Far from a typical retelling of the infamous drug lord’s life, this series immerses viewers in a traumatic coming-of-age narrative, akin to ‘The Sopranos,’ as told through his son’s eyes amidst a backdrop of chaos and violence. It’s easy to assume that the world hardly required another television series delving into the life of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, given how thoroughly his story has been explored in popular culture.
While Escobar’s ruthless Medellín cartel dominated the 1980s and 90s, his biography as a Colombian druglord and politician has, in this century alone, sparked countless books, Hollywood movies, the hit Netflix series ‘Narcos,’ and even inspired Kanye West’s 2016 album title, ‘The Life of Pablo.’ However, the new Spanish-language series, ‘Dear Killer Nannies,’ remarkably carves out a fresh and unforeseen entry point into the world of this archetypal villain, deliberately downplaying the extensive bloodshed that has otherwise made his life a cinematic and televisual staple.
Co-created by Escobar’s own son, Juan Pablo Escobar, the series leans more heavily into the coming-of-age genre than action. Rather than tracing the familiar arc of Escobar’s ascent, downfall, and ultimate demise in a shootout with Colombian special forces, the narrative perspective shifts to his seven-year-old son, Juan Pablo, affectionately known as ‘Juampi.’ Juampi is portrayed as a sweet, sensitive, and gentle child, much like many boys before societal pressures and the complexities of patriarchy begin to shape them.
Our introduction to Juampi finds him blissfully afloat in a lake, head bobbing, radiating happiness under the sun, until a speedboat abruptly enters the scene, hurtling directly towards him and inducing instant panic. The vessel veers away at the eleventh hour, narrowly missing him. This dramatic entrance marks the introduction of Juampi’s ‘nannies’—men who are actually his father’s associates, tasked with childcare while Escobar conducts cartel affairs abroad. The inherent dangers of such an unconventional arrangement are immediately apparent.