If one compares "El Chapo" head on along with big budget and runaway hits like the Narcos and Narcos: Mexico, El Chapo despite its lower budget and an all Mexican production does very well to hold on its own on several fronts and is in fact is better than Narcos and Narcos: Mexico on certain segments. The biggest strength of El Chapo lies is its solid writing, a screenplay that never deviates even one bit from its storyline whatsoever.
The first season is rock solid and remains totally focused on the raise of Joaquin Guzman. The second season focuses on his taking control of as "The Boss" and the turf wars plaguing within and among the other cartels. The third mainly focuses on a hide and seek game with the government forces and his ultimate arrest. All three seasons also enlightens and gives us great insights on the political system and the corruption that had engulfed Mexico over the decades. Yes, there are several cheesy scenes in second and third seasons on several occasions but the show comes back strongly soon enough and erases the silly effect in our heads with some brilliant follow up scenes every time.
Cinematography is very good right throughout the series and excels in stunt sequences, in fact stunt sequences are a mixed bag owing to a low budget but the DOP covers much of budget concerns with his excellent craft. As said earlier the strongest suit of El Chapo is its screenplay that never deviates from the original storyline, though there are several characters in the series, excellent screenplay makes it very easy to remember them. Editing is excellent as there are almost zero scenes that is not required for the storyline, unlike Narcos or Narcos: Mexico especially. Costumes are in tune with what the cartel members and bosses wear if one googles them, The military costumes were great, though all looked brand new. Production design and casting were par. Makeup is little overdone for the main characters in the 2nd and 3rd seasons. Music is 80% excellent and 20% goofy, the title song is terrific, I never skipped it once in all 35 episodes.
Acting is also a mixed bag in my opinion but very acceptable if one considers the budget and the fact that it was made for Mexican TV. About 6/10 actors were brilliant in their portrayal of their roles, with Humberto Busto delivering a top notch performance portraying Conrado Sol and Marco de la O a distant second playing the lead. On the other hand the actors who played the DEA agents were the worst.
Overall, El Chapo is a must see series for anyone who has seen Narcos and Narcos: Mexico. In fact it's a great follow up, as the series interlaces with the other two series at different time frames. Yes, sadly the making and treatment is not on the league of the other two but the screenplay and editing is definitely better in El Chapo. The series is definitely a gem on its own and will stay in our minds for a long time, if one travels the distance of 35 episodes. 8/10 for first season, 8/10 for second season and 7/10 for the third for an average of 7.3/10 overall.
