La Reina del Sur (2011– ) User Reviews (28)

It DELIVERS

[dickiepena · 9/10 · 1 December 2018]

La Reina del Sur is a top notch production!

The story is told by a talented ensemble cast of actors, brilliantly lead by Kate del Castillo who portrays, Teresa Mendoza, La Reina del Sur.

In a narrative that spans 12 years, and beautiful international settings, we see Teresa transform from a woman terrified by circumstances out of her control, to a confident and ruthless drug smuggler.

A phone call telling her that her lover is dead, sets her on the run for her life in Mexico. Unable to reach her friend's in time, she finds their lifeless bodies. As she starts her fight for survival, we meet Señor Vargas, an unscrupulous man with political ambitions, which are incredibly corrupt.

I liked that this novela focused more on Teresa's circumstances that lead to her life as a crime boss. She's encouraged to become a prostitute, faces racism, jealousy, friendships, a few romances, and even prison.

Tragedies aid Teresa's embrace and transformation of a life of crime. More notably are the tragic death of her friend Fatima. Fatima and her son are killed because Teresa didn't know her enemies would use those she lives as pawns.

Teresa also befriend's the eccentric Patricia, and she is pansexual, careless, live in the moment, spoiled heiress, and the opposite side of the Teressa coin. Sometimes, the character was a little too over the top, but I really liked her too.

Most unexpected, was Teresa's friendship with a Russian smuggler. Oleg grows to respect and care for Teresa, and they form a loyal bond. The sexual tension that builds through the series has a very satisfying, if not romantic resolution.

As a smuggler, Teresa finds herself under investigation, and what I found refreshing in this series when compared to a standard American series is that the cops were committed unethical quite frequently.

About 3/4 of the way through the series, you see police and agents planning and doing illegal things to set their traps. It really illustrates how we're all human, but good and bad are arbitrary terms based on our worldviews.

I felt the series had a very satisfying ending. The length of 63 episodes was long enough to spread out over a few weeks, and still get a couple binge watching days in.

This series is beautifully cast, well acted, well paced, and well layered.

La Reina del Sur 2

[kalihna · 9/10 · 9 July 2019]

Even better than the first one! From the production to the story line . Highly recommended !

Amazing. You'll get addicted!

[meridiano-870-485659 · 9/10 · 4 October 2022]

An amazing show. Looking forward to season 3 premiere scheduled in a few days. Acting level is damn high and true within all characters. Entirely in Mexican slang (unlike 'queen of south' w/A. Braga) it makes you feel totally wrapped into the "estile culici" and their of living, talking and acting. Kate del Castillo is a very talented actress giving to the audience loads of true and deep emotions. It took me less than 20 days for all the 123 episodes. This is called 'addiction'! Being italian I have to say I'm proud of Raul Bova's solid performance ;) You will love this show and will feel kind of emptiness by the time it'll be over !

La Reina Del Sur

[danielgaraujo · 10/10 · 28 April 2012]

I liked very much "La Reina del Sur". I saw all the 63 episodes. All of them are full of action, nice sceneries, Mexico, Spain, North Africa...the story is well written, above all, Tereza Mendonza is a character that makes you fall in love with her, she is fantastic. Not only her, but all the cast is wonderful. Something I liked is that even after getting involved with drug dealing, with the mafia, Teresa Mendonza kept her principles, even before, in prison, she got a lot of influence due to personality and principles. There, in prison, she would get some of her best friends and change her life forever. What is also nice to watch is the work of the agents of the DEA (Drugs Enforcement Agency.

I fully recommend anyone seeing it.

Loved it to the core.

[sam-49779 · 10/10 · 31 October 2018]

I have never watched Spanish language dramas ever before. I am die hard reality TV fan. While browsing Netflix and running out of options this show popped up as recommendation. I just clicked on it out of boredom with no intention of watching even 10 mins of show as. I hate to read subtitles and this was long series and I was sure I was not going through. I watched 5 mins of the show and was glued, I am. Intrigued. I enjoyed this series thoroughly. It has element of all human emotions and relation. Love, friendships, betrayal, death, drugs, bisexuality. I wont lie but I cried through the series more than few times. I loved the relationships Theresa held with her Russian friend, with patty, with colejo (hope that's her name), with pote.i finished this series in 3 days. I was binge watching like there wont be tomorrow. I didn't cook on Sunday and ordered pizza as I was hooked to the screen. You won't regret watching it, give it a shot!!

Full of surprises

[n_o_n_a-53519 · 10/10 · 11 July 2020]

This series is unexpectable, always full of surprises & new ideas. It's worth watching specially Season 2.

Amazing!

[miramulgund · 10/10 · 14 January 2021]

This show is absolutely amazing! Betrayal, secrets, government corruption, wild stunts, awesome friendships and romances... I accidentally started with S2E1 on Netflix. Then I realized my mistake and watched the first several episodes of S1, but I couldn't wait to find out what happened next with the kidnapping, so I went back to S2. I finished it in under a week. Kate del Castillo is great as Teresa Mendoza, and Isabel Sierra does an amazing job as Teresa's kickass 9-year-old. The rest of the cast is equally awesome. I can't WAIT for S3!!

Loved it!!!

[sandyd-81762 · 10/10 · 24 December 2019]

It is so addicting. I could not put it down Saw season 2 In 6 days straight and I never watch TV Full of action As an actress myself loved it The actors are very talented. Can't wait for season 3!!!!

Sandra Del CID.

A good narco series

[maxnikitin · 10/10 · 21 September 2019]

It is a very good narco series. Actually, my favorite is "Pablo Escobar el Patrón del Mal" and I watched quite a good number of such stuff but I tell you this one is very good. By the way Oleg Yamschikov looks like a real russian. Well done.

Season 3 lost its way

[courtjes · 6/10 · 22 December 2018]

The first two seasons kept my attention. And I loved the cartel action, the acting and storyline. But season 3 is theresa and her daughter in trouble, saved, in trouble again. Very predictable and just not fun to watch. Lots of change of locations which keeps some excitement but theresa and her daughter falling in love just doesnt keep the viewer's attention. Overall, not worth the time to watch all those episodes.

Super Brilliant Gripping Thriller

[anibose · 10/10 · 19 February 2021]

Super excellent. I am yet to see such a gripping thriller with excellent story handled in varied planes. The series keeps you gript for 124 episodes. You can't just leave it. Finished Season 1 & 2. Waiting for Season 3. The acting of Kate del Castillo is just brilliant. Wonder when would Hollywood come up with stories handled so brilliantly. Kudos to the entire team.

Too much mess

[tadaia · 3/10 · 23 March 2020]

Initially I thought this would be fun to watch but the constant fall from one trauma or disaster to the next with little balance became exhausting. The lead actress makes for a great heroine however. I'll have to try and find another one of her series to watch without all the over the top drama and ridiculous coincidences.

Can't wait to watch season 3

[alijames-32344 · 10/10 · 27 February 2023]

La Reina Del Sur is the best. I can't wait to see season 3. This is definitely a binge worthy series. I hope the seasons continue coming. This show will have your emotions all over the place. And you have no choice but to love Teresa Mendoza and hate her enemies. I've watched all 133 Episodes and is very impatient to continue watching Season 3. I hope season 3 keeps with the same excitement and twists as the first too. The actors are great, besides Teresa, Oleg is the greatest. I was and still isn't thrilled about the changed in character. The 2nd Oleg is okay but I wish the 1st one could come back. His skills as an actor and his demeanor made the Oleg character what he should be, calm, calculated, keen insight , a beautiful mind and a total badass. I love this series.

Best ever!!!

[hwsands · 10/10 · 26 June 2023]

The writers keep you on the edge of your seat. The drama never stops. The story is phenomenal. Riveting. You can't wait for more. I love this show.

Kate del Castillo has to be the sexiest woman on planet earth. Unbelievable believable performance. No question Kate del Castillo and Teresa Mendoza are one and the same person. Kate is Teresa. Teresa is Kate. I would marry this woman in a heartbeat if she would say yes. I love this woman. She is queen of the south, east, west and north as well as hell and heaven. What a woman!!!

The entire cast is phenomenal. Everyone shines. This is without question the greatest show of all time. Every character is memorable. All well played. Everyone is at the top of their game.

ABSOLUTELY THE BEST EVER!!!

For the effort

[Maafushi · 3/10 · 26 March 2021]

My second edit. From a 7 to a 6 and now to a 3 after watching season 2 completely. Promising start but developing into a weak soap series full of nonsense. This ridiculous story could have been told in 20 episodes. Please try some natural, realistic dialogues next time.

Crime? No suspence. Comedy? Not funny enough. A failed combination of both. At some points nice to watch because of the locations, atmosphere and some of the characters. But compared to the American version Queen of the South this one is total rubbish. Too much episodes, slow playing, bad acting, unreal events and no suspense thanks to a lot of silly characters. The 'American' Teresa is much more impressive and the story has more speed.

Way beyond awful

[mikegibb-60418 · 1/10 · 17 February 2020]

This might just be the worst series I have seen on Netflix. And believe me I have a seen a few real stinkers. It is like a really bad Mexican soap opera and the acting is not even up to the standard of the bit part players (the ones who get a part because they help with painting the scenery) in the average village amateur theatre group. So please, watch something else, anything else, yes even Love Island but stay away from this dross..

Mexican Telenovela Version of "Wonder Woman"

[qui_j · 3/10 · 4 December 2019]

The first season of this was barely tolerable, the second is just plain silly! The situations "La Reina" gets into are just unreal, surpassed only by how she gets out of them. It is very formula driven in that with each horrible situation from which she escapes, a man whom she has just met, has to die. Often, she is saved by people who miraculously reappear from her past to save her. The "acting" is pretty bad but this genre does feed a constant need that exists in the world of Telenovela throughout Latin America.

Terrible script

[garyrobinson-32572 · 1/10 · 7 January 2023]

I was looking forward to S3 but I've turned off at EP5 as the script and acting is atrocious. Each episode is 2 steps forward and always 2 steps back. The characters get nowhere. Terresas daughter will get them all killed. She's like a naughty puppy who never does as she's told to keep everyone safe. As for the lead character Terresa is showing her true age. The producers have really messed this season up. It's just like watching a daytime soap opera like neighbours or such like. I won't be watching anymore Telemundo productions. Is this meant to be a comedy? If so then i might understand why .

Typical Telemundo drivel

[coljam21 · 1/10 · 19 July 2020]

I binge watched all 4 seasons pf Queen of The South in 2 days and couldn't get enough. I found out about the original and saw the high ratings so I dived in. Couldn't get through the first episode of season 1 with all the impractical directing and campy acting. So Theresa gets the dreaded phone call telling her Guero has been killed and she needs to run. She decides to pull on the tightest pair of jeans which she owns (has to lie on the bed to shimmy into them) and slips on a pair of bright blue platform pumps?! Oh then she goes running through the streets with said platform pumps to escape the killers. I lost all interest at that point. Such nonesense. So campy and trashy. Typical Telemundo soap opera trash.

Season 1 is wonderful. Season 2 has many problems.

[moonracer0120 · 3/10 · 4 December 2019]

La Reina season 1 had a secret sauce. It took a naive young woman and turned her into the most powerful female drug lord in the world. Nothing could stop her or this telenovela - not lousy video quality, not soap opera-like directing, not even bad secondary actors. Nothing. It was that good. Season 2 unfortunately falls short. I can see why Kate de Castillo was so reluctant to return the the series.

In season 2 I see a lot of unnecessary bells and whistles. While video and filming is more atmospheric and sets are much more lavish, they don't make up for the shortcomings. Suddenly, Epifanio Vargas is surrounded by political advisors who appear to be Mexico's WASPy blue bloods - the ones that look like they drink gin and tonics and wouldn't look out of place summering at a Kennedy mansion in Massachusetts. Por que? Epifanio is a drug lord. He would be as comfortable with these upper crust snobs as El Chapo and just as contemptuous.

I am also seeing tiresome old tropes from American television. Namely, the scene where one of Aljarafe's granddaughters, Paloma, is hiding from a psychopathic boyfriend. For some reason the predation and sexual victimization of women is a popular theme that shows up in every other American drama. I find it really offensive and it was the reason why I started watching La Reina del Sur in the first place - to get away from directors who pass off the cruel sexual victimization of women as "entertainment". Hollywood does not depict children or men being sexually assaulted anywhere nearly as often - most likely because it's too horrible for the audience to watch. So why is the brutal victimization of women so much fun to watch? It's pure misogyny. Do the producers even know their telenovela fanbase (hint: it's not macho middle-aged men that enjoy watching women being victimized). I skipped the Game of Thrones series on HBO after reading several chapters of the first novel.

I re-started my Netflix account specifically to watch La Reina. If all Netflix wants to do is show women being hunted like animals - a female victimization formula much beloved by American directors and producers, I am quitting La Reina. Sexual victimization is unbelievably horrific and cruel to women just as it is to men and children. Telemundo needs to realize that season 1 rose to fame because they did something special - and it wasn't just creating an anti-hero. It worked because the audience got to see a female underdog develop sharp teeth and bite back. Teresa Mendoza transforms from a small-time female money changer to a powerful drug lord who calls the shots. This is the winning theme. Women don't want to watch other women being horribly, violently, sexually assaulted. It is not "entertainment" for us.

Telemundo needs to stop listening to Netflix. They won the jackpot with the original La Reina NOT Netflix. Take back the reins and hand it back to the original directors, writers, and producers. Just re-create what they did in season 1. Don't let Netflix, a big budget, a lack of imagination, and canned, old, repetitive, tiresome Hollywood film conventions ruin what was a wonderful series. It's obvious that with the rise in popularity of K-dramas that Hollywood no longer knows what viewing audiences want. Take a cue from that and stop the misogyny in dramas.

Don't waste your time on this serie!

[drazo-vuletic · 1/10 · 20 September 2019]

Such a overrated serie. I give it a try, expected a good serie because of the story line, but after few episodes I STOPPED watching it. Most because it has so much unreal events.

Queen of the South with Alice Braga much better

[pik923 · 2/10 · 7 June 2022]

Don't like this version The Alice Braga version as Teresa is far superior Cast script filming here is weak compared to QUEEN OF THE SOUTH This is weak silly unreal Hmmm.

Islamophobic and bad representation of Morocco

[mileyluvzu · 3/10 · 21 June 2020]

The show is good, but i had to stop when they started talking about Morocco. It was a bad representation. No you don't have to wear a veil and walk behind a man. Women are free to do as they please. For some things you'll get backlash from, yes, but only from the older generation like any other country. Women can walk alone They don't need a man They don't need a veil They don't need sht Islam doesn't enforce needing a man to walk around.

Reviewing Season 3

[mr-carlos-medina · 1/10 · 23 January 2023]

The truth is that the 2nd season changed many things, but it still retained a certain coherence with the story. The third season is a circus that resembles stirring the dust in the vacuum cleaner bag into milk and drinking it. A total catastrophe.

(Spoilers)

To start - Oleg, El Batman, Faustino were imposing characters and through their importance, they contributed to empowering Teresa to become who she was. In season 3 they are less than a shadow of what they used to be. Faustino running up and down without any purpose, The Batman a 3rd wheel crying and announcing a ridiculous revenge that nobody bought for a minute....and Oleg.... oh Oleg. The once boss of bosses hobnobbing with the highest ranks of the mafia, reduced to a "Simp" behind Teresa's skirt - they didn't even decide in the script if he was an alcoholic or not, and at the same time declaring half-hearted revenges that would ultimately never bear fruit.

Hehehehe the scriptwriters on several occasions even backed themselves into a corner e.g. The story of Charlie who directly contributes to the death of Oleg's wife and who later is directly responsible for the death of Rocio.... hmmmm and now, who will take revenge? - (notgonnabeOlegashe'stoobusychasingTeresa'sbuttcheeks)

I really liked the character development and empowerment given to Genoveva. Perfect example of class, elegance, inner strength and tremendous will, standing head and shoulders above the filthy macho, backward types like Epifanio - who wasn't even able to speak to the American senators in English on equal terms, as she did.

Epifanio once more stood out especially due to the excellent interpretation by Humberto Zurita who time and time again brought to life one of the most contemptible men in history. 10/10.

In contrast, Teresa is a confusing character whom in the hours of adversity and difficulty, seemed more inclined to give a tremendous TANTRUM to which the rest of the characters would run to try to contain. At the same time, they tried to project on the character an image of "Indiana Jane (from Wishdotcom)", which completely went out of tune and coherence with the previous story.

Sofia.... The character is not worth the effort of moving my fingers on the keyboard >/

I could stay here much more time but I feel lazy. Finally, season 3 gets a 1/10 from me.

What a real shame and I think this is the end of La Reina del Sur / the Queen of the South.

La Reina del Sur

[jjtmydyt · 5/10 · 5 December 2022]

I heard so much hype about this series but was very disappointed with it. To start the acting is sooooooo bad that it didn't say much for Mexican acting schools.

The only ones that were descent actors were TERESA and Paty. I kept watching it hoping it would get better but unfortunately not. The plots are so predictable that it's pathetic. Had this been directed better and had good actors it could have been a good series. The population that watches and enjoys this series is obviously in love with the idea of being in love. The subtitles are really badly translated into English and haven't checked the other languages. It's a good thing that I understand Spanish. They really screwed up with this series and yet she has gotten so much fame from it.

Update I watched season 2 and it was way better than season 1 Actually looking forward to season 3

Her other series is much better. Ingobernable.