded interviews with the actual veterans who inspired the series.

Band of Brothers retells the experiences of Easy Company, the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, from basic training, to D-Day, and all the way to the end of the second World War. Starring recognizable faces like Donnie Wahlberg, Damian Lewis, and Michael Fassbender, this Golden Globe-winner for Best Miniseries in 2002 is a fascinating and often heartbreaking 10-episode story of extraordinary tasks that ordinary men were forced to do. Stream it on Amazon Prime here or HBO NOW here.

Vikings (Hulu)

For years, The History Channel has been the premiere place on TV to watch nothing else but smart people recounting commenting on everything in history from the Renaissance to evidence that aliens built the pyramids. That was until the network introduced its first scripted series, Vikings, starring Warcraft actor Travis Fimmel as Ragnar Lothbok, a figure of Norse legend said to be one of the fiercest warriors of the 13th Century who seeks to explore, and conquer, distant places along with his Viking brethren.

From the creator of Showtime’s King Henry VIII-focused drama The Tudors, the Emmy-nominated Vikings is an action-packed period drama, currently in its sixth and final season, that creatively imagines the time when taking control over land was as simple as taking candy from a baby… whilst equipped with swords and shields. Also, be on the lookout for the upcoming Netflix original spin-off, Vikings: Valhalla. Stream it on Hulu here.

Hell On Wheels (Netflix)

In 2007, AMC really hit the ground running with their first original scripted series, Mad Men, which dramatizes the world of advertising in 1960s New York. For their next attempt at a period drama, they decided to go even further into the past, with a show focusing on the early years following the Civil War through the eyes of one angry former Confederate soldier.

Anson Mount (perhaps the most perfect name an actor cast in a western series could ever have) plays Cullen Bohannon, who, in order to find and punish the Union soldiers who murdered his wife, joins the development of the Transcontinental Railroad, hence Hell on Wheels. Musician/actor Common also stars as a freed slave working security on the railroad for four of this drama’s five seasons that may be fictional, but paint an accurate portrait of America’s uncivilized path to civilization. Stream it on Netflix here.

Narcos (Netflix)

Netflix sure does love its true crime, as another series on this list will provide further evidence to. In addition to countless documentaries about the most notorious criminals in history, the streaming service also brought Columbian drug lord Pablo Escobar to Emmy-nominated glory with its original drama Narcos.

The three seasons of Narcos and its spin-off Narcos: Mexico, the second season of which drops February 13, follows real-life lawmen, such as DEA agent Javier Pena (The Mandalorian’s Pedro Pascal), and the drug kingpins they trailed throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. It is a complex and thrilling account of why America’s war on drugs is such a fitting title. Stream it on Netflix here.

Deadwood (Amazon Prime, HBO NOW)

As Chernobyl, Band of Brothers, and a couple soon-to-be-mentioned series may prove, HBO has often gotten lucky with its historical accounts. One of its most acclaimed, and accurate, examples is this short-lived, Emmy-winning western Deadwood.

Set in the 1870s in the titular South Dakota town where crime and corruption run deep, the series dramatizes the clashing lives of actual people who lived in Deadwood, such as lawman Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) and saloon owner Al Swearengen (Ian McShane, who won a Golden Globe in 2005 for his devilish role). Deadwood’s three seasons and 2019 feature-length sequel are a grim reminder that the Old West was certainly no picnic. Stream it on Amazon Prime here or on HBO NOW here.

Mindhunter (Netflix)

At this point, Netflix is practically the ultimate hub to satisfy your true crime needs, from both an original scripted film and four-part documentary on Ted Bundy to the story of the infamously honest Henry Lee Lucas in The Confession Killer. Of course, you have to wonder if those investigative series would have existed if not for the game-changing FBI agents who inspired the acclaimed crime drama Mindhunter.

David Fincher serves as executive producer, and has directed several episodes, of this Emmy-nominated series that depicts the controversial development of criminal profiling in the 1970s by two pioneer FBI agents played by Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany. After only two seasons, Mindhunter has been put on indefinite hold, but hopefully comes back soon as fans are dying to see what other historical psychopaths will join the likes of Charles Manson and Son of Sam as the show’s next interview subjects. Stream it on Netflix here.

TURN: Washington’s Spies (Netflix)

After the success of Mad Men and Hell on Wheels, AMC figured there was nowhere to go but even further backwards. This time, they optioned for a series centered on an especially pressing time in the history of the United States with an intriguing espionage twist.

British actor Jamie Bell leads the series as real-life American farmer Abraham Woodhull, who is recruited into Culper Ring, an organization under George Washington’s order tasked with spying on the British Army at the height of the Revolutionary War. Over the course of four seasons, TURN: Washington’s Spies reveals the untold story of how America’s first secret agents became instrumental to officializing the country’s independence. Stream it on Netflix here.

John Adams (Amazon Prime, HBO NOW)

Of course, we cannot forget the debt of gratitude that America owes to John Adams, a prominent historical figure devoted to truth and honesty, even if that meant defending British Troops in the Boston Massacre trial during a time of great conflict within the Colonies. HBO’s acclaimed miniseries chronicles the Founding Father’s career as an attorney, diplomat, and the country’s second president.

Emmys, Golden Globes, and Screen Actors Guild awards were given to Paul Giamatti for his performance in the title role and Laura Linney as his wife, Abigail, in John Adams, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography by David McCullough. The seven-part 2008 television event is a beautifully acted and wonderfully told depiction of how John Adams had one of the most important roles in the history of the United States. Stream it on Amazon Prime here or on HBO NOW here.

The Crown (Netflix)

As for powerful dramas focusing on prominent historical figures in the United Kingdom, this Netflix original is one of its few docu-dramas that centers on a much less grim topic. The Crown chronicles the earlier days of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, during which the British Empire faces much political strife.

Both actresses to portray Elizabeth at different times in her life (Claire Foy for the first two seasons and Olivia Colman for the most recent third) have received Golden Globes for their performances, not to mention John Lithgow’s Emmy win for playing former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The Crown is an expertly researched and impeccably acted retelling of Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace’s histories behind closed doors. Stream it on Netflix here.

Boardwalk Empire (Amazon Prime, HBO NOW)

Creator Terence Winter took a few creative liberties with this series that depicts bootlegging operations in Atlantic City during the Prohibition Era. However, don’t worry. One of the biggest inaccuracies is some very loosely changed names.

Steve Buscemi gives a Golden Globe-winning performance as corrupt Atlantic City Politician Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, a fictionalized counterpart to Atlantic City politician Enoch “Nucky” Johnson who is known for conspiring with the likes of Al Capone and other mobsters to smuggle alcohol throughout its unlawful period. Martin Scorsese directed the pilot, as well as served as executive producer for all five seasons of Boardwalk Empire, a series that exposes how far people would go for a drink in the 1920s. Stream it on Amazon Prime here or on HBO NOW here.

Ripper Street (Netflix)

Film and TV audiences have a deep fascination with unsolved crimes, the fact that Jack the Ripper has been the subject of countless works of fiction being one prime example. However, what sets Victorian crime procedural Ripper Street apart from other TV series inspired by London’s most notorious murderer is that it takes place years after his reign had ended, but his ominous presence in the streets of London remained.

Ripper Street, which lasted five seasons on BBC from 2012-2016, follows the police district of Whitechapel as they struggle to maintain order in late 19th Century London in the aftermath of Jack the Ripper’s elusive killing spree. The series is a fascinating depiction of how the criminal justice system operated in the past, as well as an intriguing commentary on the distressing ripple effect of violence. Stream it on Netflix here.

History buffs need not rely on their encyclopedia to quench their thirst for knowledge any longer but, instead, just a couple of streaming service subscriptions. Be sure to check back for more updates on fact-based TV series and other streaming recommendations here at CinemaBlend.

Remember when a family drama was defined as a series about a family of good-natured people struggling to overcome the obstacles of their environment? Well, considering the popularity of Ozark, starring Jason Bateman as the father of a family laundering money for a Mexican drug cartel, that definition is a rarity now.

The Golden Globe-nominated Netflix original hit is one of a longstanding trend of dramas that are now about seemingly good-natured people struggling to overcome the consequences of their self-destructive tendencies. There is something so addicting about watching despicable low-lives fixing to prolong a squeaky-clean reputation, and Ozark is just one example.

As you wait to see more of Jason Bateman and Laura Linney’s “money problems” when Ozark returns to Netflix on March 27, if you are dying to indulge in more family drama -- in some cases, at its criminally darkest -- allow us to help you narrow down your search. These are 11 recommendations that make This Is Us look like Leave It to Beaver.

Bates Motel (Netflix)

Alfred Hitchcock shocked the world with one of the most unsettling killers in cinematic history, Norman Bates, portrayed by Anthony Perkins in the filmmaker’s adaptation of Robert Bloch’s novel Psycho. Inspired by Ed Gein (like many onscreen slashers were), you have to wonder how a guy got so messed up to commit murder while impersonating his dead mother.

Bates Motel, a modern day-set prequel to Psycho, makes the typically ill-fated attempts to answer that question, but instead makes for some deliciously dark and exquisitely performed storytelling. The series, which ran for five seasons on A&E, chronicles the uncomfortably close mother-son relationship between Norma (Vera Farmiga) and teenage Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore), who own and operate an old Oregon motel where check-out time ends up coming too early for some guests. Stream it on Netflix here.

Bloodline (Netflix)

What earns someone the right to call themselves a good person? How far will someone go to protect their right to call themselves “good” and protect their family from a fate behind bars? Sometimes, people take it too far.

Behind the beautiful walls of their famous Florida Keys inn, the wealthy Rayburns are hiding dark secrets that even Sheriff John Rayburn (Friday Night Lights alum Kyle Chandler) will do anything to keep from getting out. The highly acclaimed Netflix series Bloodline, which ran for three seasons, earned a Golden Globe nomination for Ben Mendehlson’s performance as Danny Rayburn, the black sheep of the family whose return home gives their lavish existence an expiration date. Stream it on Netflix here.

Boardwalk Empire (HBO NOW)

For as good as the fictionalized criminal endeavors of Ozark do get, we understand that some of its biggest fans may also have a special soft spot for true crime. What might do the trick is this scripted HBO drama inspired by those who went to dangerous lengths all for a drink in the early 20th Century.

Boardwalk Empire stars Golden Globe-winner Steve Buscemi as Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, based on real-life Atlantic City politician Enoch “Nucky” Johnson who was convicted in 1941 for conspiring with the Mob to smuggle alcohol during the Prohibition Era, an alliance that also involved gambling and prostitution. Martin Scorsese serves as executive producer of this series that unveils the dark secrets of one of the most controversial periods in America’s history. Stream it on HBO NOW here.

Breaking Bad (Netflix)

If you are a fan of Ozark, you are probably already a fan of this revolutionary AMC hit. In fact, I would be willing to bet that the reason you started watching Ozark was because of all the comparisons to Breaking Bad it received when it first premiered on Netflix. Well, I certainly cannot blame you for that.

When high school chemistry teacher Walter White (a four-time Emmy-winning performance by Bryan Cranston) is diagnosed with lung cancer, he teams up with former student Jesse Pinkman (a three-time Emmy-winning performance by Aaron Paul) to start a methamphetamine manufacturing operation in an effort to make money to leave to his family. Breaking Bad cemented creator, and former The X-Files writer, Vince Gilligan as one of television’s most brilliant, and demented, storytellers by chronicling White’s fascinating metamorphosis from simple family man to ruthless criminal mastermind over five seasons. Once your addictive binge is cured, be sure to check out Netflix’s feature-length follow-up that puts Jesse in driver’s seat, El Camino. Stream it on Netflix here.

Colony (Netflix)

The intriguing irony of Ozark is how the Byrdes’ criminal activity is actually instrumental in bringing them, somewhat, closer together. For most modern day family dramas, the result is usually the opposite, even in, say, the wake of an alien invasion, like in this exciting drama.

After an alien race has occupied Los Angeles into its own inescapable colony, Will Bowman (Lost alum Josh Hollway) reluctantly agrees to help take down a growing resistance movement, inciting divisive consequences it will have between him and his wife (The Walking Dead’s Sarah Wayne Callies) and children. Colony, co-created by prolific producer Carlton Cuse, was cancelled by USA after three seasons, but has earned a small cult following for its fascinating, and culturally relevant, political themes that cleverly combine with a futuristic sci-fi tone. Stream it on Netflix here.

Desperate Housewives (Hulu)

For years, there was no topic more popular at the office water cooler on a Monday morning than whatever happened the night before on Wisteria Lane. Creator Marc Cherry made ABC’s primetime soap opera Desperate Housewives one of the most addictively suspenseful, and often hilarious, shows of the early 2000s.

After Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong) mysteriously takes her own life, she becomes the narrator of the intricate lives of her friends and neighbors, including meek divorcee Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher), ambitious career woman turned-stay-at-home mom Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman), luxury-obsessed former fashion model Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria), OCD-plagued housewife Bree Van De Kamp (Marcia Cross), and sex-crazed narcissist Edie Britt (Nicolette Sheridan), who all get tangentially wrapped up in twisted situations involving infidelity, power-hungry manipulation, and murder. Who knew one picturesque neighborhood could be home to such insanity? Stream it on Hulu here.

Fargo (Hulu)

Joel and Ethan Coen became two of the hottest names in filmmaking for their Oscar-winning 1996 dark comedy Fargo, in which a financially desperate, Minnesota car salesman’s (William H. Macy) disastrous ransom scheme gets the attention of an intrepid (and pregnant) police chief (Frances McDormand). There are more twisted stories of good Midwesterners gone bad where that came from in Noah Hawley’s spin-off.

Each season of this multi-award-winning FX anthology series tells a new, star-studded story of cold-blooded, comical suspense in low temperature climates, including a hitman’s influence on a meek insurance salesman, a young 1970s couple’s fatal hit-and-run, and a struggling probation officer’s failed attempt to rob his successful twin brother. Fargo is now entering its fourth season, starring Chris Rock as the head of a black crime syndicate in 1950s Kansas City, Missouri. Stream it on Hulu here.

Narcos (Netflix)

To once again reference Breaking Bad in an article meant to have Ozark as the prime focus, in 2016, Walter White actor Bryan Cranston switched to the lawful side of the war on drugs as a U.S. Customs agent taking on Pablo Escobar in the true crime drama The Infiltrator. At that time, the Columbian drug lord was also a big name in television, thanks to this scripted Netflix original drama that chronicled his criminal exploits.

Narcos is a complex and chilling look into the violent conflicts between Pablo Escobar, and other various drug kingpins, and the law enforcement assigned to take him down, including The Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal as DEA agent Javier Pena. When you are done binging all three seasons, you might want to check out its spin-off, Narcos: Mexico, which is entering its second season on February 13. Stream it on Netflix here.

Schitt’s Creek (Netflix)

In addition to its disturbing suspense, Ozark is at its juiciest when Jason Bateman’s Marty Byrde and his family experience a culture clash with the “redneck” locals, who actually turn out to be rarely what their stereotypes suggest. The redneck locals of the titular small town of comedy series Schitt’s Creek are very heavily associated with their stereotypes, and hilariously so.

In the absence of their business manager, wealthy socialites Johnny (Eugene Levy) and Moira Rose (Catherine O’Hara) and their spoiled adult children David (Levy’s real son Dan) and Alexis (Annie Murphy) suddenly lose everything, they must make themselves at home in their one remaining asset: the hick community of Schitt’s Creek, which they once bought as a joke. In case you need some comic relief from your binge of dark family drama, this beloved rags-to-riches comedy, which is currently in its sixth and final season on Pop TV, is the perfect choice. Stream it on Netflix here.

The Sinner (Netflix)

Shows like Ozark, Fargo, and Breaking Bad have taught us that sometimes a moment of desperation and a little push are all it takes to send even the meekest law-abiding citizens on a tenuous tightrope act above the law. However, this USA drama takes a more complex dive into answering the question as to why ordinary people suddenly turn to crime.

Bill Pullman’s Screen Actor’s Guild Award-nominated role as Detective Harry Ambrose is the connective tissue of this anthology series about bizarre crimes committed by unlikely suspects, such as Jessica Biel’s Season 1 character, unable to explain her brutal murder of a stranger. The Sinner, which will premiere its third season in February, is a shocking mystery thriller that will keep you obsessively guessing until the end of each story. Stream it on Netflix here.

Jason Bateman sure is great at playing a family man whose life is turned horrifically upside-down by money problems (and I’m just talking about Arrested Development), but whenever your addiction to Ozark needs a remedy, these 11 other series should be a great alternative. Be sure to check back for more updates on the Midwestern-set crime drama and other streaming recommendations here at CinemaBlend.

When it comes to watching crime TV shows, Netflix is one of the best streaming services to subscribe to today to find some of the most clever, engrossing, and chilling series around. There is plenty of evidence on the platform to show for it.

Not only does the streamer have your common police procedural and acclaimed true crime TV shows available, but also some great sci-fi TV shows and a few of the best comedy TV shows on Netflix fall under that category. Let’s sift through all of the best criminally entertaining (or unsettling) series that a Netflix subscription grants you, below.

The Blacklist (2013-2023)

Starring: James Spader, Megan Boone

What it’s about: An elusive criminal mastermind turns himself in and offers his expertise to a new FBI profiler.

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: Created by Jon Bokenkamp, the Emmy-winning The Blacklist was one of NBC’s most unique crime procedurals, making a villainous character into a surprisingly likable hero.

• Stream The Blacklist on Netflix

Peaky Blinders (2013-2022)

Starring: Cillian Murphy, Paul Anderson

What it’s about: The rise of a fierce, notorious crime family in early 1900s England.

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: Creator Stephen Knight’s addictive period drama, Peaky Blinders, has a movie spin-off in the works, which is coming to Netflix at some point.

• Stream Peaky Blinders on Netflix

The Sinner (2017-2021)

Starring: Bill Pullman, Jessica Biel

What it’s about: Detective Harry Ambrose uses his pristine investigative skills and unique empathy to get into the heads of people accused of unusual crimes.

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: Originally developed by Derek Simonds as a miniseries adaptation of Peter Hammesfahr’s novel, The Sinner evolved into an absorbing quasi-seasonal anthology TV show centered around Bill Pullman’s character.

• Stream The Sinner on Netflix

American Vandal (2017-2018)

Starring: Tyler Alvarez, Griffin Gluck

What it’s about: A teenager records his investigations into two different crude high school pranks

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: Creators Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda’s hilarious mockumentary satire, American Vandal, is a must-watch for fans of the true crime docuseries it pokes fun at, as it is, surprisingly, about as engrossing as they are.

• Stream American Vandal on Netflix

Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story (2024)

Starring: Cooper Koch, Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Javier Bardem, Chloë Sevigny

What it’s about: Two adult brothers conspire to kill their parents.

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: Serving as a follow-up to Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story offers an intriguing inside look at the titular siblings’ trial and reasons for their horrific crime.

• Stream Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story on Netflix

Unbelievable (2019)

Starring: Toni Collette, Merritt Wever, Kaitlyn Dever

What it’s about: Two FBI agents search for the truth when a teenage girl is accused of falsifying her sexual assault allegation.

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: Based on the maddening true story of Marie Adler, the eight-episode limited series, Unbelievable, is one of the best Kaitlyn Dever TV shows and boasts one of her strongest performances yet.

• Stream Unbelievable on Netflix

Kaleidoscope (2023)

Starring: Giancarlo Esposito, Rufus Sewell

What it’s about: Six criminals team up to pull off a historical heist that becomes plagued by betrayal.

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: In addition to being inspired by a true crime, Kaleidoscope is an interesting watch for its non-linear structure, allowing the viewer to consume all nine episodes in whatever order they choose.

• Stream Kaleidoscope on Netflix

Breaking Bad (2008–2013)

Starring: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul

What it’s about: A terminally ill high school chemistry teacher who turns to crime to provide for his family.

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: After rewatching (or discovering) the best episodes of Breaking Bad, be sure to also check out Better Call Saul, the prequel series to Vince Gilligan’s groundbreaking, hauntingly bleak hit, which is also available on Netflix, as well as the feature-length spin-off, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie.

• Stream Breaking Bad on Netflix
• Stream Better Call Saul on Netflix
• Stream El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie on Netflix

Tiger King (2020-2021)

Featuring: Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin

What it’s about: The story of controversial animal park owner Joe Exotic and his involvement in a bizarre assassination case.

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: The insane story of Tiger King made the Netflix docuseries a wild phenomenon in 2020, spawning a second season.

• Stream Tiger King on Netflix

Killing Eve (2018-2022)

Starring: Sandra Oh, Jodie Comer

What it’s about: An MI5 security officer is assigned to tail a dangerous assassin, but things turn dicey when they both start to fall for each other.

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: From creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Killing Eve is a deliciously unique, romantic, and darkly comic Emmy-winning thriller.

• Stream Killing Eve on Netflix

Narcos (2015-2017)

Starring: Pedro Pascal, Wagner Moura

What it’s about: A stylized inside look at the criminal enterprises of history’s most notorious drug lords and those who investigated their exploits.

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: One of the best Pedro Pascal TV shows is Narcos – a captivating true crime drama that spawned the spin-off, Narcos: Mexico, in 2018.

• Stream Narcos on Netflix
• Stream Narcos: Mexico on Netflix

Prison Break (2005-2017)

Starring: Wentworth Miller, Dominic Purcell

What it’s about: Michael Scofield gets himself sent to prison in order to rescue his older brother, Lincoln, who has been wrongfully charged with murdering the Vice President’s brother.

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: From creator Paul T. Scheuring, Prison Break is an arresting, edge-of-your-seat thriller anchored by the riveting performances of its main leads.

• Stream Prison Break on Netflix

Unsolved Mysteries (2020-Present)

Featuring: Various

What it’s about: Firsthand accounts of bizarre, unexplainable cases, ranging from horrifying disappearances to enduring urban legends.

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: Netflix’s reboot of the long-running hit docuseries, Unsolved Mysteries, deals with some of the scariest and most perplexing stories in its history.

• Stream Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix

Ozark (2017-2022)

Starring: Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, Julia Garner

What it’s about: A financial advisor from Chicago (played by Jason Bateman) moves his wife (played by Laura Linney) and children to the Ozarks of Missouri as part of an elaborate money laundering scheme for a ruthless drug lord.

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: Winner of four Emmy Awards, creators Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams’ Ozark is a show often compared to Breaking Bad for its captivatingly twisted story about ordinary people in way over their heads in the criminal lifestyle.

• Stream Ozark on Netflix

Good Girls (2018-2022)

Starring: Christina Hendricks, Retta, Mae Whitman

What it’s about: A group of suburban moms decide to take huge risks to cure their financial woes.

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: NBC’s Good Girls is a show similar to Netflix’s The Gentlemen, in the sense that it tells a humorous story about average people who fall into a life of crime.

• Stream Good Girls on Netflix

Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022)

Starring: Evan Peters, Richard Jenkins

What it’s about: Jeffrey Dahmer indulges in a horrifying crime spree, murdering many young men.

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: Co-creator Ryan Murphy’s most unsettling foray into true crime yet is Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which received multiple Emmy nominations and earned Peters a Golden Globe for his unnerving performance.

• Stream Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story on Netflix

Altered Carbon (2018-2020)

Starring: Joel Kinnaman, Anthony Mackie

What it’s about: In a futuristic society where consciousness can be digitized, a prisoner wakes up in a new body a new task to solve the murder of a recently resurrected businessman.

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: Altered Carbon is also considered one of the best sci-fi TV shows on Netflix for its fascinating cyberpunk themes, astonishing production design, and bold choice of recasting its lead character with a new actor between seasons to honor its concept.

• Stream Altered Carbon on Netflix

Criminal (2019-2020)

Starring: Various

What it’s about: An intense game of cat-and-mouse between the hunter and the hunted (the cop and con), all taking place within the confines of a police interrogation room.

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: Criminal, a group of four series that each take place in a different interrogation room in a different country (United Kingdom, Spain, France, and Germany), is guaranteed to present you with some of the most pulse-pounding conversations you have ever seen.

• Stream Criminal on Netflix

Dexter (2006-2013)

Starring: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter

What it’s about: Police forensics expert Dexter Morgan lives a double life as a serial killer who specializes in ridding Miami of worse criminals than himself.

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: Usually the object of crime shows is to get the viewer to root against murderers, but Hall’s Emmy-nominated lead performance in the Dexter cast has you fully invested in the homicidal hero’s bloody exploits.

• Stream Dexter on Netflix

Longmire (2012-2017)

Starring: Robert Taylor, Katee Sackhoff

What it’s about: A widowed Wyoming sheriff channels his grief into his battle against crime in his county.

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: Fans of the best Western movies on Netflix will surely also get a kick out of Longmire – a modern-day tale of an old-school lawman based on a series of novels by Craig Johnson.

• Stream Longmire on Netflix

Lucifer (2016-2021)

Starring: Tom Ellis, Lauren German

What it’s about: Lucifer Morningstar (a.k.a. Satan) decides to take human form and work as an LAPD consultant and help punish the world’s sinners in a new kind of way.

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: One of the most entertaining combinations of the crime fiction genre with supernatural elements is Lucifer, which is on fire with its charismatic portrayal of the Prince of Darkness that only heightens the appeal of its procedural format.

• Stream Lucifer on Netflix

Mindhunter (2017-2019)

Starring: Holt McCallany, Jonathan Groff, Anna Torv

What it’s about: Two FBI agents develop a then-controversial method of psychological and criminal profiling by interviewing the most infamous killers of the 1970s.

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: Producer David Fincher, the legendary director of thrillers such as Seven and Zodiac, takes the helm of several episodes of Mindhunter – a bold exploration into the once unprecedented concept of thinking like a bad guy to catch them, and essential viewing for true crime junkies.

• Stream Mindhunter on Netflix

Making A Murderer (2015-2018)

Featuring: Steven Avery

What it’s about: This docuseries follows the criminal record of Steven Avery, a man who spent years in prison for a sexual assault crime he did not commit, only to be accused of murder two years after his release.

Why it is one of the best crime shows on Netflix: The Emmy-winning Making a Murderer sets out not only to inform viewers of Avery’s trial but make a case for his innocence and expose corruption within the United States criminal justice system.

• Stream Making a Murderer on Netflix

Do you love our list of the best crime shows on Netflix, or do you think it is grounds for arrest?

When Narcos first hit Netflix in September of 2016, it was a little bit of a surprise hit. It’s not often that a bilingual show with heavy subtitles works, but thanks to Netflix's global audience, Narcos sure did. It’s turned out to be one of Netflix’s most beloved shows, but after three seasons, it was basically rebooted and rebranded as Narcos: Mexico.

It was a bit of a weird move for the subscription streaming service. Yet, how does Narcos: Mexico stand up to the original Narcos? Is it different than the early iteration of the series? Let's take a look.

Narcos

The first two season of Narcos on Netflix followed the incredible rise and violent fall of the most infamous drug kingpins in history, Pablo Escobar, played brilliantly by Brazilian actor Wagner Moura. On one side was the incredibly powerful and notoriously violent Medellín Cartel, led by Escobar, and on the other side there were DEA agents trying to bring him down. More specifically there were two agents, Steve Murphy, played by Boyd Holbrook, and Javier Pena, played by Pedro Pascal.

A big part of the success of that first season was the performance by Wagner Moura. His potrayal of Pablo Escobar was spot on. He played him not as a one-dimensional lunatic willing to kill everything in his path to the top of cocaine mountain, but as a compassionate family man who cared deeply for his children, his hometown of Medellín, and the country of Colombia.

He didn't take it too far, as there are constant reminders about just how evil Pablo Escobar was; still, by the end of the series, he was almost an anti-hero fighting the government because they didn't want him to succeed. It’s a fascinating take on the man and again, Wagner Moura nailed it.

Narcos' season were ominous and serious. It was a dangerous time in Colombia and indeed much of the rest of South and Central America and the Americans, misguided or not, felt righteous in their belief that bringing all-out war to Colombia and to Escobar was completely warranted. Of course, in the end – spoiler alert – Escobar was taken down by a combination of Steve Murphy and Javier Pena’s characters and Colombian police and military forces. It’s all very much based on the real story and was flawlessly executed, unlike Pablo Escobar, whose execution on a roof in Medellín was anything but flawless or dignified.

With Escobar dead, Season 3 of Narcos shifted to the other major cocaine cartel in Colombia, the Cali Cartel, based, obviously Cali. They were major rivals of Escobar’s and with his death, they moved hard to fill to power (and drug) vacuum left in the wake of Escobar’s death. While Season 3 was equally well done, production-wise, it does suffer from a couple of flaws; luckily it was still immensely popular.

The hardest loss in Season 3 really was Wagner Moura. The show just wasn't the same without him as Escobar. The men that ran the Cali Cartel, while just as ruthless as Escobar, lacked his charisma and his panache, in my opinion. The show suffered mightily because of this. There were no anti-heroes, only villains, and Escobar was both, which is what originally made the show unique.

Additionally, the story of the Cali Cartel is harder to tell. There were more players, they operated in many different cities around the world and there wasn’t a unifying bad guy for an audience to cheer against. Sure, they were just as violent as Escobar, maybe even more so, but the story wasn't as good. Still, the production and acting were world class and the ending, setting up what the creators thought would be Season 4, was excellent, with Pedro Pascal’s character back home in the States, sitting on the Rio Grande with his father, watching Mexican drug smugglers load up a boat.

Narcos: Mexico

With Narcos: Mexico, Netflix and the showrunners decided to do a light reboot. It only made sense, as the criminals were changing and the location was changing; therefore, it made sense for everything to change. Out was basically the entire cast and in was a completely new one. All the main characters from the previous series were gone. Honestly, it was the smart move. Sure, the show could have brought Boyd Holbrook and Javier Pena back and fudged the story of the DEA agents in Mexico, but instead they stuck with the realism and honest storytelling by changing the players, as they changed in real life.

Leading the new cast would be Michael Pena, playing real-life DEA agent Kiki Camarena, and Diego Luna as Felix Gallardo, the leader of the Guadalajara Cartel. Luna's casting came on the heals of starring in the Star Wars universe. In a minor, but sure to grow role, Alejandro Edda played a young gunman in the cartel named Joaquin Guzman, who is better known as “El Chapo.”

Because the timeline of the rise of the Mexican cartels overlaps a lot of that of the Colombians, Narcos: Mexico had an opportunity to bring back a number of characters, including one very memorable scene with Wagner Moura as Pablo Escobar when Diego Luna’s character visited Escobar in Colombia to make a pact to smuggle cocaine through Mexico. The scene also featured an excellent appearance of Escobar’s famous hippos, which he kept as pets. It might be the best episode of the season and once again Moura’s performance was perfect.

Narcos: Mexico had the exact same look and feel of its counterpart, Narcos. The gritty realism, the nebulous treatment of heroes and anti-heroes, even the bilingual production style were the same. It’s a much different story, both from the cartel’s perspective and the DEA’s, but the themes are very similar. For the cartel, it was: How do you protect your asssets against the wolves coming for it? For the DEA, it was: How do you get the pencil pushers in Washington to understand just how bad things are?

Is the story as good? Frankly, no. There was only one Pablo Escobar, the larger-than-life Colombian who was once named as one of the richest men in the world, despite his outlaw status. You don’t find a story like every day. The shows have been just as compelling though and Narcos: Mexico definitely stands up with its big brother.

The best news about the whole thing? That bit about a story as crazy and compelling as Pablo Escobar’s? Well, there is another one. It took place in Mexico and it’s star was one El Chapo Guzman. Oh yeah, Narcos: Mexico should be about to get very, very crazy.

So if you are fan of the first Narcos, but have been hesitant to watch Narcos: Mexico, stop hesitating! While it’s maybe not quite as good as the first two seasons, it is very close and with the story left to tell, it’s only going to get better. A lot better.

These days there's no rest for the wicked, or the actors who portray them. The trial of drug cartel kingpin El Chapo entered its eleventh week, and with it came the arrival of a special guest. Actor Alejandro Edda, who plays El Chapo on the Netflix original series Narcos: Mexico, was among those in the audience during recent proceedings. So, what led to this incredibly meta moment during a serious trial?

It appears Alejandro Edda's primary motivation for showing up to El Chapo's trial was for research, as he was seen scribbling notes during the testimony of the drug lord's bodyguard Isaias Valdez Rios. The New York Post reported that Edda even borrowed binoculars from a reporter to get a closer look at El Chapo during the trial. Edda is believed to reprise his role as the drug kingpin, as Narcos: Mexico was renewed for another season in December.

Alejandro Edda's courtroom appearance was noticed by many fans, including the real-life criminal he portrays. It was said Edda and El Chapo (real name Joaquin Guzman) met eyes upon his entrance, and exchanged acknowledging glances at the start of the day. Chapo had been informed by his defense attorney Edda was in the audience to observe him, which might explain why the two locked eyes so quickly.

Later on in the day, Alejandro Edda was seen talking with El Chapo's 34-year-old wife Emma Coronel Aispuro. He also talked to the former drug kingpin's legal team, and jokes were made as they suggested who should play them should the trial be dramatized for television. It does make one wonder if Edda's arrival may mean Narcos: Mexico intends to one day show this trial, although the show seemingly has a long way to go before arriving there.

While Alejandro Edda obviously has vested interest in El Chapo, he is not blind to the crimes Joaquin Guzman is accused of. Edda confessed he thinks Chapo is guilty, and that he is still intimidated by him despite the fact that the cartel member seemed happy to see him in attendance. Edda also said he believed El Chapo taking the stand in his own defense would be "amazing," although it's still a question of whether or not that will happen.

As mentioned, Narcos: Mexico will return to Netflix for another season, and subscribers can stream the Michael Pena and Diego Luna-led season right now. Diego Luna is also slated to headline an exciting new series set in the Star Wars universe, so it should be interesting to see how Narcos: Mexico is or is not impacted. 2019 is officially underway, and new television shows worth checking out are arriving on various networks each and every day. Keep tabs on all things arriving by visiting and bookmarking our midseason premiere guide.

Licensed property games usually mark a hit-or-miss sector in the world of interactive entertainment. Some games based on popular movies and television shows turn out to be pretty good, while others fall flat. Soon, we'll find out if Netflix's Narcos will be a hit when it becomes a turn-based strategy game.

The game was announced via a 30-second teaser trailer. The trailer starts with a table with drugs on it and some photos of a location in Latin America. The Narcos: Rise of the Cartels trailer then flies through a couple of the locations before zooming out and saying that the game will be a brutal turn-based action-strategy game.

Now, while we have no idea what the actual gameplay is like because it was not showcased in the trailer, what we do know is that the description for the game fits in line with the typical turn-based action-strategy titles on the market right now. Those titles include Firaxis' XCOM series, which helped revive the tactical turn-based strategy genre on home consoles and PC, and recent games like the espionage cold war-thriller Phantom Doctrine.

The aforementioned games are isometric, tactical turn-based action titles, centering on players having to utilize stealth, wits, and skills to overcome the enemy.

Most tactical turn-based games these days don't rely on time units like the old-school tactical turn-based games of old, like Jagged Alliance. Most rely on the two-action system, where you move the character into position and then they can carry out a second action. Most newer tactical turn-based games are designed this way to keep the turns short, so that the pace of the match moves quickly and at a proper clip, which is also how other newer turn-based titles like Mutant Year Zero: Road To Eden are designed.

According to the description on the YouTube page, the game will arrive on PC, Xbox One, and PS4 during the third-quarter of 2019. The only thing the description states is that it will follow the events for the first season of Narcos from Gaumont, and it will be narrated by El Patron. You'll also have the choice of either playing as a member of the Medellin Cartel or as the DEA attempting to stop the cartel.

Curve Digital will be publishing the game and Kuju Games will be developing the title. Kuju is known for having made a number of simulator ports, along with a bunch of third-person-style games, and a few other war simulators. The company has dabbled in a number of different franchises and genres, from Disney Sing-It, to the movie-based game Reign of Fire, to House of the Dead, to the reboot of Lotus Challenge. So in terms of what you can expect from the game's quality based on Kuju's record... well, it's kind of a toss-up.

Nevertheless, the Narcos game will follow the events of the show, about the DEA attempting to stop the cartel (or the cartel attempting to grow more powerful), and graphically the game looks fairly decent. While waiting for more info, you can check out a few screenshots over on the official Curve Digital website.

November brings the year one step closer to the end of the calendar, and judging by Netflix's incoming streaming lineup, it looks like 2018 is going to continue to close out strong as ever. If you're interested in seeing what hit the library during the month of October, we've got you covered elsewhere. Otherwise, prepare yourself to update your watch list with the following titles:

Week of November 1

Angela's Christmas - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/1/18

Bram Stoker's Dracula - 11/1/18

Bring It On: In It to Win It - 11/1/18

Cape Fear - 11/1/18

Children of Men - 11/1/18

Close Encounters of the Third Kind - 11/1/18

Cloverfield - 11/1/18

Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo - 11/1/18

Doctor Strange - 11/1/18

Fair Game - Director's Cut - 11/1/18

Follow This: Part 3 - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/1/18

From Dusk Till Dawn - 11/1/18

Good Will Hunting - 11/1/18

Jet Li's Fearless - 11/1/18

Julie & Julia - 11/1/18

Katt Williams: The Pimp Chronicles: Pt. 1 - 11/1/18

National Lampoon's Animal House - 11/1/18

Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow - 11/1/18

Planet Hulk - 11/1/18

Scary Movie 2 - 11/1/18

Scary Movie 3 - 11/1/18

Sex and the City: The Movie - 11/1/18

Sixteen Candles - 11/1/18

Stink! - 11/1/18

The English Patient - 11/1/18

The Judgement - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/1/18

The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin - 11/1/18

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep - 11/1/18

Transcendence - 11/1/18

Vaya - 11/1/18

Brainchild - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/2/18

House of Cards: Season 6 - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/2/18

ReMastered: Tricky Dick & The Man in Black - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/2/18

The Holiday Calendar - NETFLIX FILM - 11/2/18

The Other Side of the Wind - NETFLIX FILM - 11/2/18

They'll Love Me When I'm Dead - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/2/18

Trolls: The Beat Goes On!: Season 4 - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/2/18

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil - 11/3/18

Week of November 4

Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - 11/4/18

Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj (Streaming Every Sunday, begins October 28) - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/4/18

Homecoming: Season 1 - 11/5/18

John Leguizamo's Latin History for Morons - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/5/18

Into the Forest - 11/7/18

The Sea of Trees - 11/8/18

Beat Bugs: Season 3 - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/9/18

La Reina del Flow - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/9/18

Medal of Honor - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/9/18

Outlaw King - NETFLIX FILM - 11/9/18

Spirit Riding Free: Season 7 - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/9/18

Super Drags - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/9/18

The Great British Baking Show: Collection 6 - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/9/18

Treehouse Detectives: Season 2 - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/9/18

Westside - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/9/18

Week of November 11

Green Room - 11/12/18

Loudon Wainwright III: Surviving Twin - NETFLIX ORIGINAL -- 11/13/18

Oh My Ghost - NETFLIX ORIGINAL -- 11/13/18

Warrior - NETFLIX ORIGINAL -- 11/13/18

May The Devil Take You - NETFLIX FILM -- 11/15/18

The Crew - NETFLIX FILM -- 11/15/18

Cam - NETFLIX FILM -- 11/16/18

Narcos: Mexico - NETFLIX ORIGINAL -- 11/16/18

Ponysitters Club: Season 2 - NETFLIX ORIGINAL -- 11/16/18

Prince of Peoria - NETFLIX ORIGINAL -- 11/16/18

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power - NETFLIX ORIGINAL -- 11/16/18

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs - NETFLIX FILM -- 11/16/18

The Break-Up - 11/16/18

The Kominsky Method - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/16/18

The Princess Switch - NETFLIX FILM - 11/16/18

Week of November 18

The Pixar Story - 11/18/18

The Last Kingdom: Season 3 - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/19/18

Kulipari: Dream Walker - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/20/18

Motown Magic - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/20/18

Sabrina - NETFLIX FILM - 11/20/18

The Final Table - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/20/18

Trevor Noah: Son of Patricia - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/20/18

The Tribe - NETFLIX FILM - 11/21/18

Jiro Dreams of Sushi - 11/22/18

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Gauntlet - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/22/18

The Christmas Chronicles - NETFLIX FILM - 11/22/18

Frontier: Season 3 - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/23/18

Fugitiva - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/23/18

Sick Note - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/23/18

Sick Note: Season 2 - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/23/18

To Build or Not to Build: Season 2 - 11/23/18

Week of November 25

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Best Gift Ever - 11/25/18

Bumping Mics with Jeff Ross & Dave Attel - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/27/18

Pocoyo: Season 4 - 11/29/18

1983 - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/30/18

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding - NETFLIX FILM - 11/30/18

Baby - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/30/18

Death by Magic - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/30/18

F is for Family: Season 3 - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/30/18

Happy as Lazzaro - NETFLIX FILM - 11/30/18

Rajma Chawal - NETFLIX FILM - 11/30/18

Spy Kids: Mission Critical: Season 2 - NETFLIX ORIGINAL - 11/30/18

The World Is Yours - NETFLIX FILM - 11/30/18

Tiempo compartido - NETFLIX FILM -- 11/30/18

Movies are shaping up to be quite the draw at Netflix, as a lot of old favorites are coming back, with some new originals spicing things up. Halloween might be over by time it hits, but if you're looking for something spooky during the holiday months, make sure you look out for Bram Stoker's Dracula and Cape Fear! Also, Marvel fans can rejoice, as Doctor Strange is headed to the streaming service as well.

However, don't underestimate Netflix's original film content, as some big contenders are on the horizon. Both The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and The Other Side of the Wind see the return of The Coen Brothers and Orson Welles to the film scene. Also, if you've been curious about what Kurt Russell would look like as Santa Claus, The Christmas Chronicles will help make that dream come true.

Last, but not least, if you want to know how Scotland landed its first king and/or what Chris's "pine" looks like, Outlaw King will answer both of those questions. However, if your tastes run closer to the realm of TV, Netflix definitely has some exciting content coming through its original programming.

The Great British Baking Show returns with a sixth collection of episodes, and if Narcos: Mexico is a title you've been looking forward to, you'll be able to see it sooner than you think. Conspiracies abound in the new original series, 1983; but if you're looking for a good laugh to balance out the darkness of said show, Mystery Science Theater 3000 and F is for Family could both provide a good antidote.

Netflix has a lot to offer in November, but please keep in mind that all titles above are subject to change. So keep this list bookmarked, so you can keep checking back in to see if any updates are made. Happy watching, folks!

After hearing, roughly six months ago, that the Netflix drama Narcos, now known as Narcos: Mexico, would be heading to a new location for Season 4 and adding Michael Pena and Diego Luna, we finally have more details on what the new season will be about and who the cast will be playing.

Netflix released information on the upcoming fourth season today. After three seasons of following the cocaine trade in Colombia and the rise of the drug kingpins of the late 1980s, Narcos: Mexico brings the action to a new country in order to examine the where the modern war on drugs began. This time saw a Mexican drug trade that was a messy conglomeration of independent dealers and growers, that is, until Félix Gallardo (Diego Luna) takes over with the Guadalajara Cartel. Michael Pena is seen above in character as DEA agent Kiki Camarena, who moves from California to Guadalajara with his wife and young child in order to take on a new position trying to take down the cartel. According to the official synopsis from Netflix, his mission will be far more complex than he imagined, leading to "a tragic chain of events" that will affect "the drug trade and the war against it for years to come."

As you can likely tell from what Netflix said about the new season, Kiki's undercover work went a long way toward finding out valuable information about Félix and his operations, but he soon realized he'd grossly underestimated the system that Félix developed. Félix, for his part, was one of the biggest narcos in the history of Mexico, and is considered the founder of the modern Mexican drug trade. And, even though he appeared to a quiet and kind leader, his ambition came above everything. He's described as being fiercely loyal to those around him, including his employees, intelligent and, ultimately, unknowable.

The cast for Narcos: Mexico is quite an impressive one, and includes many familiar faces. While we haven't been given details about who these other actors will be playing, we do, at least, know which characters they'll be playing. The large cast includes Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen, Little Children) as Jim Ferguson, Matt Letscher (Scandal, The Flash) is playing James Kuykendall, Alejandro Edda (Fear the Walking Dead) is Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman, Lenny Jacobson (Nurse Jackie) as Roger Knapp, Alyssa Diaz (Ray Donovan, The Rookie) is portraying Mika Camarena and José María Yazpik will reprise his role on the series as Amado Carrillo Fuentes.

Narcos: Mexico will debut on Netflix sometime this year, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more details on when you can watch the popular crime drama. For more on what you can watch in the meantime, be sure to check out our summer premiere guide.

Heading into the highly anticipated Season 4, Netflix's international crime drama Narcos is gearing up for an across-the-board reset, with both a location change and a cast overhaul. Targeting a new set of historically influenced bad guys upping the drug game, Narcos Season 4 is also bringing in new blood for the good guys as well, and CinemaBlend has confirmed The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow vet Matt Letscher is the newest cast member. But who will he play?

Having played various versions of Eobard "Reverse-Flash" Thawne for the past few years, Matt Letscher knows quite a bit about making life a living hell for heroes, but the actor's trip into the past for Narcos Season 4 doesn't require any metahuman time travel. Though an early report claimed that Letscher would be part of a new team of DEA agents and Columbian police offers looking to curb the ever-increasing drug trafficking problems plaguing Mexico, a Narcos rep denied that description's legitimacy. So at this point, we're not quite sure what the actor will be up to, but he doesn't exactly fit the description for traditional higher-ups in Mexican cartels.

Though the first two seasons of Narcos centered on the rise and fall of Wagner Moura's crime lord Pablo Escobar, Season 3 shifted focus to his successors in the Cali cartel through the mid-1990s, with Pablo Pascal's Javier Pena serving as the connective tissue. Season 4, meanwhile, will bring Pascal back to take on the Guadalajara cartel in Mexico City. That means not only a time-jump back to the '70s and '80s, but also the introduction of several other new characters, to be played by Ant-Man's Michael Peña and Rogue One's Diego Luna. Both of those actors' lineages go back to Mexico, so they could clearly fit into any segment of the show's population. But the same can't really be said for Letscher, so our money is on him playing some kind of government figure.

While he might currently be best known for wearing form-fitting costumes as a classic comic book villain, Matt Letscher has been a TV mainstay for over two decades. Having starred in such shows as Good Morning, Miami, Eli Stone and The Carrie Diaries -- not to mention his role as Joe Kennedy in Boardwalk Empire -- Letscher will no doubt keep building his TV career during and beyond his time on Narcos. He's not set to return to the Arrow-verse anytime soon, but we're hoping for some good news on that front in the future.

Currently, all three seasons of Narcos are available to stream on Netflix, though we're pretty sure everyone reading this has already burned through those seasons at least once already. Season 4 is currently filming, and it's expected to debut on the streaming service later in 2018. (Probably in August or September, going off of past seasons.) To see what shows everyone will be able to dig into in the meantime, such as all The CW's returning Arrow-verse series, head to our 2018 Netflix schedule and our midseason premiere schedule.

2018 looks as though it's going to be a busy year for Michael Peña. The actor is already set to reprise his role as Luis in Ant-Man and the Wasp, he's appearing in Disney's live-action telling of A Wrinkle In Time, and it has just been announced he's heading to Netflix. Netflix has announced that Peña will join actor Diego Luna when the two sign on for Season 4 of Narcos as it prepares to come to the service in 2018.

As of this writing, it is unknown what roles have been assigned to Michael Peña or Diego Luna, but their presence will undoubtedly elevate the acclaimed Netflix original series. The news of Season 4 is no surprise, since Narcos was guaranteed the run back when the show was renewed for Season 3. The series is currently in production in Mexico City, which is fitting, because Season 3 ended with the DEA realizing the drug trade had shifted to Mexico. The teaser for Narcos Season 4 features a Mariachi band, which is believed to have been a style of music originated in Jalisco, Mexico, which seems to further indicate the Season 4 will spend a good amount of time there.

The castings also make sense considering that Michael Peña's father is originally from Jalisco (Peña was born in Chicago), and Diego Luna grew up in Mexico City. Narcos will mark the second time the two actors have collaborated. Prior to this project, Luna cast Peña for the role of Cesar Chavez in his 2014 film of the same name. Diego's schedule for 2018 is a bit lighter than Peña's, although he is due to have a couple of acting projects set to release in 2018, titled A Rainy Day In New York and Berlin, I Love You.

The addition of both Michael Peña and Diego Luna are great for Narcos; these talented actors will bring a lot to the series whether they're DEA agents or drug smugglers. Hopefully, the two share some scenes together, as it would be great to see these two team up or butt heads while the drug war continues on in the series. For those wondering if the drama was still going to focus on the cocaine drug trade, this Mariachi band covered in white powder seems to answer that question:

Narcos has been revealed to be coming to Netflix in 2018, but no specific release date has been announced at this time. For a look at upcoming programming, visit both our fall premiere guide and midseason premiere guide to stay up to date. Those wanting to see which shows were canceled in 2017 can find out by visiting our cancellation guide.

Carlos Muñoz Portal, 37, has been found dead in Mexico. Portal, a location manager for film and television productions in Mexico, was shot to death in a violent region of Mexico. Portal was scouting locations for the Netflix series Narcos and his death is raising questions and concerns about pulling productions from the country out of safety concerns.

As reported by Variety, Carlos Muñoz Portal was found murdered on Monday in a violent area of central Mexico. Portal and his car were riddled with bullets and were found in a remote area near San Bartolo Actopan in the state of Mexico near the borders of Hidalgo state. The area is said to have one of the highest murder rates in Mexico, with 182 cases of homicide reported back in July. That's a ratio of 12.2 for every 100,000 inhabitants.

Authorities are still investigating the murder but they are having trouble piecing together the circumstances due to a lack of witnesses. Carlos Muñoz Portal was an experienced scout and worked for Mexico City-based production company Redrum. He was apparently scouting locations for the fourth season of Netflix's Narcos, which was moving production from Colombia to Mexico. Portal has years of experience in the industry, with credits that include Apacalypto, Spectre, Sicario, and Fast & Furious.

Narcos is a popular series on Netflix that originally followed the rise and fall of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. Season 3 focuses on the rise of the infamous Cali Cartel, while Season 4 is said to be exploring the origins of Mexico's infamous Juarez cartel. The series stars Pedro Pascal as a DEA agent who is originally tasked with bringing down Escobar.

Netflix has heard about Carlos Muñoz Portal's death and has issued a statement. In the statement, they send condolences to Portal's family and state the investigation is still underway by authorities.

It's unknown at this time if Narcos will be pulling its production in Mexico and returning to Colombia. That decision would endanger hundreds of jobs in Mexico that the production would have generated. One would think that other productions looking to film in Mexico are also reconsidering after Portal's murder. The safety of the cast and crew are important concerns and time will tell if there will be any lasting ramifications in the Mexico film industry.

Season 4 of Narcos is expected to arrive sometime in 2018, though it's unknown how that will be affected now. For more updates make sure to stick with CinemaBlend and we'll give you new information as soon as it's available. For all shows hitting Netflix, check out our Netflix TV guide. Keep up to date with everything dropping in the fall with our comprehensive fall season guide.

It's no secret that Netflix has changed the way television is produced. The streaming service allows artists to have more creative control over their project, and new series are released seemingly every other week. But Netflix does have a mystery surrounding it: its ratings. The company typically doesn't reveal how popular its shows are, although it's recently been revealed that one of its returning shows had an absolutely fantastic opening weekend. The popular crime drama Narcos just returned for its third season, essentially starting from scratch with a new location, characters, and target for Pedro Pascal's Javier Peña to bring down. And that concept seemed to really excite its fandom, as a whopping 27.2 million Netflix subscribers tuned in during the fist week that Season 3 was made available.

This number is rather impressive, and shows how popular Netflix's shows have become with avid TV audiences. And unlike network or cable TV, Netflix functions internationally. This allows viewership from a variety of different countries-- something that isn't really possible for most cable networks. The international appeal may be part of the reason why Narcos has gotten such tremendous viewership in its first week. Additionally, the new set of characters includes familiar faces like Sense8's Miguel Angel Silvestre and Broad City's Arturo Castro, possibly appealing to new audiences.

The news of Narcos' wild opening weekend comes to us from THR. They used information provided by Parrot Media to compare the opening weekends of some of Netflix's most popular original shows. And for 2017, it looks like Narcos has had the biggest opening. Ozark came just behind with 15.2 million, which is similarly impressive. Because while Ozark contains a fantastic cast led by Laura Linney and Jason Bateman, the series didn't try all that hard to market itself and reach audiences. But good word of mouth is better than gold, and news about Ozark's quality quickly lit up social media platforms.

In comparison, some of the most seemingly popular Netflix originals have paled in comparison to Narcos and Ozark, despite how viral and beloved they are. Orange is the New Black only raked up 8.5 million viewers in its opening week for Season 5, while Stranger Things accrued a more respectable 10.9 million. Although those two shows are arguably more iconic, it seems that their opening weekends just weren't as exciting. This isn't to say that they don't have more overall viewership; both shows just didn't hit it quite as hard in its first weekend of streaming.

The third season of Narcos is currently available in its entirety over on Netflix. And if you've already managed to finish it (as the numbers seem to suggest), then be sure to check out our fall premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

It's no secret that Netflix has been producing some absolutely fantastic original content over the past few years. Although the streaming service has taken to cancelling some of its less successful shows. One series that didn't get the chop is the crime drama Narcos, which is about to release its game changing third season. Season 3 of Narcos will pivot focus from Pablo Escobar to the Cali Cartel, with an almost entirely new set of characters making up the new cast. Some naysayers may worry that the fandom will be less interested in this concept, although actor Miguel Ángel Silvestre is confident that the first episode of the season will hook viewers. Because there's going to be a wild action sequence.

Now this is exciting. Netflix has produced some big budget and wild scenes through its various original content, so the praise from the service is significant for Narcos' third season. So get that popcorn ready, because Narcos is going to continue to be binge-worthy.

I had the chance to speak with Miguel Ángel Silvestre about Narcos' third season in Netflix's recent press junket in New York City. Silvestre has quickly become a Netflix staple, after starring as Lito in the Wachowski's international sci-fi series Sense8. He's a serious member of the Netflix family who will be making his debut in Narcos when Season 2 premiers on September 1st.

Overall, it seems like Narcos' third season will be quite the exciting departure from the first two seasons. Because instead of focusing solely on one target, Pedro Pascal's Javier Pena will be dealing with a much wider net of corruption, and attempting to take down all of the Godfathers of the Cali Cartel. The trailer for Season 3 teases more brutal violence and crazy action sequences, and now it appears that this will begin in the very first episode.

Having an intense action sequence in the very first episode of Narcos Season 3 is a smart move by the showrunners. Because with the series losing two of its leads and essentially starting from scratch, there will no doubt be some fans who are wary of what's to come. But by including the heart pumping scene that Miguel Ángel Silvestre has teased, the fans will likely be just as enthralled as the previous seasons, and willing to explore the new setting alongside Javier Pena.

Narcos' third season will be released in its entirety on September 1st, 2017, and you can catch Miguel Ángel Silvestre reprise his role as Lito when Sense8's finale comes sometime in 2018. In the meantime, check out our fall premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

There are few TV shows as unique as Netflix's Sense8. The Wachowski's sci-fi drama has defied the expectations and possibilities for international TV production, while also crafting the most diverse and inclusive cast in television history. But Sense8 has not been without its missteps, especially when the streaming service suddenly cancelled it after the action-packed and game changing Season 2 finale. But the fandom rallied together and convinced Netflix to produce a finale movie. And the twists have only continued as porn website xHamster has since offered to produce Season 3 of Sense8. But what does the cast think?

I recently had the chance to speak with actor Miguel Ángel Silvestre (aka Sense8's Lito) about his role in the upcoming third season of Netflix's Narcos. Eventually the subject of Sense8 came up, and I asked him what he thought about xHamster's proposal. He said,

It looks like Miguel Ángel Silvestre isn't totally ruling out xHamster's offer to produce Season 3. Lana Wachowski has been open how she's writing beyond the finale movie, so it seems like just about anything is possible in the future. With a fanbase as rabid as the Sense8 community, who calls themselves Sensies, it's entirely possible that more than one miracle could happen for the series.

The cast of Sense8 seems to truly appreciate how the fans mobilized in order to convince Netflix to produce a finale. Season 2 ended with the majority of the cluster finally in the same place, capturing the villain Whispers in an attempt to save Wolfgang. The cliffhanger was massive and exciting, and if the series ended it had the potential to ruin the first two seasons. Luckily a movie is coming, so a proper ending to the story isn't far behind.

I asked Miguel Ángel Silvestre about Sense8's sudden cancellation as well, and he told me what the news felt like for the cast. He said,

It looks like the cluster has indeed become close in real life, as they've spent the past two years traveling the world and filming in very close proximity. Luckily their goodbye ended up being temporary, and the Sense8 movie will begin shooting sometime in the near future.

You can catch Miguel Ángel Silvestre in Narcos Season 3 starting on September 1st on Netflix, and the first two seasons of Sense8 are currently available for your binge watching pleasure. In the meantime, check out our fall premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

Netflix has been changing the world of TV, regularly producing a ton of exciting original programming. And while the streaming service has begun cancelling shows, the crime drama Narcos is gearing up to release its third season. Season 3 of Narcos will be a game changer for the series, as the focus pivots from Pablo Escobar to the Cali Cartel. Additionally, Boyd Holbrook's Steve Murphy will no longer be apart of the show, with Pedro Pascal's Javier Pena now leading the series as the protagonist. Plenty of new characters will be introduced, including the sadistic David Rodriguez, played by Broad City actor Arturo Castro. And the young new villain is sure to shock audiences with his violence.

I recently had the chance to speak with Arturo Castro about his upcoming Narcos role, where he revealed what to expect from David when Season 3 premieres. He said,

David's entrance into Narcos is sure to be a great departure from what we're used to. The characters in the Netflix series are usually well into their adulthood, making the Rodriguez boy a unique presence. Additionally, Arturo Castro will be playing an interesting dynamic for the villain. Because while we're likely to see David commit some atrocities during his tenure on the series, he also seems to be an intellectual. This should result in a complicated and layered performance that will surely fascinate Narcos audiences.

In addition to the perception and ruthlessness that will be present during Arturo Castro's scenes, he also referenced another interesting aspect of the character David. Because while we'll see some villainous actions by the young drug trafficker, he's also a man who is fiercely loyal to his family. Arturo Castro elaborated on his dynamic during our conversation at Narcos' press junket in New York City, saying:

Yet another reason why David is sure to polarize audiences when Narcos Season 3 arrives on Netflix. While drug cartels aren't historically the most loyal group, David has the best interest of his boss father in mind, and won't settle for rats and traitors. Good luck to those poor guys who he catches.

Narcos Season 3 will premiere September 1st in its entirety on Netflix, and Arturo Castro can be seen in Broad City Season 4 starting on September 13th. In the meantime, check out our fall premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

The world of TV production has been forever changed by Netflix. The streaming service is constantly producing a wealth of exciting content, with creatives able to have more control than cable and network television. Netflix is clearly not afraid to take risks, and Season 3 of the acclaimed crime drama Narcos is doing exactly that. The third season will pivot away from the hunt for Pablo Escobar (spoiler: they won) and focus on the DEA's battle against the Cali Cartel. Pedro Pascal's Javier Pena will become the lead character in Season 3, and we recently chatted about what makes the new season so different from its predecessors.

The short answer is that the Cali Cartel had its hand in so many places, that it makes the hunt for justice even more complicated and far reaching. But the subject matter is also more obscure, and audiences will have a harder time doing research for spoilers. Pedro Pascal told me,

This certainly sounds like an intriguing way to keep Narcos fresh for its audience, and Season 3 seems like a wild ride. In a TV world that is chock full of spoilers, Narcos will be able to keep viewers on their toes now that Pablo Escobar is being left in the rear view.

I had the chance to speak with Pedro Pascal about Narcos Season 3 at Netflix's recent press junket in New York City. Pascal has been given quite the raise this year, as both Boyd Holbrook and Wagner Moura won't be back for the show's third season. The Game of Thrones alum spoke to the experience of missing his former co-stars, and revealed how it felt to welcome a new cast of characters into the Narcos familia.

There are certainly going to be a ton of new characters introduced in Season 3. The Cali Cartel's Godfathers will bring their own set of underlings and representatives, and new cast members include Sense8's Miguel Ángel Silvestre and Broad City's Arturo Castro. Be sure to check back with us here at CinemaBlend for more interviews from the cast.

Narcos Season 3 will be released in its entirety on September 1st on Netflix. In the meantime, check out our fall premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

One of the most action-packed and engaging ongoing original series on Netflix has to be Narcos, which tells the real-life stories of 1980s drug kingpins and the efforts of law enforcement to try and bring them down. Cocaine is a valuable commodity in Narcos, and it's a bloody business for the kingpins and law enforcement officers alike. The first two seasons had legendary kingpin Pablo Escobar in the spotlight, but Season 3 will go in a whole new direction. The first trailer for Season 3 has been released to give us a look at post-Pablo Escobar Narcos, and it's already clear that the show will be bigger and bloodier than ever. Check it out!

I'd say that the new trailer should go a long way to reassure viewers that Narcos can keep the action going even without Pablo Escobar, who was killed at the end of Season 2 back in September 2016. His story might be done, but it's not like the cocaine biz in the 1980s died when Escobar did. Narcos is inspired by real-life events, and the battle between law enforcement and cocaine dealers continued long after Escobar was executed.

Season 3 of Narcos will evidently follow the Cali Cartel, led by Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela, Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela, Helmer "Pacho" Herrera, and Chepe Santacruz Londono. DEA Agent Javier Pena's job doesn't seem to have gotten any easier just because Pablo Escobar was killed. No rest for the weary in the drug war, and the Cali Cartel evidently became the top target for the DEA after Escobar went down.

A drug business that can be described "Cocaine Incorporated" and that is being run like a Fortune 500 company will present all kinds of new problems for law enforcement, and the trailer makes it clear that the Cali Cartel will have influence all over the world. Mistakes won't be tolerated. The shot of a man being stretched in four different directions with his limbs tied to motorcycles revving in the opposite direction is proof that you really don't want to cross the Cali Cartel if you want a long life.

Luckily, we already know that Narcos won't come to an end after the next batch of episodes. Netflix renewed the series for Season 3 and Season 4 after Season 2 came to an end. The good news is that there's still plenty of action in store; the bad news for Javier Pena and Co. is that it may take them a couple of years to take the Cali Cartel down.

Season 3 of Narcos will debut on Netflix on Friday, September 1 at 12:01 a.m. PT. Drop by our 2017 Netflix premiere guide for all the dates you could possibly need for streaming, and take a gander at our summer and fall TV schedules for what's to come on non-streaming platforms.

Netflix released an original game based on old-school 16-bit scrollers from the 1990s. The game is pretty hilarious once you realize what it's about and who it stars, and it's definitely worth a few minutes of your time if you're willing to give them up.

Over on the official Netflix website there's a portal to an infinite runner arcade game called Netflix Infinite Runner. Yeah, the name is pretty basic, but the game itself stars four of the main characters from some of their hit streaming shows, such as Pablo Escobar from the hit show Narcos, starring Elite Squad alum Wagner Moura. As Pablo you'll have to jump over policemen, dodge barriers and grab cocaine packets in the air. Hitting anything will end the game.

The next playable character on the list is Marco Polo, where gamers take on the role of the titular character from the Netflix show of the same name. There's an obvious change in scenario from the dense jungles of Latin America to the busy streets of a burgeoning Khan-ruled Asia. As Marco, players will have to dodge the Mongolian troops while collecting relics floating by in the air.

A more familiar and long-running relic that helped put Netflix on the map in the first place is none other than Orange Is The New Black, and the endless runner pays homage to Netflix's roots by letting people take hold of Piper Chapman, who is played by Taylor Schilling. You have to dodge sinks and cups while catching chickens and outrunning prison guards, racing through the prison along the way.

The final character on the list is Mike Wheeler from Stranger Things, who must dodge guards and scientists while running through the forests. Eventually players must outrun the demogorgon that is chasing them down.

The little endless runner is a nod to some of Netflix's most popular original shows. Unfortunately, other popular shows like Daredevil and Jessica Jones don't make the cut. It's presumably to do with the fact that the four characters that they allow players to take control of in their endless runner are completely original shows, whereas stuff like Daredevil, Luke Cage and Jessica Jones are all Marvel properties. And there's a whole string of legal red tape and licensing issues associated with trying to use certain Marvel characters in any sort of video game. Gamers are still curious what characters and boundaries are afforded to Capcom for the upcoming Marvel Vs Capcom Infinite, which is due out at the end of 2017.

Even still, if you have some time to burn and you don't mind playing through a repetitive series of endless running escapades based on the popular Netflix shows, the little project isn't that bad. However, if you were hoping for some in-depth gaming, where maybe you would get to play through a Stranger Things 16-bit platformer designed in a similar vein to the old Aladdin game or Pitfall games on the SNES and Sega Genesis, you're fresh out of luck.

You can play each of the four different themed levels right now by paying a visit to the Netflix Arcade portal.

If you picture all of the offices at Netflix headquarters resembling the giant gold-filled vault of Scrooge McDuck, there's only a mild amount of mental hyperbole happening. The streaming giant has released its quarterly earnings report, and for the Q3 period in 2016, Netflix managed to rake in over $2.15 billion. Three months. $2.15 billion.

To those of you who have managed to avoid curling up into a ball long enough to finish this story, this is definitely a record best for Netflix, and it's quite the uptick from the $1.58 billion earned during Q3 2015. The $1.96 billion brought in during the second quarter of 2016 was impressive enough, and improving on that is quite the accomplishment. What's more, 40% of that total came from international markets, proving that its global initiative was an excellent idea for the company. As you might expect, all future predictions for Netflix's success are quite the opposite of bleak.

In the earnings report, Netflix gives the bulk of the credit to the releases of the surprise summer smash Stranger Things, which quickly became one of the company's most popular original series, and Season 2 of the critically acclaimed crime saga Narcos, which has already been granted a two-season renewal. As well, other highly anticipated dramas such as Baz Luhrmann's The Get Down and Marvel's Luke Cage were namechecked, with the latter playing a big and fondly embraced role in diversifying live-action comic book media.

Netflix is making a lot of this money through its TV side, obviously, which means the company has taken some major flak for how depleted its licensed film library has gotten. Some of that is balanced by the original films Netflix is producing and how the company is challenging the norm when it comes to theatrical releases and other staid entertainment trends. (Getting more of its shows out on Blu-ray will only help the financial side, too.) But with an increasingly widening focus on crafting and owning original projects, customers will likely have to get used to this from Netflix for the long-term. And considering Netflix will have earned around $8 billion in 2016, getting used to it apparently isn't a big deal for most people.

Many thought that Netflix was in some kind of peak-existence trouble during the second quarter of this year after a shockingly low number of new subscribers were reported. (1.68 million compared to 6.74 million from Q1 and 5.59 million from Q4 2015.) But a big part of that decrease probably came out of the price hike finally hitting everyone who had been grandfathered in on lower rates. Now that prices are stable and should be for the foreseeable future, it's business as usual, with the new customer number jumping up to 3.57 million, comparable to a year ago.

To see what other new shows and movies are coming soon to the streaming service to keep your money flowing in, check out our premiere schedules for both the rest of 2016 and all of 2017.

Millions of people presumably spent part of this past weekend in an intense binge session with the second season of Netflix's acclaimed crime drama Narcos, which premiered just over a year after the first one debuted. And similar to how Netflix was quick to the draw in renewing the series for Season 2, the streaming service has announced not only will Narcos return for a third season, but the drama will still apparently have enough story for a fourth. Two more years of Narcos can't be a bad thing, right.

It's definitely no surprise from a business perspective that Netflix decided to give Narcos another two seasons to potentially wrap up its central narrative, which has largely been based on true events. The first season was reportedly up there with the more popular Netflix original series - at least if you believe the unofficial ratings reports - and given how well it was received, I'd assume Season 2 will be viewed similarly. (Particularly by certain people.) In fact, many considered the sophomore effort to be more effective in certain ways, particularly by putting the stellar Wagner Moura in the spotlight more as the admirably villainous Pablo Escobar.

But if you're familiar at all with the real events that Narcos is using as source material, then you're probably thinking that another two seasons of the show is a textbook definition of overkill. Especially given how...well, how about I throw a big SPOILER WARNING in right here to warn everyone to avoid the paragraph after Netflix's announcement video. And actually, anyone who hasn't yet watched all of Season 2 might want to also avoid watching the video, as it makes spoilery implications.

Everybody still reading is completely finished with Season 2, right? Okay, good. So, Season 1 seemingly limited this story with its breakneck journey through most of Pablo Escobar's rise to infamy, and showrunners Jose Padilha and Eric Newman (who took the position after Season 1 showrunner Adam Fierro exited) stretched a short amount of time across the entire season.To the point that the very end of the finale is where Pablo Escobar meets his maker, clearing the way for others to rise in his place. And that's apparently where Season 3 is going to pick up.

As it says in the video, the blow must go on, and drug cartels definitely did not cease to exist once Escobar bit the dust. Agents Murphy and Peña will presumably alter their mission to take down the entire Cali cartel when the show returns. While it's possible that some upcoming performances could be great enough to eclipse that of Wagner Moura's, I don't see it happening, which is the only disappointing thing about Narcos getting more seasons, really.

Season 2 of Narcos is currently available for streaming on Netflix, with Season 3 expected to show up in 2017. To see when everything else will be hitting the streaming service (for better or worse), check out our Netflix premiere schedule. And then for all of your other favorite shows' return dates, head to our fall TV schedule.

Season 1 of Netflix's Narcos was a thrilling look into the life of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar that proved that Netflix really is capable of tackling any genre with its originals. The ten episodes of the first season felt all too short, so it was a big relief when the series was renewed for a Season 2. Now, Netflix has released a trailer for its second season, and it promises that the next set of adventures for Escobar and the law enforcement agents hunting him should be as exciting as those in Season 1. Brace yourself for some awesome action, and check it out!

I can't speak for anybody else, but the trailer for Season 2 has me so excited that you'd think I was being hunted by a bunch of fuckin' helicopters. The opening sequence detailing the impossibility of escape for Pablo Escobar followed immediately by the chaos of said escape was the perfect way to kick off the first look at what's coming next. The switch from the chaos to the opening lines of Styx's "Renegade" was definitely enough to get me to sit up straight.

The reveal that the manhunt for Pablo Escobar will be an invasion is a good sign that Season 2 will strike the same balance between telling the story of the agents chasing Escobar for his many crimes and the man himself. Neither side would have been nearly as compelling without the other being told. The trailer is proof enough that law enforcement won't be taking Escobar's escape - and the ensuing destruction - lightly. Pedro Pascal was a highlight of Season 1, and he looks like he'll be ready to kick ass and take names for Season 2.

Of course, the trailer wouldn't be worth any excitement if Wagner Moura wasn't featured with his mastery of looking both totally unassuming and bizarrely intimidating. There aren't many actors who could make their characters look murderous and scary while wearing a sweatshirt with an anchor on it, but Moura will evidently be pulling it off in Narcos Season 2. Escobar certainly looks like he could be more dangerous than ever now that his back is up against a wall with the manhunt, and it should be awesome.

Season 2 may actually see the end of Pablo Escobar's story, so we shouldn't be surprised that Netflix seems to be pulling out all the stops for the next run of episodes. With thousands of soldiers, tens of thousands of bullets, explosions galore, and that bunch of fuckin' helicopters, the second season should be totally worth watching. Hopefully the behind-the-scenes shakeups won't have upset the plot.

The whole of Season 2 will be available on Netflix this September. Check out our fall TV premiere schedule to see what you'll be able to watch on the small screen once you've worked your ways through the next set of Pablo Escobar's adventures against law enforcement.

Netflix is by far the most popular streaming service option in the United States right now. The service is dominating here in the States and has been working to expand its reach even farther globally in recent years. However, in 2016 some Netflix shareholders have started to quietly drop their stock in the streaming service as the world changes and other viable alternatives pop up on the horizon.

Recent looks at Netflix stock indicates that Netflix stock is actually down 15% in 2016. In recent months Netflix has slowed down growth in US subscribers, although its worldwide count is still growing. In addition, the company has borrowed a lot of money to continue to produce originals in the hopes that those originals will be enough to keep subscribers coming back for more. Still, neither of those reasons explain exactly why Netflix's stock has been slowing down in growth. Instead, Barron's says that Netflix's reputation is changing and its stock is changing with it.

When Netflix first got started, the video rental by mail and streaming company was the new cool cat on the block, fighting and clawing for a position alongside veteran brands like Blockbuster. Since the company began streaming in 2007, it has been the leader in new ideas in the streaming realm. Netflix was the first to prove that original TV content could be viable outside of network and cable mediums. It was the first to really prove its model in the United States, in fact, and there was something sexy about that. But now that other key players, including but not limited to Hulu, Amazon and even streaming services in other countries, have proven they can compete, Netflix is not looking as sharp in everyone's portfolio as it used to.

Originally, the outlet notes that Netflix shares were boosted by subscriber growth. However, in the US, the market is pretty saturated in terms of Netflix users and the streaming service has had trouble enticing new users to sign on. Thus, the company expanded globally and has found some success in countries worldwide. Still, there are problems with US content moving elsewhere. While the company can sign licensing deals for some local content, most of its originals are still geared toward an English-speaking audience. Its pricing also reflects people with the expendable income to pay around $10 or more per month for the service. Both the content the company has been providing and the cost have proven to be problems for Netflix in certain countries.

Netflix has addressed this by starting to create some originals that are geared toward international audiences. Shows like Narcos and Marseilles have started bridging the gap, and Netflix has a German series called Dark in the works. It may not be enough. Reports indicate that Netflix's stock could drop by as much as 40% in the future. While that's an estimate, if the streaming service doesn't change it's narrative, it could find itself with even more competition as time wears on.

Narcos was pretty well reviewed when it first hit the schedule late last summer, and it wasn't any real shock when Netflix signed on for a second season of the drama, which follows the life of Pablo Escobar. Now that Season 2 is set to premiere, reviewers everywhere are looking to get their hands on a copy, and they aren't the only ones. In fact, Pablo Escobar's brother, Roberto Escobar, is apparently trying to cajole Netflix into giving him a copy to review.

On Tuesday, the brother of the late drug kingpin released a statement from Escobar Inc. (via Business Insider).

So, looking at this quote it's clear he feels a strong desire to view the episodes early. But does he want to complain about the validity of the series? Does he just want to watch because Narcos amuses him? Does he think that because other people get review copies and he is technically kin to Pablo Escobar he should get one too? Does he want to take legal action against the drama? A closer look at the notice states that Escobar simply wants to make sure that Narcos gives an accurate portrayal of Roberto and Pablo, but since the new episodes are scheduled to premiere on September 2, it's really too late to go back and make changes to the fictionalized version of the famous story. Fictionalized being the key word, here.

In 2015, Roberto Escobar actually started Escobar Inc. and registered for successor-in-interest rights to the Escobar family name in California. Prior to this move, the man was known for being the accountant for the Medellín cartel, a man who revealed that rats nibbled on a portion of the Medellín cartel's take and the cartel had to write it off as lost money. Regardless of his role in the cartel and his connections, he is not a main character on the Narcos series.

Narcos Season 2 is reportedly going to be about Pablo Escobar escaping the police and then eventually sealing his fate. It is unclear if Narcos will be able to continue on after Pablo Escobar's story is finished. The drama has seen numerous behind-the-scenes changes already, and had to hire a new set of showrunners for Season 2; it was the third time the series had to do so. Who knows if this will be a drama that could stick it out over the long haul?

To find out what else the streaming service has coming up, check out our Netflix premiere schedule.

If you want to know how many people tuned into the NFL playoff games over the weekend, or the Season 5 premiere of New Girl, all it takes is a quick Internet search to get those numbers. Finding out how many people are watching Season 1 of Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, however, is a rougher gig, as the streaming service has been notoriously secretive about its viewership numbers. But in a move that reads as both informative and slightly confrontational, NBC has unveiled ratings data on some of Netflix’s newest shows, and while the results aren’t concrete, they paint a telling picture.

San Francisco tech company Symphony was tasked with analyzing audio recognition data from Netflix shows for September through December of 2015. According to their results, the highly anticipated Marvel series Jessica Jones had an episode that was watched by around 4.8 million subscribers, while Aziz Ansari’s exquisite comedy Master of None earned around 3.9 million in the demo for an episode, and an episode of the Pablo Escobar drama Narcos brought in 3.2 million or so viewers. The latter actually debuted a few days before the study began, but it’s still clear that Narcos got some attention.

Now here’s the mildly bothersome part of that data accumulation. According to THR, it was done using a sample size of 15,000 subscribers (as the audio recognition technique is apparently still in the beta stages) and then the numbers were extrapolated to represent the million-strong viewership noted above. It’s certainly a good indicator of the size of the audience for those three shows, but we're guessing they aren't totally exact.

It’s also should be noted that the study just offered up the 18-49 demographic results, since that’s only a piece of the viewing audience, and one that the advertiser-free Netflix doesn’t need to specifically target. I can’t imagine there are tons of 20-year-olds watching Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda getting scrappy on Grace and Frankie. The study may also have been limited by only taking a look at the numbers for one episode of each show, since that hardly represents a show’s actual average audience over an entire season. Okay, so it was probably a tech limitation and not a deliberately shadowy maneuver, but whatever.

In the end, though, these numbers aren’t really for me to gripe about. They’re for NBC and other networks to contemplate and look over to see just how much Netflix might be infringing on things, and how justified the streaming service’s confidence is when it quickly renews its dramas. If those numbers are representative of each show’s actual average audience, broadcast networks probably don’t need to get too worried just yet. Not when things like Friends reunion specials are possible for NBC to draw in viewers.

As a TV show centering on the times and crimes of one of the world’s most notorious criminals, the Golden Globe-nominated Netflix Original series Narcos is not without its own share of problems behind the scenes. As the acclaimed drama makes it way to Season 2, it is going through yet another change in the showrunner department, and the show is bringing in the producer duo of José Padilha and Eric Newman to take over the daily grind. And who knows, maybe someone else will get the gig by the time the season actually starts.

This is the third time Narcos has had to seek out someone for the showrunner position, so here’s hoping that Padilha and Newman are exactly what the underworld-connected doctor ordered. Before Season 1 debuted, initial showrunner Chris Brancato left in order to join ABC and the upcoming biblical drama Of Kings & Prophets. He was replaced by The Shield writer/producer Adam Fierro, who recently pulled out of the show. No reasons for his vacating were given.

Both Padilha and Newman were producers during Season 1 of Narcos, so they should be fully familiar with everything that’s happened so far and where the story will be headed in the next ten installments. According to THR, they’ll be working with a team of writers in putting Season 2 together.

This show was Padilha’s first time working on a TV series, and you might recognize him as the guy behind last year’s RoboCop remake, as well as the stellar Elite Squad films. Newman, who was already working with Netflix as an executive producer on the horror drama Hemlock Grove, has mostly kept to producer duties in his career, which is full of genre films like Dawn of the Dead (remake), Children of Men and last year’s The Sacrament. Though the scares on Narcos are quite different from horror movies, perhaps Newman can influence that a bit.

This crew change-up does little to dispel my faith that Season 2 of Narcos will be as solid as the first, since the show didn’t seem to suffer much from the first replacement. For one, Wagner Moura is impeccable as the deadly and often brilliant Pablo Escobar, and he would be excellent even if everything else around him was garbage. Second, the years-spanning story is so dense and intricate in dealing out multiple storylines across multiple continents, with languages changing from scene to scene, that the material already feels like it’s coming from a dozen different places anyway. That said, it’s up to Padilha and Newman to keep it concise and fluid.

No release dates are set yet for Narcos Season 2, but we can probably expect it to debut around August 2016.

With the fall TV season just around the corner, our televisions will soon be awash with characters new and old that will be taking on villainous tasks, making our favorite characters’ lives a living hell. But for now, we’re celebrating those ruthless bastards that made the past year so wonderfully dastardly.

Here are the 10 best villains currently kicking it on TV. One stipulation for making this list is that the characters couldn’t be completely defeated the last time we saw them, so no dead people. That said, going to prison doesn’t count as defeated, as TV shows have been busting baddies out of jail for ages, so we’ll undoubtedly be seeing some of them again. As well, no one-off antagonists. Otherwise, just about everyone else was game, and these are all some of the most memorable characters that TV has going for it. (Spoilers for just about everyone on this list, so be warned.)

Wilson Fisk (Daredevil)

Beyond Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, the Marvel Cinematic Universe villains are known for being fairly trite and one-dimensional. But that changed once again with Vincent D’Onofrio’s complex and nuanced performance as Wilson “Don’t Say His Name” Fisk on Netflix’s Daredevil. Though he was oddly introverted and tried to distance himself from the day-to-day criminal activities of his underlings, Fisk inevitably got pulled into the fray, and was downright frightening when he went there. As well, his frustration-based motivations for saving Hell’s Kitchen mirrored those of Matt Murdock’s, though their ideologies on how to get it done were vastly different. Though he was last seen inside of a jail cell, he hadn’t yet taken on the Kingpin moniker from the comics, so we’d better be seeing him again.

Ramsay Bolton (Game of Thrones)

Want an easy indication that Ramsay Bolton is one of the most effective villains? Just look at how universally appalled people were after he raped his new wife Sansa in Season 5. (And in front of Reek/Theon, no less.) Of course, most people blamed the Game of Thrones writers and showrunners, rather than the fictional Ramsay, but barely anyone took a stance that Ramsay wasn’t actually evil enough to do the devious deed. It turns out once you’ve castrated someone and psychologically overpowered them into becoming a brainwashed servant, no one expects good things from you. Ramsay is going to meet his maker one day, and it almost has to be in the most horrifying and painful way possible, considering all the damage he’s done to others.

The Penguin (Gotham)

When you’re on a show that hemorrhages villains as much as Gotham does, it’s almost a necessity to stand out as much as possible, and that’s exactly what Robin Lord Taylor does as Oswald Cobblepot, from his purposely unkempt hairdo to his signature waddle. Though he initially hates the name Penguin, he certainly enjoys living up to the comic character’s evil reputation, and Cobblepot spent most of Season 1 believably climbing his way through Gotham City’s underworld, murderously double-crossing anyone and everyone with little regard for respect or loyalty. Well, except for his mother, of course. Season 2 will certainly cement Penguin’s place atop the ranks, especially since most of the big baddies from Season 1 have been killed off or run out of town, but he’ll have a slew of new competitors vying for his position.

Pablo Escobar (Narcos)

If you’re going to get an actor to play one of the most notorious criminals in history, you’d better get someone who isn’t just a pale shadow of a comparison, and Netflix’s Narcos has the perfect Pablo Escobar in Brazilian actor Wagner Moura, who positively owns every scene he’s in. Though this series spends some of its narrative with the DEA agents trying to take Escobar down, viewers get an ample amount of time with the King of Cocaine, and he’s just as engaging and effusive as he is malevolent and conniving. A character who tries liberating a country while also becoming the wealthiest drug trafficker of all time has to have a well-rounded personality, and Escobar’s sense of self knows no bounds.

The Walkers (The Walking Dead)

While human villains like the Governor and the Terminus cannibals come and go on The Walking Dead, the series will almost undoubtedly always have the threat of the undead adding surprise massacres to the characters’ daily lives. There aren’t that many people left on Earth, but there are still untold numbers of walkers roaming the woods and the streets, making it nearly impossible for the survivors to attain true comfort, even in a place as seemingly secure as Alexandria. The fact that walkers have been responsible for the majority of character deaths on The Walking Dead makes them a combined formidable opponent every step of the way, and the fact that they look so goddamned grizzly and gross just adds to their effectiveness.

Gavin Belson (Silicon Valley)

It takes some effort to pull off a winning villain within the context of a comedy series, particularly in a multi-faceted way that doesn’t just show them being a dickhead to everyone, and that’s what makes Matt Ross’ Gavin Belson stand out. As the not-exactly-genius head of Hooli, Belson has “success” as his motivation, and if someone else can’t or won’t help him get there, that’s when he becomes a force to be reckoned with. But he’s also never shown as being completely infallible, even as the leader of one of the biggest companies in the world, and watching him take on Richard and Pied Piper was never boring, as you could never tell when Mike Judge and his creative team would actually let Pied Piper win.

Eli Pope (Scandal)

Most daughters and fathers have loving relationships, but that couldn’t be further from the truth for Olivia Pope, the central protagonist on Scandal, and her poppa Rowan “Eli” Pope, played with an often maniacal grace by Joe Morton. As the leader of the covert ops group B613, Eli has been responsible for the ruination and death of many people during his time on the show, including his own B613 agents. He evaded arrest for most of Season 4, and at one point ordered Huck to kill an entire jury so that his case could get thrown out – and he got the jury members’ names by blackmailing First Lady Mellie Grant. The season ended with him finally behind bars, but he’s the kind of guy who knows enough people that could get him out for more havoc in Season 5.

Chuck McGill (Better Call Saul)

As Chuck McGill, veteran comedy actor Michael McKean had one of the most interesting arcs of any character on TV in years. He was a successful lawyer whose career got sidelined after he suddenly became agoraphobic and extremely hypersensitive to electronics, and viewers didn’t really have a clue that he was the central villain of Better Call Saul Season 1 until the end, when you realized that he, and not Howard Hamlin, was the driving force behind Jimmy’s law firm dreams going up in flames, which led to his scam artist lifestyle. Without Chuck there to disbelieve in his brother’s abilities, Jimmy might have found success outside of a nail salon office, where viewers (and eventually Walter White) would have never gotten to know him. Here’s hoping Mike gets to take him down one day.

Melisandre (Game of Thrones)

With all the characters roaming Westeros in Game of Thrones, it would be impossible for only one of the villains to be on this list. Although she’s a priestess of the Lord of Light, Melisandre brings little beyond dismal darkness to those around her, and that’s not just a reference to the shadow baby that killed off Renly Baratheon. Her big finishing move in Season 5 involved lighting pyres and burning up characters, with a secondary move of “attempted seduction of Jon Snow.” Her most damning action was convincing Stannis that sacrificing his own daughter Shireen would help his quest for the Iron Throne, but it only managed to cause half of his army to leave him, and his wife Selyse to kill herself. And then, Melisandre stole a horse and ran away. Stealing a horse!

Sideshow Bob (The Simpsons)

While he hasn’t been a driving force behind entire seasons of The Simpsons, Sideshow Bob has been giving Bart Simpson and other characters trouble for 25 years now, which automatically makes him one of the best villains of any given year. Voiced with perfection by Kelsey Grammer, Sideshow Bob (real name Robert Underdunk Terwilliger) has had a decades-long plot to destroy the life of Bart Simpson, and occasionally former employer Krusty the Clown, and pretty much anyone else who tries to corrupt his schemes. Also, rakes. Episodes revolving around the poofy-haired criminal are often among the best of the seasons they’re in, and it’s always a treat to get a song out of him. In Season 27, he’ll get to kill Bart a bunch of times for the “Treehouse of Horror” episode, so he’ll be further justifying his place on this list later this year.

Head to the next page and let us know who your favorite current villain is.

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Netflix is not a company that engages in a lot of sitting around and twiddling thumbs, with an increasingly large slate of original programming that needs constant attention. The latest release from the streaming giant, the Pablo Escobar-centric drug war drama Narcos, just became available last Friday, and Netflix is already giving it more support by officially ordering up a Season 2. And if you’re surprised by this renewal, you’ve clearly had your head in a pile of cocaine for the past couple of years.

Narcos Season 1 told its increasingly intense story over the course of ten episodes, and we can probably expect to see the same number of installments in Season 2. (Netflix is dependable in that way.) And while some casting changes will undoubtedly come before next year’s batch of episodes hits, there will be one major difference behind the scenes. Chris Brancato, who came into the project midway through as a showrunner and earned himself a co-creator label, moved on after production wrapped and joined ABC’s biblical drama Of Kings and Prophets, which switched from a fall series to a midseason one. Adam Fierro, who worked as a producer and writer on The Shield and 24, will be taking over showrunner duties in Season 2. According to THR, Fierro will also join José Padilha and Eric Newman as an executive producer.

In Season 1, Narcos told the story of Pablo Escobar’s rise to fame as a drug kingpin and liberator of Columbia, not only through watching Escobar himself (with a positively stellar performance from Wagner Moura), but also from the point of view of the DEA agents ceaselessly trying to take him down. The agents are played by Boyd Holbrook and Game of Thrones’ Pedro Pascal, and the cast also includes Luis Guzmán, Raúl Méndez and many more.

There’s a good chance that Netflix’s decision not to waste time in renewing the show is the result of almost universal praise for Narcos ever since the reviews first started pouring in. Though some nitpick by saying the characters are all kind of harsh and unsympathetic, it’s hard to argue against the quality of the writing, acting and the pacing, which remains consistent and builds to something of a fever pitch. Even though Hollywood has been telling these kinds of stories for years, Narcos isn’t limited by a 2-hour runtime or Netflix aiming for a particular audience. A huge part of the series is subtitled and the goal is for this to be an international success in ways that something like BoJack Horseman couldn’t be. Plus, the use of actual footage from the real Escobar's reign gives it an oddly appealing docu-series feel at times.

Netflix has delivered second season orders for all of its dramas so far, including the similarly amazing Bloodline, and we can expect to see Season 2 of Narcos hit next year at some point. If you haven’t started watching yet, do it here.

This article contains spoilers from Game of Thrones if you're not caught up on Season 4 through last week's episode, "The Mountain and the Viper."

Pedro Pascal has lined up his next small screen role. After making his grand exit from Game of Thrones last week, the actor is joining the cast of Netflix's upcoming series Narcos, which is being written by Chris Brancato and directed by Jose Padilha.

According to Deadline, Narcos tells "the true-life story of the growth and spread of cocaine drug cartels across the globe" and the efforts taken by law enforcement to deal with the situation. Wagner Moura is on board to star as Pablo Escobar, the infamous drug kingpin. Moura recently appeared in Neill Blomkamp's 2013 sci-fi film Elysium:

Pedro Pascal will be on the other side of the story, playing Javier Pena, a Mexican DEA agent who heads to Colombia to try to capture and kill Escobar. This series is being produced by Gaumont, which gave us Hannibal, not to mention Netflix's Hemlock Grove.

This is undoubtedly an exciting piece of casting news for the Netflix drama, especially coming so soon after Pedro Pascal had his memorable sendoff on Game of Thrones. Talk about an Inigo Montoya scene gone all kinds of wrong. Let's just pause for a second, for those who can stomach it, and relive Oberyn Martell's last minute...

Pascal's Game of Thrones character made his dramatic departure in a scene so bloody, it reached Spartacus's level of gore. That's saying something. And with that, Pascal has become available for new roles. Hopefully he'll have a longer run on Netflix's Narcos.

Pedro Pascal's had a pretty solid run on television over the last few years, leading up to Game of Thrones. He played the role of Jay Castillo in ABC's short-lived drama Red Widow before heading over to USA to play Juan Badillo in Graceland. After a brief appearance on Homeland, he headed over to The Mentalist to play FBI agent Marcus Pike. And then it was off to Westeros for what may prove to be his most memorable role yet.

Netflix is aiming to debut Narcos in 2015.