Bad Bunny Fans Need To Watch His Netflix Crime Thriller: ‘Narcos: Mexico’

Many years into the future, when Bad Bunny is playing hide and seek with his grandkids, he will look back at February 2026 as one of the best months of his life. On Feb. 1, he became the first artist to win the Grammy for Album of the Year for a record sung entirely in Spanish. On Feb. 8, he will headline the Super Bowl halftime show. Debí Tirar Más Fotos reminded us that Bunny can rap-sing better than most, but it shouldn’t make us forget that he is a good actor, too. And none of his screen projects hit harder than Narcos: Mexico, a crime drama so nasty it’ll make you want to become a DEA agent.

Narcos: Mexico explores the rise of the drug trade in Mexico. The show’s three seasons cover the creation and rise of the Guadalajara Cartel in the 1980s and the emergence of notorious drug lords like Félix “El Padrino” Gallardo, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, and Amado Carrillo Fuentes, aka The Lord of the Skies. The Netflix series is an offshoot of Narcos, which focused on Pablo Escobar’s reign of terror and the future dominance of the rival Cali Cartel. Bunny plays Arturo “El Kitty” Paez, a fast-rising member of the Tijuana Cartel.

Bad Bunny is a Bad, Delusional Dude in ‘Narcos: Mexico’

Netflix

Bad Bunny is at his most energetic and compelling in Narcos: Mexico, and the impact of the show’s third season is largely down to his impressive contribution. He oozes a veteran’s confidence, yet this was his first-ever time on a TV set. However, his role isn’t just a shiny jewel meant to make the room look cool. “El Kitty” represents a pivotal realignment of the Mexican drug trade. He is one of the key members of the “Narco Juniors,” a group of wealthy, upper-class young Mexicans recruited by the Arellano Félix family (of the Tijuana Cartel) to traffic drugs.

Unlike OG traffickers who started dealing drugs to escape from poverty, El Kitty and his buddies are rich, spoiled kids who do it for the fun. They have Ferraris, attend elite private schools, wear designer clothes instead of sombreros, and even hold US visas. This allows them to cross the border easily and “move weight” without ever hearing the words “I’m gonna need you to pop the trunk, Sir!”

Bunny’s character isn’t 100% real, but he is strongly based on Everardo Arturo Páez, who was a founding member of the Narco Juniors. After years of being a menace, Paez was cuffed in 1997 and eventually extradited to the United States in 2001. He then ratted against the Arellano Félix organization, providing key testimony that helped dismantle the faction. On the show, Paez suffers a brutal and more entertaining fate, accentuating the brilliance of creative liberties.

‘Narcos: Mexico’ Blows ‘Narcos’ Away

Diego Luna as Felix Gallardo in Narcos Mexico

Everyone and their papi watched the original Narcos. It was hard to resist, especially because it began with the story of the world’s most notorious narco-terrorist: Pablo Escobar. When the founder and leader of the Medellín Cartel was gunned down in that iconic rooftop scene, half of the viewers moved on, and no one could blame them.

Narcos peaked early, and the shift to the Cali Cartel after Escobar’s death felt like a step down. Narcos: Mexico, on the other hand, has a more consistent narrative. It’s a smooth ride, not a see-saw. The spin-off also does a better job of exploring the business and political side of the drug trade: two cogs that keep the wheel running. Viewers aren’t just treated to endless violence. Logistics, institutional corruption, territorial unification, and cartel managerial structures are properly analyzed. The crime thriller goes even further in underscoring the caustic influence of gangsterism and the bravery of those who put their lives on the line to smother it.

Here, the expert storytellers infuse gritty realism into the proceedings whilst rigorously expunging any trace of sensationalism. Better yet, the spin-off has a stronger, broader, and more diverse character ensemble… not the wafer-thin archetypes. In the parent show, only Escobar and Orejuela brothers looked like criminal masterminds. In Narcos: Mexico, there’s a warehouse-load of cool lawbreakers. You’ll have a hard time picking your favorite gun-totting señor or señorita.

So, if you are a Bad Bunny fan, it just might be the time to take a break from Spotify and jump onto Netflix.