Narcos Just Got Big Renewal News From Netflix, Get The Details

narcos

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.

Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.