What was unusual about Narcos' dialogue for a United States drama of its era?

Every episode was performed twice, once in each language

Roughly half of it is in Spanish, with English subtitles

All of it was dubbed after filming by a separate cast

It was almost entirely improvised on set

Which storytelling device threads through Narcos, tying its dramatised scenes together?

Direct-to-camera interviews with the cartel's members

A present-day newsroom framing story

Voice-over narration by an American DEA agent

On-screen text quoted from court transcripts

Beyond its recreated action, what does Narcos frequently splice into episodes?

Newly filmed interviews with historians

Staged home-video segments shot on period camcorders

Real archival news footage and photographs from the period

Animated sequences explaining the cartel's finances

How did Narcos' lead actor physically transform himself for the part?

He trained as a competitive boxer for six months

He shaved his head and wore facial prosthetics

Months before Narcos began filming, its lead actor moved to Colombia for what reason?

To learn Spanish, a language he did not speak

To research court records for the writers

To shadow officers of the Colombian national police

To study at a Colombian drama conservatory

Colombian viewers and critics most often faulted Narcos' lead performance for what?

That his scenes were shot separately from the rest of the cast

That he had never acted on television before

That he was dubbed into Spanish by another performer

His Spanish accent, which was not the paisa accent of Medellín

Quizzes · Entertainment

Narcos: Multiple Choice

Real trivia about Narcos: its casting, production, bilingual format, reception and awards. Every question is about the series itself, never about the real history it dramatises.

20 questions1 play6:40 limitSign in to saveupdated Sep 18, 2026

Real trivia on the subject, four answers to pick from.