For a critically-acclaimed American crime drama TV series airing exclusively on Netflix, “Narcos” appears to be having a problem not with its storyline or cast members but its showrunner.
Apparently, the show will be undergoing another major shake-up while in the midst of filming for Season 2 as showrunner Adam Fierro has decided to leave the TV series.
Adam Fierro is actually the second show creator for “Narcos” following Chris Brancato, who left the TV series in April last year even before it premiered on Netflix on August 28, 2015.
Brancato left the TV series to take on a bigger position as head of ABC Studio’s new drama “Of Kings and Prophets,” reports the Ecumenical News.
However, it can be noted that Brancato was not the pioneer show creator of “Narcos” either. He joined the TV series when it was already halfway into production for Season 1 and was eventually given co-creator credits along with Carlo Bernard and Doug Miro.
In other words, “Narcos” has had three sets of show creators within a span of a little over a year. Bernard and Miro were the first showrunners before they turned the reigns to Brancato. Upon the departure of Brancato, Adam Fierro came in.
Just like in the case of Brancato, even before Season 2 gets to be aired, Fierro already left the show. In fact, it was even worst in the case of Fierro as the production for Season 2 is just halfway through.
But according to reports, Fierro has already completed writing for the show’s Season 2 and that Netflix has decided to leave the post vacant. In the meantime, Director Jose Padilha and Eric Newman were temporarily tapped to serve as the show’s executive producers until the end of Season 2.
While Netflix is eyeing to release Season 2 of “Narcos” in August this year, the production’s problem with searching for the right creator will eventually affect its release date, according to critics.
Not a good time to overhaul the series
Although it did not win, “Narcos” has been nominated for Best TV Series Drama and Best Actor for TV Series Drama for lead actor Wagner Moura, who plays the protagonist Pablo Escobar, during the 2016 Golden Globes Award held early this month.
Moura is a Brazilian actor and learned Spanish specifically for the role of Pablo Escobar. He has had his accent criticized for ruining the suspension of disbelief for native Spanish speakers viewing the show.
But to his credit, Moura has captured the mystique of Escobar like no one else before him. Thus, it was no surprise that he got a nomination for Best Actor for a TV Series Drama in the 2016 Golden Globes.
“Narcos” is also nominated for Best TV Series Drama in the upcoming Satellite Awards.
Many fans of the show are worried that the problem of the TV series on having different showrunners quite too often would eventually affect the storyline of “Narcos” because creators have different perspectives and approaches.
They believe that it is not a good time for some major overhaul in “Narcos” because the TV series is just gaining momentum as it is.
At a delicate stage
Critics also believe that the storyline of “Narcos” is at a delicate stage since Season 1 has just been completed and covered a significant part of Pablo Escobar’s story.
Based on the Season 1 finale, Season 2 would have a very limited time to focus on Escobar’s escape from La Catedral in 1992 to his death in Medellin in 1993. Filming for “Narcos” is now ongoing at Bogota, Colombia.
Season 1 of “Narcos” spanned almost a decade in telling the story of Escobar with years sometimes passing between chronological episodes, cites iDigital Times.