Silver or Lead: 40 Years of Narcofictions (1982 -2022)

Abstract

Narcofictions emerged in Latin America (specifically Mexico and Colombia) in the early 1980s, in a context marked by political instability and corruption. It wasn’t until the rise of streaming platforms that the genre became a global phenomenon. This article examines the evolution of narcofictions over the past forty years and explores the reasons behind their success and widespread appeal. To compile and categorize existing titles, a mixed-methods approach is used --both quantitative and qualitative --based on a systematic, comprehensive, explicit, and reproducible methodology grounded in the SALSA framework: Search, Appraisal, Synthesis, and Analysis, with clearly defined criteria. The study finds that biopics are the most common format, especially those focused on figures like Pablo Escobar and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. These portrayals construct narratives of collective memory through personal recollections that transcend individual experiences. The involvement of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent is often used to justify foreign intervention in Latin American politics. Since 2005, there has been a noticeable shift in female character roles, evolving from secondary figures to protagonists, notably with the international success of the Colombian series Sin senos no hay paraíso. However, despite their presence in positions of power, traditional gender roles continue to be reinforced, with motherhood frequently portrayed as both a central goal and a vulnerability for these characters.