Queen of the South

After a brutal betrayal leaves her partner dead, Teresa Mendoza crosses the border with a plan that goes beyond mere survival. In Dallas she crafts a dangerous new life, learning to move weight and outsmart rivals. Her goal is not just to stay alive, but to control a sprawling drug network and rewrite the terms of power on her own terms. What starts as flight from violence becomes a calculated rise through a male dominated underworld, as she learns to manage corruption, loyalty, and the price of ambition. The farther she goes, the more she discovers that survival may demand more than nerve.

Created by M A Fortin and Joshua John Miller, Queen of the South adapts Arturo Perez-Reverte's La Reina del Sur for the TV screen. It premiered on USA Network in 2016 with Alice Braga headlining.

Led by Alice Braga, the show spotlights a formidable female antihero in a genre usually dominated by men. It helped broaden the pool of Latinx centered crime stories on American television and sparked conversations about power, resilience, and the costs of crossing borders.

Critics typically praised Braga's performance and the gritty mood, while noting occasional pacing lulls. The series explores ambition, loyalty, and the human toll of crime, showing how cutthroat choices ripple through family, allies, and the shadows of organized crime.

Awards: The series did not secure major nominations from the Emmys, Golden Globes, or Oscars. It earned limited recognition from smaller awards bodies and critics circles, reflecting its status as a strong genre piece rather than a mainstream awards favorite.