In Griselda, the Modern Family star plays the most notorious drug lord of all: Griselda Blanco. If you know the true story behind it, you won’t be able to wait for the start of the Netflix series either
Normally I don’t commit myself this early, but: Griselda is already my Netflix series of the year. Although I haven’t seen a single episode yet, as the drug drama won’t be coming to the streaming giant until the end of January (you can find the exact start date and other VOD tips below).
Why am I still so sure? Because Griselda Blanco is not only the protagonist of the new Netflix project, which, according to the trailers, falls somewhere between Narcos and Queen of the South. Blanco is a real historical figure who is still legendary today for her sadism, her uncompromising nature and her innovation in cocaine smuggling. If Griselda can even begin to do justice to the true story, we can expect great things. Let me convince you
After Modern Family: Sofía Vergara plays a notorious drug lord for Netflix
The drug lord herself is played by Sofía Vergara, who is probably best known to most people in this country as Gloria from Modern Family. The actress is also likely to take on parts of her signature role as a woman who uncompromisingly stands up for herself and only observes rules and laws when they are useful to her.
Watch the full trailer for Griselda season 1 in German here:
What will be new for Vergara fans, however, is the interpersonal depths that the Colombian-born actress has to explore in the Netflix series. Season 1 of Griselda tells the story of a woman from terrible circumstances who works her way up from the streets of her home country to become a drug lord in the USA. Across all moral and social boundaries, because: It wasn’t just the drug business that was firmly in male hands in the 70s and 80s. Women who took their fate into their own hands and demanded respect were punished at all levels.
However, Griselda Blanco’s real life is by no means an emancipatory success story. Rather the origin story of the ultimate supervillainess
The “black widow” of cocaine: Who is Griselda Blanco?
Even during her lifetime, Griselda Blanco was a character who seemed larger-than-life, more of an exaggerated drug godmother à la Scarface than a real person. With motorcycle-riding hitmen, the Cocaine Cowboys, and drug smuggling in custom-made lingerie, she found innovative new ways to increase her influence and evade the authorities. She smuggled up to 1.5 tons of cocaine into the USA every month.
(Against Griselda Blanco, Scarface looks like a lapdog)
She is said to have committed her first murder when she was just eleven years old in her home country. The Colombian woman was known as the queen of cocaine, “la Madrina” (Spanish for “the godmother”) and “black jokes”. The latter because she is said to have killed her three husbands. However, her vengefulness not only affected supposedly unfaithful men, but also women she perceived as too pretty or business partners whom the increasingly paranoid godmother accused of plotting against her.
Forget Narcos: Netflix’s best drug drama is Good Times, Bad Times with Cocaine
Griselda Blanco didn’t negotiate with antagonists (at the time almost exclusively men), she killed them. At the funeral of one of her sons, Blanco is said to have uttered a sentence that sounds like something out of a movie script:
‘Whatever cowards killed my son, the ground will shake under your feet. This act will not go unpunished. I am the fucking godmother.
Obsessed with power, mercilessly brutal and equipped with a borderline brilliant business sense, Blanco became one of the most influential criminal figures of the 1970s and 80s, and was even considered the most powerful woman in the world for a time. Griselda Blanco controlled the cocaine trade in several US cities, paving the way for people like Pablo Escobar.
When is Griselda coming to Netflix?
(Sofía Vergara in Griselda)
Blanco’s life has already been filmed several times. Including the documentaries Cocaine Cowboys, Cocaine Cowboys 2 and the film Cocaine Godmother with Catherine Zeta-Jones. Will Griselda be able to add a new facet to this disturbing and unbelievable story on Netflix?
Griselda will be available on Netflix from January 25, 2024. The first season of the drama series will have a total of 6 episodes
