Diego Luna’s career reached new heights with Andor seasons 1 and 2, cementing his status as one of modern television’s most compelling leading men. Yet Luna’s path to prestige didn’t begin in a galaxy far, far away. The Mexican actor and director boasts a career filled with ambitious roles, daring performances, and acclaimed projects across film and TV.
Among his many standout titles lies a gripping crime thriller with a stellar 90% Rotten Tomatoes score. This critically acclaimed 2018-2021 Netflix series sees Luna stepping into the shoes of a notorious cartel leader, delivering a performance that’s every bit as commanding as his turn as Cassian Andor. In many ways, the role pushes him even further.
For fans craving a Diego Luna performance as intense, layered, and riveting as Andor, Narcos: Mexico is essential viewing. Anyone drawn to his raw, grounded portrayal of Cassian Andor will be immediately hooked watching him play Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, the real-life architect of a cartel empire at the center of one of Netflix’s greatest crime thrillers.
Narcos: Mexico Is A Powerful Thriller About The Mexican Drug War
Diego Luna Centers The Brutal Rise Of A Criminal Empire With Unmatched Tension
Narcos: Mexico chronicles the rise of the modern Mexican drug war through the formation of the Guadalajara Cartel, led by Diego Luna’s Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo. The Netflix show is a gripping blend of historical authenticity and a thriller-style pacing fans of Andor will instantly find familiar.
Just like Andor repositioned viewer perspectives of the rebellion against the Empire in Star Wars, Narcos: Mexico frames the international drug trade not as a series of isolated crimes, but as a sprawling ecosystem. Gallardo’s operation and the attempts to bring him to justice are shaped by national politics, systemic corruption, and international pressure.
This wider lens gives every decision in Narcos: Mexico weight, every alliance tension, and every betrayal the power to change entire regions. The icing on the cake, at least as far as Andor fans are concerned, is that Diego Luna anchors this vision with a restrained yet magnetic performance.
His portrayal of Félix Gallardo is built on quiet calculation rather than flashy displays of violence. That internalized leadership style makes the character both fascinating and unpredictable. His transformation from small-time operator to cartel mastermind becomes one of the series’ most chilling arcs.
The show’s structure is another of Narcos: Mexico’s key strengths. By weaving the perspectives of traffickers, DEA agents like Kiki Camarena (Michael Peña), and government officials, Narcos: Mexico maintains a constant sense of danger. Viewers always feel just ahead of disaster but never far enough to relax. Each episode builds momentum toward explosive confrontations rooted in real history.
Sharp writing, tense direction, and a strong ensemble elevate the series further. Characters such as Rafa Caro Quintero (Tenoch Huerta) and Don Neto (Joaquín Cosío) add layered personalities and volatile dynamics that deepen the story. Whether charting inter-cartel politics or escalating conflicts with U.S. authorities, the show sustains an intense, tightly wound energy.
Ultimately, Narcos: Mexico succeeds because it understands the drug war’s stakes aren’t abstract. It humanizes the people entangled within it, creating a thriller where ambition, desperation, and power collide in unpredictable ways, just like Andor does with Star Wars. The result is a gripping narrative shaped by real events, crafted with cinematic precision.
Narcos: Mexico Delivered A Worthy Sequel To Netflix’s Narcos
Netflix Expanded Their Crime Thriller Franchise In A Way That Feels Fresh And Necessary
As the title suggests, Narcos: Mexico doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s the sequel to the 2015-2017 show Narcos, which also stars a Star Wars veteran of its own (this time The Mandalorian’s Pedro Pascal as DEA agent Javier Peña). Although Narcos: Mexico shifts to a different country and era, it functions as a true sequel to Narcos by tracing the origins of the cartels that would later define global drug trafficking.
Rather than continuing Pablo Escobar’s legacy after Narcos, the show smartly rewinds the timeline to explore how Mexico’s own criminal empires took shape. This approach gives the franchise new creative space. Instead of escalating the same conflict, Narcos: Mexico uses its predecessor’s foundation to explore parallel power structures that eventually intertwine with Colombia’s.
It’s both a companion piece and an evolution, maintaining the franchise’s trademark intensity while offering brand-new thematic territory. The show also mirrors Narcos’ blending of documentary-style narration with dramatized events, linking the two series aesthetically and structurally.
However, Narcos: Mexico avoids feeling derivative because the political climate, alliances, and motivations differ drastically from those in Colombia. The stakes feel unique, the conflicts feel localized, and the cultural specificity gives the story a strong identity.
Both series thrive as prestige crime dramas because they balance violence with context. They show how systemic failures, institutional corruption, and shifting national interests shape criminal empires. This elevated approach separates the franchise from standard cartel thrillers, grounding it in socioeconomic forces rather than sensationalism.
Narcos: Mexico ultimately enhances the original Narcos by expanding its scope. Together, the two shows form a sweeping chronicle of the modern drug trade, told with high production values and gripping performances. The sequel doesn’t replace the original, it enriches it, proving the franchise has a far larger story to tell.
Why Andor Fans Should Watch Narcos: Mexico
Fans Of Andor Will Be Enraptured By Diego Luna’s Riveting Narcos: Mexico Performance
While Andor and Narcos: Mexico sit in completely different genres, they share a surprising amount of thematic DNA. Both explore political power, rebellion, oppression, and how individuals navigate systems far larger than themselves. Diego Luna becomes the central force anchoring both worlds with his nuanced, emotionally grounded performances.
In Andor, Cassian Andor transforms from a survivor to a revolutionary. In Narcos: Mexico, Félix Gallardo transforms from a small-time Sinaloan to the mastermind behind a narcotics empire. The parallels in ambition, leadership, and moral conflict make both characters compelling studies of how power reshapes identity.
Luna’s work in both series leans heavily into internal struggles. He plays characters defined not by dramatic outbursts but by subtle shifts in expression, tone, and posture. This understated intensity makes his performances gripping regardless of genre. Andor fans who admired Cassian’s quiet resilience will find Félix’s cold, calculating rise equally captivating.
Both shows also excel at worldbuilding. Andor crafts a grounded political thriller within Star Wars, while Narcos: Mexico constructs a detailed portrait of cartel politics rooted in real history. Viewers who appreciate layered storytelling, intricate alliances, and escalating tension will feel right at home.
Moreover, Narcos: Mexico gives Luna the space to play a character who commands entire rooms with very few words. His presence shapes every major decision, every conflict, and every shift in cartel dynamics. It’s a masterclass in quiet authority, echoing the controlled intensity that made Andor such a standout.
For Andor fans seeking a series with similar depth, character complexity, political stakes, and a powerhouse Diego Luna performance, Narcos: Mexico is a must-watch.
