After the widespread commercial success of “Breaking Bad,” the executives at Netflix saw the opportunity to make as much money as the drug traffickers featured in the show. Thus, the first season of the Netflix exclusive, “Narcos,” was released in its entirety on Aug. 28.

The series begins by describing Colombia, the setting of the show, as magical realism – “what happens when a highly detailed, realistic setting is invaded by something too strange to believe.” This sense is emphasized throughout the entire series. As a fictionalized and accurate account of true events it blends biography with storytelling. With constant cuts to historical footage accompanied by commentary by Steve Murphy (Boyd Holbrook), the DEA agent who hunts Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura), the series creator really doesn’t want viewers to forget that this is a true story. After all, a true story resonates more with the audience by revealing actual horrors of the world.

It is clear that the writers want to emphasize these real life horrors but so far in season one they are all things we have seen before in typical crime tv shows. These consist of gory murders and predictable betrayals that should be no surprise in the drug business.

However, the show has its strong points. It’s element of “magical realism” sets the gritty, realistic tone of Narcos that is necessary for any crime drama and the suspenseful violence that escalates with each episode adds to this tone. In addition, the acting is strong and viewers can feel the fear and the rage of the characters. Moura makes it easy to sympathize for Escobar despite all of the horrible things he has done. Many of the other main characters, though, could use more development, including Steve Murphy and DEA Agent Javier Pena (Pedro Pascal).

Overall, the show is solid and engaging, even if the plot can be rather predictable. The magical realism and the efforts of the actors make the show real, which is important for a show that is inspired by true events.

“Narcos” is a good show to binge-watch one quiet weekend, leaving viewers looking forward to season two as its release gets closer and it will certainly give you an entertaining and accurate look at the Colombian drug wars.