Why ‘Queen of the South’ Is The Show Everyone Enjoying Strong And Powerful Women Needs

Recently, a huge pressure has been put on placing more women in positions of directors, actors and screenwriters. This is the women’s rights movement doing and everyone, especially if you’re a woman, should be ecstatic about it. With that came an abundance of female-centric TV shows that depict a strong and independent female lead who doesn’t need a man. As millennial women, we’re all being drawn to this type of shows because it resonates with who we are or who we would love to be. Hence, the fact that more and more shows like these are being produced (many more by women as well) makes us more willing to cuddle up with our glass of wine (or a bottle) on a Friday night and binge-watch them. However, there are many shows that are mainstream enough to be promoted on every possible platform making them less known, but still as fabulous.

One of them is Queen of the South, which is a USA Network TV show that first aired in 2016. It’s centered around Teresa Mendoza who’s a frivolous girl living a glamorous life with her drug-runner boyfriend in Mexico until he’s killed, and she’s forced to run and fight for her life. The show follows her on a journey to self-discovery and independence as she’s overcoming all the difficulties that are being thrown at her.

The most captivating part of the show is the character development that we see when Teresa goes from being a trophy wife to being self-reliant in every sense of that word. We see her struggle, go through devastating circumstances and discover her strength, which is something that is universally relatable (except for the drug trafficking part).

Additionally, the show includes a remarkably talented cast, such as Alice Braga, Veronica Falcón and Justina Machado, who all represent different parts of the world. That’s another groundbreaking element of this project, which is something we don’t see very often in TV shows these days. The cast is almost completely comprised of Latino actors and actresses, which adds authenticity due to the predominantly Mexican world portrayed in the show.

Queen of the South shows us a female lead who goes from being dependable to being independent. She doesn’t need a man to save her and she is a badass! The show also discusses matters such as being good or bad, consequences of our choices and integrity, but gives it a twist that lets another layer of these issues shine that is not greatly represented on other shows.

For anyone who enjoys book adaptations, this show is based on a well-known book by the same title written by Arturo Pérez-Reverte. It was originally adapted as a Spanish-language telenovela in 2011, and after gaining popularity, this English-language version was produced.

If you enjoy gripping and intriguing thrillers with a speck of female empowerment, then I recommend giving this show a shot. For all fans of streaming services, the show is available on Netflix so it’s easy to binge-watch on a slow weekend.