Griselda review: Sofia Vergara anchors a gripping, if formulaic, Netflix crime drama
The Narcos-esque limited series tackles the "Godmother of Cocaine"
Let’s state the obvious first: Sofia Vergara is practically unrecognizable in Griselda, which premieres January 25 on Netflix. Shedding the persona of her well-known Emmy-nominated performance as Modern Family’s Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, the actor approaches her heavily dramatic turn with guns blazing. She embodies the titular notorious drug dealer in a subdued yet powerful manner. And while it takes her a couple of episodes to hit this stride, she provides a steadfast anchor for an enjoyable but predictable TV show.
Vergara is the only major and pleasant surprise in Griselda. The rest of it mostly follows the footsteps of Netflix’s Narcos and Narcos: Mexico, with the same producing team at the helm. It takes on the daunting task of dramatizing a larger-than-life criminal like Griselda Blanco, much like the previous shows did with Pablo Escobar and Miguel Gallardo, respectively. Narcos’ Andrés Baiz returns to direct all the episodes here, leading to some resemblance in storytelling flair as well. A notable difference, however, is Griselda doesn’t feature real-life footage of Blanco to parallel the fictional scenes, possibly to avoid distracting from Vergara’s aesthetic. It isn’t necessarily a bad update, but it is sorely missed.
Like the two popular dramas before it, Griselda is riveting as a crime thriller, with twists and violence will have viewers anxious and hooked. The limited series attempts to untangle a tenacious, ferocious, and villainous mastermind. It’s compelling, especially thanks to Vergara’s gritty take on playing the “Godmother of Cocaine,” but the whole project also feels a bit like more of the same.
Griselda’s journey is annoyingly formulaic. It resorts to established narratives instead of allowing itself to be the fascinating or detailed character study of how Griselda—driven by ego, motherhood, and the desire for financial independence—rose to queenpin status. The show jumps years, rushes through a few subplots, and doesn’t give us enough time to sit with Griselda’s actual story, especially in the latter half. A binge-worthy Narcos spun a similar yarn. At least it had two 10-episode seasons to dive into Escobar’s family, history, motivations, and ambitions. In this case, Griselda tries to cover too much ground in only six almost hourlong outings. And the result feels unsatisfactory by the end.