Queen of the South (TV series)
Queen of the South is an American crime drama television series developed by M.A. Fortin and Joshua John Miller. The series premiered on June 23, 2016, and concluded on June 9, 2021, with 62 episodes aired on USA Network. It is an adaptation of the telenovela "La Reina del Sur" which airs on USA's sister network Telemundo; both are adapted from the novel "La Reina del Sur" by Spanish author Arturo Pérez-Reverte. The series was renewed for a fifth season on August 29, 2019. Production of the new season was suspended indefinitely  on March 14, 2020, due to COVID-19, but resumed in fall 2020. On March 8, 2021, it was announced that the fifth season would premiere on April 7, 2021 and serve as the series' final season. "Queen of the South" concluded on June 9, 2021, after five seasons and 62 episodes. Plotline. "Queen of the South" is an adaptation of the telenovela "La Reina del Sur", which is itself an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Spanish author Arturo Pérez-Reverte. The series centers around Teresa Mendoza, a poor Mexican woman who becomes wealthy by building a  vast drug empire. Teresa lives in the barrio of Culiacán in Sinaloa, Mexico. She falls in love with a member of a drug cartel, and tries to rise above her life's impoverished condition. After she is told her boyfriend has been murdered, she is forced to flee. She crosses the border to the United States where she ends up in the criminal organization of the wife of the cartel boss who is after her. Teresa has a different vision of the drug distribution business and due to her charisma attracts associates and ends up starting her own drug distributing  organization. Teresa becomes very successful, which presents her with more problems, makes her endure sacrifices and attracts the attention of covert government forces. Reception. Critical response. "Queen of the South" first season received mixed to positive feedback from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a score of 68%, based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 6.18/10. The site's consensus reads: ""Queen of the South" enlivens an overdone premise with action and narrative vigor—and shows hints of intriguing potential." On Metacritic, the first season scored 59 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average  reviews". Broadcast. Queen of the South amassed a total of 285 million USD of the first season. Internationally, the series premiered in Australia on Showcase on August 4, 2016. German TV channel DMAX has been showing the series since June 14, 2017. The series is also available on Netflix. Inspiration. Pérez-Reverte, author of the novel, has stated that a great source of inspiration was Mexican "narcocorridos" (drug ballads), country-polka songs that tell the stories about real life Mexican drug lords. One of the real life characters who inspired the novel is Sandra Ávila Beltrán, known as the "Queen  of the Pacific", famous for being one of the first female drug traffickers to reach the level of "Boss" in the Mexican cartels, a place usually reserved for men.