Narcos’ Eric Newman

Narcos has told the stories of Pablo Escobar, the infamous head of the Medellín drug cartel and narco-terrorist, and the rival Cali cartel. The latest season explores the origins of the drug trade in Mexico, and Narcos: Mexico was recently renewed by Netflix. Regardless of country or the methods used by drug lords, the show’s protagonist has always been cocaine. The series, under the stewardship of showrunner Eric Newman, is rooted in fact and has made ample use of consultants from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). It has gone beyond simplistic depictions of good guys and criminals by showing the human side of the traffickers and the not-always-noble motivations of law enforcement. Newman talks to TV Drama about working with DEA agents to craft characters, balancing facts and dramatizations, and what the experience of working on Narcos has meant to him both personally and professionally.