‘Queen of the South’ hopes to reign in narco-violence in USA

The proven success of “narconovelas” is stretching into English-language TV with Kate del Castillo hoping to reign as the “Queen of the South.”

USA Network announced they are working on the production of the English adaptation of “Queen of the South,” (Reina del Sur) a narconovela that became a major TV hit for Telemundo in 2011–based on the Mexican drug cartels and their trade.

SEE ALSO: Kate del Castillo joins fight against human trafficking

For the last few years, the traditional Latin soap opera has taken a different flavor with the birth of what can be perceived as a sub-genre: narconovelas.  It embeds the traditional troubled-love story in the world of organized crime, drug trafficking and the Mexican and Colombian drug cartels.

Productions such as “El Señor de los Cielos” (The Lord of the Heavens), “El Capo”, “El Patron del Mal” (The Patron of Evil), “Las Mujeres de la Mafia” (The Women of Mafia), and “La Reina del Sur” (Queen of the South) itself have won Spanish TV stations in the U.S. and Latin America massive ratings and for the last five.

The new telenovela  sub-genre incited controversy as quickly as success began. On one hand, you have millions of viewers completely hooked with the suspense, action and degree of realism of the series. On the other some detractors argue these productions somehow sanctify some of the most obscure figures in Latin America’s history of crime.

So, why the success of ‘Queen of the South?’

Many immigrants have suffered the consequences, either directly or indirectly, of the violence the cartels have brought to Latin America and even the United States. Some feel a connection to these events, while others find the suspense of these dramas as addicting as the drugs the cartels push.

The level of accuracy these novelas depict their characters has no precedent in a TV genre that has been traditionally based on fictional stories.

USA Network picked up the pilot in hopes to introduce this story to an American audience.

“We are excited to bring this global best-selling thriller to our viewers,” said USA Network President Chris McCumber.

“Queen of the South” is based on the original novel book by Spanish author Arturo Peréz-Reverte. It narrates the story of a young Mexican woman who migrates to Spain following romance, only to later become the most powerful drug trafficker of Southern Spain.

In Telemundo’s TV adaptation, the plot moves through the Mexico-US border. The 63-episodes-long production had a $10 million budget–making it the most expensive soap opera produced by Telemundo so far.

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This is a big deal for “Queen of the South”- and even more for Kate del Castillo’s career- because more than 98 million Americans have USA Network available in their homes through paid TV.

Castillo has worked in Hollywood already, as part of the the cast in “No Good Deeds”, which was released in US theaters two weeks ago with relative success.

It will be interesting to see how USA Network’s non-Hispanic audience responds to the first narconovela produced for an English-speaking viewership. This is the next test this young TV sub-genre has to conquer.