David Farnor | On 27, Dec 2015

Narcos has lost another showrunner ahead of the show’s second season, after Adam Fierro departed just before Christmas.

Netflix’s original series, which chronicles the real-life stories of the US and Colombian efforts in the 1980s to battle Pablo Escobar and the Medellin drug cartel, marked the reunion of Elite Squad star Wagner Moura (as Pablo) with director Jose Padilha, who created and exec produced the first season.

Padilha worked alongside Eric Newman, with Chris Brancato joining the production halfway through as showrunner, earning himself a co-creator credit alongside Carlo Bernard and Doug Miro, who wrote the initial script.

The result was a hugely addictive piece of TV, with Netflix promptly ordering another hit of the stuff in September 2015. Brancato, though, was revealed to be leaving the show so that he could make ABC’s biblical drama, Of Kings and Prophets, instead. Branco would remain credited as co-creator, with The Shield’s Adam Fierro to take over showrunner duties.

Now, though, Adam Fierro has departed too, reports Deadline.

The appointment of Fierro was reportedly made before the premiere of Narcos’ first season, with the VOD giant and producer Gaumont International looking to push the show in a different creative direction. Season 1, though, enjoyed a fantastic response, bagging two Golden Globe nominations earlier this month – not just for Best Actor – Wagner Moura – but also the much-coveted Best Drama Series gong.

Now, Jose Padilha, who was originally intending to take a step back from duties, is returning to the helm and presumably maintain the series’ existing direction. Netflix, meanwhile, has revealed that Fierro has already completed the work he was contracted for, which is understood to include shaping stories for the new episodes as well as helping to write them (Bernard and Miro are still on board as consulting producers and writers). Padilha and Eric Newman will now work with the show’s writing team to steer the ship ready for the second season.

You can catch up with our reviews of Narcos Season 1 here.

Add to Watchlist