Queen of the South (TV series)

Queen of the South is an American crime drama television series developed by M.A. Fortin and Joshua John Miller. The series premiered on June 23, 2016, on USA Network[4] and is an adaptation of the telenovela La Reina del Sur, which airs on USA's sister network Telemundo, and in turn is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Spanish author Arturo Pérez-Reverte.[5] On September 6, 2016, USA Network renewed the series for a second season which premiered June 8, 2017. On August 10, 2017, USA renewed the series for a third season, which premiered on June 21, 2018.[6] On October 1, 2018, it was announced that the USA Network had renewed the series for a fourth season which premiered on June 6, 2019.[7][8] On August 29, 2019, the series was renewed for a fifth season.[9] Production on the fifth season was shut down on March 14, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]

Queen of the South
Genre
Based onLa Reina del Sur
by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
Developed by
Starring
Theme music composer
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes52 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • David Friendly
  • Scott Rosenbaum
  • M.A. Fortin
  • Joshua John Miller
  • Dailyn Rodriguez
  • Benjamin Daniel Lobato
  • Alice Braga
Producer(s)
Cinematography
  • Alejandro Martinez
  • Cameron Duncan
  • John Brawley
  • Abraham Martinez
Running time38–45 minutes
Production company(s)
Distributor
Release
Original networkUSA Network
Original releaseJune 23, 2016 (2016-06-23) –
present
External links
Website

Cast and characters

Main
  • Alice Braga as Teresa Mendoza, a poor woman from Sinaloa, Mexico who becomes wealthy by building a vast drug empire.
  • Veronica Falcón as Doña Camila Vargas (seasons 1–3), Don Epifañio's estranged wife and head of the North American branch of the Vargas Cartel in Dallas, Texas.
  • Justina Machado as Brenda Parra (season 1, guest season 4), the wife of a high-ranking transporter for the Vargas Cartel, and Teresa's best friend when the series begins.[11]
  • Peter Gadiot as James Valdez (seasons 1–3, 5; guest season 4), Camila's right-hand man.[12]
  • Hemky Madera as Pote Galvez, a former Vargas Cartel lieutenant who has since become one of Teresa Mendoza's strongest allies.[13]
  • Gerardo Taracena as Cesar "Batman" Guemes (seasons 1–2), Don Epifañio Vargas' right-hand man.
  • Joaquim de Almeida as Don Epifañio Vargas, Camilla Vargas' husband (seasons 1–2, guest season 3), head of the Vargas Cartel (see: Sinaloa Cartel), and a candidate for the governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa.[14]
  • Jon-Michael Ecker as Raymundo "El Güero" Davila, Teresa's love interest and a drug dealer. (season 2–3, recurring season 1, guest season 4)
  • Nick Sagar as DEA agent Alonzo Loya (season 2–3).
  • Yancey Arias as Alberto Cortez (season 3, recurring season 2).[15]
  • Idalia Valles as Isabela Vargas (season 3, recurring seasons 1–2), the daughter of Camila and Epifañio Vargas.
  • Alfonso Herrera as Javier Jimenez (season 4, recurring season 3), a member of the Jimenez cartel and a mercenary willing to kill for the highest bidder. He is now an ally of Teresa Mendoza.[16]
  • David Andrews as Judge Cecil Lafayette (season 4), an corrupted judge who looking the other way and is making things harder for Teresa's drug operation in New Orleans[17]

Recurring
  • Molly Burnett as Kelly Anne Van Awken (seasons 2-4), a Dallas socialite who becomes part of Teresa's inner circle.[18]
  • Ryan O'Nan as King George (seasons 2-4), a smuggler who helps Teresa build her empire.[18]
  • Joseph T. Campos as Boaz Jimenez (seasons 1-4), a former cartel leader (and Javier's cousin) who now runs Teresa's operations in Sinaloa and Miami[18]
  • Mark Consuelos as Teo Aljarafe (seasons 1–2), the first lawyer Camila Vargas employs while setting in motion her plan for independence.
  • Rafael Amaya as Aurelio Casillas (seasons 1–2), a drug lord[19]
  • Michel Duval as Enrique "Kique" Jiménez (season 2–3),[20] son of Boaz Jimenez, and later fiancé of Isabela Vargas.[21]
  • James Martinez as Gato Fierros (season 1), a lieutenant in the Vargas Cartel[22]
  • Ximena Duque as Eva Buemeros (season 2), Epifanio's smart and ambitious young assistant[23][20]
  • Paola Andino as Olivia Gutiérrez (season 2), a close friend of Isabela Vargas since their childhood. She introduces Isabela into the drug-fueled party lifestyle of a "narco-brat".[24]
  • Armando Riesco as Pecas (season 3), the narco boss of La Comisión, a group trafficking in Arizona.
  • Alimi Ballard as Marcel Dumas (season 4), a slick and measured Creole leader of a New Orleans street gang, and owner of a hip jazz club.[25]
  • Chris Greene as Bobby Leroux (season 4), Marcel Dumas's right-hand man.[26]
  • Pêpê Rapazote as Raul 'El Gordo' Rodriguez (season 4), a Cuban drug dealer based in Miami who partners with Teresa and Oksana.[18]
  • Vera Cherny as Oksana Volkova (season 4), a Russian drug dealer based in Atlanta who partners with Teresa and El Gordo.[27]
  • Bailey Chase as Eddie Brucks (season 4), a musician attempting to overcome his personal demons who crosses paths with Teresa.[28]
  • Chelsea Tavares as Birdie (season 4), a New Orleans mixology whiz who works at Teresa's bar.[29]
  • Sofía Lama as Emilia (season 4), Javier's girlfriend and Boaz's ex-fiancé.[26]
  • David Bianchi as Manny (season 4), one of Teresa's New Orleans soldiers.[30]
  • Alejandro Barrios as Chicho (season 4), one of Teresa's New Orleans soldiers.[30]
  • Felipe Barrientos as The Charger, Camila Vargas's gang master.
  • Adolfo Alvarez as Tony Parra (seasons 1-2), Brenda's son and Teresa's godson.
  • Julian Silva as Tony Parra (season 4), Brenda's son and Teresa's godson.
  • Cory Hart as Detective Randall Greene (season 4), a corrupt New Orleans cop who is Judge Lafayette's right-hand man.
  • Derek Evans as Davis Lafayette (season 4), Judge Lafayette's emotionally fragile son.
  • Donald Paul as Cedric (season 4), the savvy and sly hit man gangster working for Marcel Dumas and sometimes the Queen.

Episodes
Further information: List of Queen of the South episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
113June 23, 2016 (2016-06-23)September 15, 2016 (2016-09-15)
213June 8, 2017 (2017-06-08)August 31, 2017 (2017-08-31)
313June 21, 2018 (2018-06-21)September 13, 2018 (2018-09-13)
413June 6, 2019 (2019-06-06)August 29, 2019 (2019-08-29)

Reception

Critical response

Queen of the South's first season received mixed to positive feedback from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a rating of 68%, based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 6.18/10. The site's consensus reads: "Queen of the South enlivens an overdone premise with action and narrative vigor—and shows hints of intriguing potential."[31] On Metacritic, the first season scored 59 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[32]

Ratings
Viewership and ratings per season of Queen of the South
SeasonTimeslot (ET) Episodes First aired Last airedAvg. viewers
(millions)		18–49
rank		Avg. 18–49
rating
Date Viewers
(millions)		 Date Viewers
(millions)
1 Thursday 10:00 pm13 June 23, 2016 (2016-06-23) 1.39[33] September 15, 2016 (2016-09-15) 1.35[34]1.22[35]TBD0.39[35]
2 13 June 8, 2017 (2017-06-08) 1.25[36] August 31, 2017 (2017-08-31) 1.33[37]1.16[38]TBD0.38[38]
3 Thursday 9:00 pm13 June 21, 2018 (2018-06-21) 1.24[39] September 13, 2018 (2018-09-13) 1.22[40]1.13[41]TBD0.37[41]
4 Thursday 10:00 pm13 June 6, 2019 (2019-06-06) 0.99[42] August 29, 2019 (2019-08-29) 1.04[43]0.92[44]TBD0.29[44]

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Nominee Result Ref.
2017 Imagen Awards Best Primetime Television Series – Drama Queen of the South Won [45]
Best Supporting Actor – Television Peter Gadiot Won
Best Actress – Television Alice Braga Nominated
Best Actor – Television Joaquim de Almeida Nominated
Best Supporting Actress – Television Veronica Falcón Nominated
2018 WIN Awards Film or Show Written By a Woman Natalie Chaidez Won [46]
Drama Series Queen Of the South Nominated [47]
2018 Imagen Awards Best Primetime Television Series – Drama Queen of the South Nominated [48]
Best Actress – Television Alice Braga Nominated
Best Actor – Television Joaquim de Almeida Nominated
Best Supporting Actress – Television Veronica Falcón Nominated
Best Supporting Actor – Television Jon-Michael Ecker Nominated
Best Supporting Actor – Television Peter Gadiot Nominated
2019 Imagen Awards Best Primetime Television Series – Drama Queen of the South Nominated [49]
Best Actress – Television Alice Braga Nominated
Best Supporting Actor – Television Hemky Madera Nominated

Broadcast

Internationally, the series premiered in Australia on Showcase on August 4, 2016.[50] German TV channel DMAX is showing the series since June 14, 2017.[51]

Source material

Pérez-Reverte, author of the novel, has stated that a great source of inspiration was Mexican narcocorridos (drug ballads),[52] country-polka songs that tell the stories about real life Mexican drug lords.

One of the real life characters who inspired the novel is Sandra Ávila Beltrán,[53][54][55][56] known as the "Queen of the Pacific", famous for being one of the first female drug traffickers to reach the level of "Boss" in the Mexican cartels, a place usually reserved for men.[57]

References
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  2. "Queen of the South". NBCUniversal Media Village. Archived from the original on October 30, 2016.
  3. Lambert, David (April 14, 2017). "Queen of the South – DVDs Are Coming Soon for the First Season of the USA Network Series!". TVShowsonTV.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  4. N'Duka, Amanda (June 9, 2016). "'Queen Of The South' EP & Cast Talk Female Empowerment And The Importance of Keeping It Real — ATX TV Festival". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  5. Andreeva, Nellie (September 23, 2014). "Adaptation Of Telenovela 'La Reina Del Sur' Ordered To Pilot By USA Network". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  6. Petski, Denise (August 10, 2017). "'Queen Of The South' Renewed For Season 3 By USA". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  7. Andreeva, Nellie (October 1, 2018). "'Queen Of The South' Renewed For Season 4 By USA With Dailyn Rodriguez & Ben Lobato As New Co-Showrunners". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  8. Gelman, Vlada (April 18, 2019). "TVLine Items: Krypton Season 2 Return, Joel Edgerton's Amazon Gig and More". TVLine. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  9. Petski, Denise; Andreeva, Nellie (August 29, 2019). "'Queen Of The South' Renewed For Season 5 By USA Network". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  10. Andreeva, Nellie (March 14, 2020). "'Empire', 'Pose', 'Queen Of the South', 'The Resident' & 'American Housewife' Shut Down Over Coronavirus". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  11. Petski, Denise (November 25, 2014). "Justina Machado Joins 'Queen Of The South'; Kyle Gallner In 'Outsiders'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  12. Petski, Denise (September 30, 2015). "Peter Gadiot Joins USA Drama Series 'Queen Of The South'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  13. The Deadline Team (December 18, 2014). "Loretta Devine Joins Jerrod Carmichael Comedy Pilot; Hemky Madera In 'Queen Of The South'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  14. Petski, Denise (January 23, 2015). "Kyle Dean Massey Joins 'Nashville'; Joaquim de Almeida In 'Queen Of The South'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
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  16. Cordero, Rosy (May 31, 2018). "'The Exorcist' Star Alfonso Herrera Joins USA Network's 'Queen of the South' (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
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  21. Carolina, Diana (March 31, 2017). "Ximena Duque and Michel Duval to star on "Queen Of The South" Season 2". Gypset. Gypset Magazine. Retrieved July 17, 2019. Michel Duvalis set to play the recurring role of Enrique “Kique” Jimenez. Striking and moody, Kique is the heartthrob son of cartel leader Boaz Jimenez. Dubbed a narco-brat, he longs for something deeper – and finds it in Isabela Vargas, the daughter of the cartel couple at odds, Camila and Epifanio Vargas.
  22. The Deadline Team (January 15, 2015). "James Martinez Cast In 'Queen Of The South'; Luis Guzman & Finesse Mitchell Tour With 'Roadies'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  23. Galvez, Daniela (July 10, 2017). "EXCLUSIVE: First Look at Ximena Duque on 'Queen of the South' Season 2". Latina. Latina Media Ventures LLC. Retrieved July 17, 2019. Ximena Duque is officially making her Hollywood debut on Queen of the South. The Colombian beauty, who is known for Telenovelas such as Dueña del Paraiso and Santa Diabla, will guest appear as Eva, Epifanio’s smart and ambitious young assistant, on the USA Network’s drama-thriller series.
  24. Petski, Denise (April 3, 2017). "'Queen Of The South' Casts Paola Andino; Bar Paly In 'Jean-Claude Van Johnson'". Deadline. Retrieved July 17, 2019. Andino will play Olivia “Chaparra” Gutierrez, a party girl with a brash mouth and a taste for trouble who ushers her best friend Isabela Vargas (Sandy Valles) into the narco-brat lifestyle – much to the chagrin of Isabela’s parents, the drug empire power couple at odds with each other, Camila and Epifanio Vargas.
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