Netflix original Narcos has spent two critically acclaimed seasons chronicling Colombia’s battle with drug kingpin par excellence Pablo Escobar. But the explosive season 2 finale ended with (spoiler alert), Escobar being unceremoniously executed. Many assumed that, with him out of the picture, Narcos had reached the end of its natural lifespan. So when Netflix made the decision to renew it for a further two seasons, fans reacted with surprise (and more than a little skepticism).
Now, we have a decent idea of what’s planned for the show with the release of this teaser trailer for season 3. It looks as though the Orejuela clan and their Cali cartel, formerly just one of many groups hungry for El Padrino’s head, is going to take centre stage.
The teaser shows the Calis becoming the new top dogs in town, with series mainstay Officer Javier Pena (Pedro Pascal) returning as a crusader against the murderous and sadistic drug gangs. Even so, you might think that nothing can compare with the OTT brutality of Escobar. Netflix is clearly thinking the same way, eager to point out in the teaser that “To pretend that these guys weren’t just as evil as the guy that came before them, that’s a mistake.”
Presumably, the Cali cartel will continue to be the focus until the show’s finale, currently assumed to be at the end of season 4. But, pragmatically speaking, if the series wanted to carry on up until the modern day, there’s more than enough material in the drug war to work with.
Season 3 of Narcos premieres on Netflix on September 1st.
