Most critics like Narcos, and the praise clusters in the same places. Seven of the eight reviews are positive, and they return to Wagner Moura’s performance as Pablo Escobar, which several call the anchor of the series, and to a breadth of storytelling that follows the DEA and Colombian politics as closely as it follows the cartel. The documentary-like approach, with archive footage cut into the drama, is singled out repeatedly, as is a gritty, grounded feel that reviewers say separates it from earlier Escobar dramas.
The reservations are about shape rather than substance. Den of Geek finds the first episode heavy with exposition before the series settles. The AV Club enjoys it while conceding it leans on familiar war-on-drugs tropes. Collider notes a sympathy for Escobar and a reluctance to show the full horror of his actions. The one mixed review, from IndieWire, thinks the pacing is uneven and the series does not make enough of its material. The spread is narrow; nobody dislikes it.