El Señor de los Cielos (2013)
Kernel Score: 89% · 3,384 ratings
Genres: Crime, Drama, Soap
First aired: 2013-04-15
Seasons: 9 · 793 episodes
Is El Señor de los Cielos worth watching?
Depends on your taste. A long-running Spanish-language drug-lord soap based loosely on a real cartel boss, with high drama, betrayals and a loyal audience. Viewers who love telenovelas rate it very highly, but it's very long and relies on soap conventions.
Watch it if you
- love Spanish-language crime dramas
- enjoy long, twisting telenovela storylines
- followed Narcos and want more cartel stories
Skip it if you
- want tight, short seasons
- dislike melodrama and soap-style plotting
Best for: Long binge
Fresh Kernels verdict, AI-assisted from our scores, audience reviews and the official rating.
Where to watch El Señor de los Cielos
- Stream: Hulu, Fubo, Peacock, Spectrum On Demand
- Free with ads: The Roku Channel, NBC
US availability, updated 2026-10-23.
Overview
Set in the 1990s, these are the life and times of Amado Carrillo Fuentes, a man who became the head of the Juárez cartel. Nicknamed “El Señor de los Cielos” (Lord of the Skies) because of the large fleet of airplanes he used to transport drugs, he was also known for washing more than $200 million through Colombia to finance his huge fleet. He is described as the most powerful drug trafficker of his time.
El Señor de los Cielos parents' guide: ages 14+
Parents need to know that El Señor de los Cielos is a TV-14 telenovela dramatizing the life of a real drug cartel leader, including drug trafficking and organized crime.
- Violence & scariness: Moderate — Depicts organized crime and drug cartel violence as part of a drug lord's biography.
- Drinking, drugs & smoking: Strong — Centers on large-scale drug trafficking as its core subject matter.
Fresh Kernels AI-assessed from the official TV-14 rating, publicly documented content. A guide for families, not an official rating.
Shows like El Señor de los Cielos
If you liked El Señor de los Cielos, these are the shows we'd watch next.
- Narcos (2015) — 89%: The best-known drug-lord drama, in a more polished form
- Narcos: Mexico (2018) — 88%: The Mexican cartel story, with a cooler, more serious tone
- La Reina del Sur (2011) — 89%: Spanish-language crime drama about a woman rising in the drug trade
- Pablo Escobar: The Drug Lord (2012) — 86%: Dramatised life of a notorious Colombian trafficker
- El Chema (2016) — 86%: Another Spanish-language story of a trafficker's rise
- Breaking Bad (2008) — 99%: The benchmark for a criminal's rise and moral collapse
Cast
- Rafael Amaya as Aurelio Casillas "El Señor de los Cielos"
- Isabella Castillo as Diana Ahumada
- Carmen Aub as Rutila Casillas
- Itatí Cantoral as Blanca/Belén
- Iván Arana as Ismael Casillas
- Robinson Díaz as El Cabo
- África Zavala as Mercedes “Mecha” de la Cruz
- Jason Romo as Diego Bustamante
- Marisela González as La Felina
- Julio Bracho as Ricardo Almenar
El Señor de los Cielos FAQ
Is El Señor de los Cielos worth watching?
Depends on your taste. A long-running Spanish-language drug-lord soap based loosely on a real cartel boss, with high drama, betrayals and a loyal audience. Viewers who love telenovelas rate it very highly, but it's very long and relies on soap conventions.
Where can I watch El Señor de los Cielos?
In the US you can stream El Señor de los Cielos on Hulu, Fubo, Peacock and Spectrum On Demand and watch it free with ads on The Roku Channel and NBC.
Is El Señor de los Cielos OK for kids?
El Señor de los Cielos is rated TV-14. Fresh Kernels suggests ages 14+. Parents need to know that El Señor de los Cielos is a TV-14 telenovela dramatizing the life of a real drug cartel leader, including drug trafficking and organized crime.
What shows are like El Señor de los Cielos?
If you liked El Señor de los Cielos, try Narcos, Narcos: Mexico, La Reina del Sur and Pablo Escobar: The Drug Lord.