Is Netflix’s ‘Griselda’ based on a true story?

Considering Narcos was one of Netflix’s first truly global smashes, it’s not surprising they’ve gone back to the cartel well in their latest big budget mini-series, Griselda.

The show stars Modern Family favorite Sofía Vergara as the titular character, who was a notoriously violent drug-lord sometimes referred to as “the Godmother of Cocaine.” The series has been topping the Netflix most viewed charts and garnering critical acclaim, so there’s no doubt it’s shaping up to be one of the streaming giant’s biggest hits of 2024, despite being released so early on in the year. Vergara has also been lavished in praise for her excellent performance, showcasing a range that she hasn’t been able to display on Modern Family.

The series is full of twists, turns, and ultra violence, which has led some people to wonder just how historically accurate it is despite the fact it’s billed as a biographical drama. If you’ve been wondering whether or not Netflix’s Griselda is based on a true story, then read on!

What is Griselda about?

Griselda follows the life of Griselda Blanco from the (second) time she fled Colombia and settled in Miami, until her arrest in the 80s. During this period, she set up several distribution networks in the States and worked closely with the Medellin Cartel. The series follows her as she becomes increasingly powerful, violent, and paranoid.

Griselda eventually turns herself in, although this doesn’t put an end to her problems, with a number of her children being brutally murdered in retaliation for her crimes.

Who was Griselda Blanco?

Blanco was a notorious drug lord who grew up in the shadow of “La Violencia,” a civil war in Colombia that was notoriously violent and bloody. Her time in crime began young, shaped by her surroundings. She eventually ran away from home to escape the sexual abuse of her mother’s partner.

Like most of the people who became massive in the burgeoning cocaine industry, Blanco began her career by selling marijuana. After a tumultuous divorce from her violent husband and business partner, she snuck into the U.S. with her three children and second husband, Alberto Bravo. He was a cocaine dealer, and the pair set up one of New York’s most successful drug operations. The family fled back to Colombia in order to avoid prosecution, but in the late seventies she returned to the States, settling in Miami where she began one of the most successful cocaine smuggling and selling operations of all time.

This was a bloody period for the Floridian city, later known as the Miami Drug War. Griselda was a particularly brutal participant, but she was eventually arrested by DEA agents. After a trial in New York City, she was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Charges of second degree murder were then added, but after a heart attack she was allowed to leave jail and return to her native Colombia. She was assassinated in 2012. Ironically, the killing took place outside of a butcher’s shop.

Is Netflix’s Griselda based on a true story?

Technically speaking, Griselda is based on a true story. However, it’s probably more accurate to say that it was “inspired by real events.”

While it is certain that not every scene in the show is related to a real life happening, many of the people involved very much existed, and a number of the key events went down as portrayed.

Showrunner and producer Eric Newman spoke to Town & Country magazine about what was fact and what was massaged to create a more cohesive plot for the series.

Of how Blanco was portrayed, Newman said:

“The reality was probably closer to [how we portray her in] our show. The people who worked for her loved her, they would do anything for her. She could talk you into stabbing a guy to death in [Miami] airport in front of hundreds of people.”

He also added that her inability to trust probably stemmed from the sexual abuse she faced as a teen, which has been confirmed by a number of sources.

Vergara was key in getting the series produced, and Newman pointed out that the Modern Family star and the drug lord were both single mothers who “came to Miami and made something of themselves,” although in very different ways. He explained why that was why they focused on Blanco’s time in Miami, as that was “the last time you could really root for Blanco,” adding that it was also a time in her life “we could be certain of events,” which adds to the belief that the series is based on a true story.

He also confirmed that beyond Blanco, many of the characters were based on real people. These included “Dario Sepulveda, Marto Ochoa, and of course, [Miami police officer] June Hawkins,” the latter of whom is a key character and a kind of mirror for Blanco.

One thing that isn’t real is the prosthetic nose placed on Vergara to make her appear more like Blanco, but we can forgive the crew that little lie.