El Chapo
Genre
Written by
  • Silvana Aguirre
  • Carlos Contreras
Directed by
  • Ernesto Contreras
  • José Manuel Cravioto
Starring
  • Marco de la O
  • Humberto Busto
  • Alejandro Aguilar
  • Rodrigo Abed
  • Luis Fernando Peña
  • Juan Carlos Olivas
  • Rolf Petersen
  • Carlos Hernán Romo
  • Marcela Mar
Theme music composerAndrés Botero
Country of originUnited States
Original languageSpanish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes35 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Isaac Lee
  • Camila Jimenez Villa
  • Christian Gabela
  • Andrés Calderón
Producer
  • Daniel Posada
Production locationColombia
Cinematography
  • Iván Hernández
  • Juan Pablo Ramírez
  • César Gutiérrez
  • Tonatiuh Martinez Valdez
Editors
  • Jonás García Fregoso
  • Jorge Macaya
  • Mario Monroy Nieblas
  • Luis Zerón
Camera setupMulti-camera
Production companyStory House Entertainment
Original release
NetworkUnivision
ReleaseApril 23, 2017 (2017-04-23) –
July 25, 2018 (2018-07-25)

El Chapo is a crime television series, co-produced by Netflix and Univision, about the life of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán.[1] The series premiered on April 23, 2017 on Univision before airing on Netflix worldwide.[2] It stars Marco de la O as the title character.[3]

The series recounts the beginnings of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán in 1985, when he was a low-level member of the Guadalajara Cartel, his rise to power as head of the Sinaloa Cartel, and his downfall.

On May 12, 2017, Univision confirmed that the series would be renewed for a second season. Season 2 premiered on September 17, 2017.[4]

Netflix released the first season, comprising nine episodes, on June 16, 2017.[5] The second season was released on December 15, 2017.[6]

The third season premiered on July 9, 2018 on Univision, and on July 27, 2018 on Netflix.[7]

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

Episodes

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
110April 23, 2017 (2017-04-23)May 21, 2017 (2017-05-21)
212September 17, 2017 (2017-09-17)December 3, 2017 (2017-12-03)
313July 9, 2018 (2018-07-09)[8]July 25, 2018 (2018-07-25)

Season 1 (2017)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal air dateProd.
code [9]		US viewers
(millions)
11"Chapter 1"23 April 2017 (2017-04-23)1011.73[10]
22"Chapter 2"102
Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán is a man who seeks to make his way in the illegal world of drug trafficking, for this he makes himself known to his other colleagues as El Chapo and seeks to change the rules of the business at all costs. To start with everything he knows he needs to risk dying and he looks for the Colombian capo named Pablo Escobar and offers to pass him a ton of merchandise in only 48 hours but if he does not make it he will be a dead man. Joaquín is a lover of the tunnels and knows how to cross the drug through the border with Mexico without any danger of being discovered and this will be his key to escalate the drug trafficking business. When everything seems to go perfectly El Chapo receives the news of the death of his father for an illness and even though their relationship was not the best he wanted to say goodbye but time did not work in his favor.
33"Chapter 3"30 April 2017 (2017-04-30)1031.60[11]
44"Chapter 4"104
55"Chapter 5"7 May 2017 (2017-05-07)1051.58[12]
66"Chapter 6"106
Sol tries to find incriminating information on General Blanco. He was involved in a mass rape decades ago. Sol gives this information to Gabriela, a journalist who investigated the rapes. Afterwards Sol gets promoted and takes over Blanco's position.
77"Chapter 7"14 May 2017 (2017-05-14)1071.37[13]
88"Chapter 8"108
99"Chapter 9"21 May 2017 (2017-05-21)1091.54[14]
1010"Chapter 10"110
Attempts to leave the Almoloya prison are unsuccessful. Guzman remains in solitary confinement. In a flashback we see the young Joaquin getting acquainted with local drug cartels.

Season 2 (2017)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal air dateProd.
code [9]		US viewers
(millions)
111"Chapter 1"17 September 2017 (2017-09-17)2011.45[15]
El Chapo manages to escape the prison of Puente Grande where he was transferred after Sol's intervention.
122"Chapter 2"24 September 2017 (2017-09-24)2021.18[16]
133"Chapter 3"1 October 2017 (2017-10-01)2031.19[17]
144"Chapter 4"8 October 2017 (2017-10-08)204N/A
El Chapo announces that he's taking over the federation and immediately sets out to neutralize Raciel and Tony Tormenta.
155"Chapter 5"15 October 2017 (2017-10-15)205N/A
El Pollo, Joaquin's brother, is shot in Puente Grande.
166"Chapter 6"22 October 2017 (2017-10-22)206N/A
The presidential elections are near and Alarcon (Felipe Calderón) lags behind Labrador (Andrés Manuel López Obrador). Sol tries to implicate one of Labrador's close associates, El Professor.
177"Chapter 7"29 October 2017 (2017-10-29)207N/A
When Alarcón assumes his presidency he announces a full scale war on the drug cartels, backed with US supplied weapons. Sol informs Guzman that the government and his federation need to work together as one, first against Cano and the Emes. Guzman also takes an interest in the 17 year old Elva Coronado who wins a beauty pageant (with his backing).
188"Chapter 8"5 November 2017 (2017-11-05)2081.35[18]
The drug war between the Sinaloa and Gulf cartel leads to abductions and massacres of civilians. The government is pressured to intervene by distraught families, but they are left to their own devices. One mother goes to Culiacan to search for her missing daughter, Marta. In another story, boys are abducted and trained to be child soldiers for the Emes. Another family is shown that works on opium fields, they try to escape from their desperate situation.
199"Chapter 9"12 November 2017 (2017-11-12)2091.13[19]
Guzman decides to betray the Gulf cartel and have the Bernal Leyda brothers taken out. Arturo remains free and has an alliance with the Emes and Chente. Moreno arrives in Chicago but decides to go back home after being turned down at a club . Sol and Sebastian go out together in a restaurant. Sol does not feel at ease.
2010"Chapter 10"19 November 2017 (2017-11-19)2101.15[20]
Guzman imposes a curfew on Culiacan. Moreno arrives in the evening and wonders why the streets are empty. Gang members of the Sinaloa cartel mistake him for Arturo and gun him down.
2111"Chapter 11"3 December 2017 (2017-12-03)2111.30[21]
2212"Chapter 12"212
Joaquin is grieving his son's passing. Arturo decides to take advantage of the situation and attack the Sinaloa cartel. Sol and Ismael are worried about Joaquin's absence. Meanwhile, the violence on the streets continues unabated. After Moreno's funeral, Joaquin meets Sol and asks for the help of the DEA. Raciel is in American custody and asks his brother Tony Tormenta to help out Joaquin. A full scale assault on Ciudad Juarez is launched to threaten Chente and Arturo. This includes the abduction of the mayor of Juarez to threaten him into submission. Tony Tormenta cooperates but in a shootout Cano manages to kill him. The military kills Arturo, the police arrests and imprisons Chente. Toño is made leader of Guadalajara. Sol is offered the job of Minister of Interior Affairs but he has to leave Sebastian.

Season 3 (2018)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal air dateProd.
code [9]		US viewers
(millions)
231"Chapter 1"9 July 2018 (2018-07-09)3011.09[22]
El Chapo and his men find the perfect place to build the world's largest drug lab. Don Sol gives Franco money and demands that he stay away from him, but he rejects it. DEA analysis shows that the Sinaloa cartel has rapidly expanded operations in the entire world. Prieto (Enrique Peña Nieto) of the PTI is the likely presidential candidate. Joaquin disregards the orders of the DEA, in retaliation they pressure Lora to do their bidding.
242"Chapter 2"10 July 2018 (2018-07-10)3020.99[23]
Don Sol agrees to marry Berta to fulfill his political goals. Men of El Chapo confess to the US police that he was about to put a bomb in the embassy. Mayel is arrested, Joaquin stops the Malaysia operations in exchange for his release.
253"Chapter 3"11 July 2018 (2018-07-11)3031.00[24]
El Chapo sends Elba to live in another house so no one will hurt her. Don Sol and El Chapo make an agreement to make the police believe that he is trying to catch him and that both can fulfill their plans. A journalist of El Popular investigates allegations that Don Sol is protecting El Chapo.
264"Chapter 4"12 July 2018 (2018-07-12)3041.03[25]
Isidoro leaves a message for El Chapo demanding him to defend his place, since he is determined to be his worst enemy. Elba tells El Chapo that she is expecting twins.
275"Chapter 5"13 July 2018 (2018-07-13)3050.90[26]
El Chapo asks his men to do social work on behalf of Esteban Prieto so that people vote for him. Esteban wins the elections and Don Sol is appointed Secretary of Governance.
286"Chapter 6"16 July 2018 (2018-07-16)3060.89[27]
El Chapo and his men steal Isidoro's merchandise and destroy his laboratory. The army tries to catch El Chapo, but he manages to escape and Don Sol gets upset because he knows that it will be more complicated now to arrest him.
297"Chapter 7"17 July 2018 (2018-07-17)3070.98[28]
El Chapo is arrested by the army and Don Sol informs Esteban that the world will find out that they caught the most important drug trafficker in the world. Don Sol meets Franco and his wife discovers him.
308"Chapter 8"18 July 2018 (2018-07-18)3080.88[29]
El Chapo begins to get contacts in jail to avoid being extradited and escape. Esteban asks his wife to publicly clarify the problem he has with one of his properties and Don Sol is enraged when he realizes it.
319"Chapter 9"19 July 2018 (2018-07-19)3090.99[30]
Damaso and Quino fight to take over the organization of El Chapo. El Chapo learns about the problems between Damaso and Quino and demands that they respect each other, but he knows that he must rush to escape from prison or they could ruin the organization.
3210"Chapter 10"20 July 2018 (2018-07-20)3101.00[31]
The men of El Chapo begin to dig the tunnel so he can escape. El Chapo manages to escape with the help of his men and the contacts of Don Sol.
3311"Chapter 11"23 July 2018 (2018-07-23)3111.07[32]
El Chapo makes clear the distribution of his power if he could not take over the organization. Franco tells Don Sol that he will go to work in another state because he is tired of having to hide so nobody knows about their relationship.
3412"Chapter 12"24 July 2018 (2018-07-24)3120.97[33]
Don Sol tells El Chapo that they must get a man to pose as him so that he can remain free. El Chapo asks an actress to make a film about him so that people always remember him.
3513"Chapter 13"25 July 2018 (2018-07-25)3131.07[34]
Esteban demands from Don Sol that he resign, he refuses and threatens to confess that Chapo paid for his campaign and that he helped him escape from prison. Don Sol suspects that El Chapo will hide with Marcelo and sends the army to look for him. While Gortari wants to appoint his daughter as presidential candidate but eventually Don Sol earns his trust and is himself appointed.

References

  1. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (May 17, 2016). "Netflix and Univision Partner for 'El Chapo' Series, 'Narcos' and 'Club de Cuervos' Pact". Variety.
  2. ^ Blistein, Jon (January 26, 2017). "Univision, Netflix 'El Chapo' Series Sets April Premiere". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 21, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  3. ^ Fridman, Mandy (April 27, 2017). "Marco de la O, protagonista de 'El Chapo', confiesa su miedo y felicidad de interpretar al narco". laraza.com (in Spanish). Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  4. ^ "Todas las nuevas telenovelas y series de Univision: 'El Chapo' y Sebastián Rulli regresan". La Opinión (in Spanish). May 12, 2017. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
  5. ^ "Netflix in June: What's new and expiring". USA TODAY. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  6. ^ "The Hunt Continues...El Chapo Season 2 Launches on Netflix December 15". media.netflix.com. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
  7. ^ Villafañe, Veronica. "Univision Releases New Trailer for 'El Chapo' Season 3, Announces Marathon Of Previous Episodes". Forbes. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  8. ^ "Witness the Downfall of the Biggest Drug Lord of All Time as "El Chapo" Returns to Univision for Final Season". corporate.univision.com. June 13, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  9. ^ Pucci, Douglas. "Sunday Final Nationals: TNT Wins Second Straight Sunday in All Key Demos with NBA Playoff Doubleheader". programminginsider.com. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
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  20. ^ "Final de El Chapo 2 posiciona a Univisión como la #1 en español entre las 8 a 10pm". produ.com (in Spanish). December 4, 2017. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
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External links

Univision programming (current and upcoming)
Netflix original ended series (2012–2018)
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