''El Señor de los Cielos'' (in English: ''Lord of the Skies'') is an American

crime drama Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

television series created by Luis Zelkowicz, based on an original idea by Mariano Calasso, and Andrés López. It premiered on

Telemundo Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast. It provides content ...

on 15 April 2013. The series is based on the life and work of

Amado Carrillo Fuentes Amado Carrillo Fuentes (; December 17, 1954 – July 5, 1997) was a Mexican drug lord. He seized control of the Juárez Cartel after assassinating his boss Rafael Aguilar Guajardo. Amado Carrillo became known as "''El Señor de Los Cielos''" ( ...

, the former leader of the

Juárez Cartel The Juárez Cartel (, ), also known as the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes Organization, is a Mexican drug cartel based in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, across the Mexico—U.S. border from El Paso, Texas. The cartel is one of several drug trafficking ...

. It stars

Rafael Amaya José Rafael Amaya Núñez (born 28 February 1977) is a Mexican actor, born in Hermosillo, Mexico. He is best known for his character Aurelio Casillas in the Telemundo series ''El Señor de los Cielos''. Biography Amaya was born in Hermosill ...

as the titular character, Aurelio Casillas. The series has won several awards including;

International Emmy Award The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York City, New York–based International Academy of Televisi ...

for Non-English Language US Primetime Program.

Premios Tu Mundo The (Spanish for "Your World Awards") is an annual award presented by the American television network Telemundo Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Telemund ...

for Novela or serie of the Year for three consecutive years. In May 2023, Telemundo renewed the series for a ninth season that premiered on 13 February 2024. In May 2024, Telemundo announced a spin-off sequel titled ''La dinastía Casillas'', following Amaya's departure in the ninth season.

Synopsis

The series follows the life of Aurelio Casillas (

), a Mexican drug lord who is recognized for knowing how to transfer drug substances to Mexico, Colombia, and the United States. Aurelio and his wife Ximena ( Ximena Herrera) have three children, Rutila (

Carmen Aub Carmen Aub Romero (born October 24, 1989, in Mexico City, D.F., Mexico) is a Mexican actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the fles ...

), Heriberto (Ruy Senderos), and Luz Marina (Gala Montes). He also has his faithful brother Chacorta (

Raúl Méndez Raúl Méndez Martínez (born 11 April 1975 in Laguna, Torreón, Mexico) is a Mexican actor of film, theater and television. Biography He studied acting at the Center for Arts Education Monterrey and La Casa del Teatro with Luis de Tavira ...

) who helps him in all his illicit businesses. Aurelio ends up being cornered by the authorities after being found as he decides to undergo a face operation in which he supposedly dies, thus causing his empire of power to fall. In season two, believed to be dead, Aurelio returns to enact his revenge on police officer Leonor Ballesteros (

Carmen Villalobos Carmen Villalobos (born Yorley del Carmen Villalobos Barrios on July 13, 1983) is a Colombian actress and model. Career She is best known for her character Catalina Santana in the telenovela '' Sin senos no hay paraíso'' based on the book by G ...

), who through her fault ends up operating his face in a failed attempt to escape from the authorities. Aurelio meets Victoria Navárez (

Marlene Favela Marlene Favela (born Silvia Marlene Favela Meraz on August 5, 1976) is a Mexican actress and model. In Mexican television, as of 2013 she was best known as Esmeralda in the TV show '' Zorro, La Espada y la Rosa''. In 2013, she appeared as an aw ...

), a beautiful woman who throws herself to be the governor of

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

. Aurelio, after seeing her actions, falls in love and decides to deceive her by posing as another man and usurping the identity of Danilo Ferro. A character that is then introduced is José María "Chema" Venegas (

Mauricio Ochmann Mauricio Ochmann (born November 16, 1977) is an American and Mexican actor best known for his roles in telenovelas, such as ''Amarte Asi'', where he starred as Ignacio "Nacho" Reyes. He also appeared in Kevin Costner's film ''Message in a Bottle ...

), one of the great enemies of Aurelio who decides to take all its power to Aurelio. At the end of the season, Leonor captures Aurelio and lasts several months in prison naval bunker. In season three, after several months imprisoned in naval bunker in Mexico, Aurelio receives the mutilated head of his brother Chacorta in a box, giving him reason to wage a war against all his enemies and to find the murderer of his brother, to avenge his death. After all the problems with the government and the

DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating illicit drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domes ...

, Aurelio learns that he suffers from kidney failure and decides to remember his past in order to find his lost son. In season four, Aurelio after being cornered by his illness and not finding any relative that can donate a kidney, decides to undertake a search for all the lovers he had in order to find a lost son who can donate a kidney. Aurelio finally finds a young man named Ismael (

Iván Arana Luis Iván Arana Zúñiga (born June 21, 1987 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to th ...

), who can be his salvation. His enemies, after learning of his illness, decide to do everything possible to get Ismael out of the way. When everything seems to take its course and achieve total stability in the world of legal and illegal businesses of Aurelio, Emiliana Contreras (

Vanessa Villela Vanessa Villela (born January 28, 1978)" is a Mexican-American actress turned real estate agent, who appeared in Selling Sunset and Mexican TV series El señor de Los Cielos, Una Maid en Manhattan, El Cuerpo Del Deseo, ''Romántica obsesión'', '' ...

) appears a beautiful woman sent by Feyo Aguilera (

Leonardo Daniel Leonardo Daniel (; born 26 July 1954) is a Mexican actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the t ...

) to be able to make Aurelio fall, but her mission is to become the lover Of Aurelio to thus be able to finally make the fall of Aurelio's empire. In season five, Aurelio, will unleash a new war, but this time it will not be against his former rivals and enemies – this time, it will be against his own family because of the betrayals he had previously experienced on their part. Later, Aurelio (

), will also face a serious illness, which puts at stake his power and prestige since this man fails to get a donor, so they can make his transplant, necessary to continue living. On the other hand, Mónica (

Fernanda Castillo María Fernanda Castillo García (born 24 March 1982), known as Fernanda Castillo, is a Mexican actress. She is best known for her work in several telenovelas, including her role as Mónica Robles in '' El Señor de los Cielos''. Career Sin ...

) fights for her life after being rescued from Víctor's hands in the middle of their wedding, since while she fled received a shot that apparently is mortal; After being taken from his side, Víctor ( Jorge Luis Moreno) searches everywhere to find Mónica's whereabouts and continue with her wedding plans. In season six, Aurelio Casillas recovered all the lost fortune and finally feels the need to retire. But it is time for retribution, the hatred that he sowed since he sold his soul to the drug trafficking demon is now knocking on his door with the face and blood of the many innocent people he destroyed. Aurelio will understand that his riches are an illusion, and that after being the great hunter he was, he will now become the prey. The women he mistreated, the men he betrayed, the political puppets he put in power, and even his own children will turn against him. In season seven, to avoid falling into the hands of the American justice, Amado Leal "El Águila Azul", now Amado Casillas ( Matías Novoa), has turned himself in to Bernardo Castillo (José Sedek), Secretary of Security of Mexico. The DEA commissioner, Joe Navarro (

Guy Ecker Guy Frederick Ecker (born February 9, 1959) is an American actor. Born in Brazil to American parents, Ecker became a household name in Latin America for his portrayal of Sebastián Vallejo in the Colombian telenovela '' Café, con aroma de mujer ...

), has made every attempt to achieve his extradition. What he does not know is that Baltazar Ojeda (

Eduardo Santamarina Eduardo Hernández García Santamarina (; born 9 July 1969) is a Mexican film, theater, and television actor who is known for his leading roles in many telenovelas. Beside Televisa telenovelas, Santamarina appeared in some Telemundo telenovelas. ...

), a

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

agent, has the plan to eliminate Amado before, since he is the only one who can prove that within the organization in which both worked together, there is a scheme of corruption and murky management that endangers its existence within it and its freedom. He has already been transferred to a jail on the outskirts of the

State of Mexico The State of Mexico, officially just Mexico, is one of the 32 federal entities of the United Mexican States. Colloquially known as Edomex (from , the abbreviation of , and ), to distinguish it from the name of the whole country, it is the mo ...

and is about to be taken to the airport, under strict security measures when the Casillas cartel tries to rescue him and Baltazar Ojeda himself tries to kill him. In the midst of this tension and in parallel, under the supervision of Doña Alba ( Lisa Owen) and a specialized doctor, they try a risky procedure to revive Aurelio (

). Season eight centers on the return of Aurelio Casillas, who supposedly died at the beginning of the previous season after falling into a coma following an attempt on his life. It is only the DEA who knows that Aurelio is alive, having hidden him in the desert. In enacting his plan of revenge, Aurelio establishes connections with old allies, while also facing new romances and uncovering family mysteries.

Cast and characters

as Aurelio Casillas (seasons 1–6, 8–9; guest season 7; guest appearance in ''El Chema''), the main protagonist of the series and also made a guest appearance in ''El Chema'' * Ximena Herrera as Ximena Letrán (seasons 1–2) * Robinson Díaz as Miltón Jiménez / Pío José Valdivia "El Cabo" (seasons 1, 6–7, 9; recurring seasons 2, 8; special guest star season 5) *

as Víctor Casillas "Chacorta" (seasons 1–3) *

as Leonor Ballesteros Mirelis (seasons 1–3) * Gabriel Porras as Marco Cartagena Mejía (

season 1 Season One may refer to: Albums * ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004 * ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012 * ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012 See also * * * Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to: ...

) *

as José María Venegas Mendivil "El Chema" (seasons 2–3; special guest stars season 1; the main protagonist in the spin-off series of ''

El Chema ''El Chema'' is an American crime television series premiered on Telemundo on December 6, 2016, and concluded on April 3, 2017. The series is produced by Argos Comunicación and Telemundo Studios for Telemundo. Starred and produced by Mauricio O ...

'') ** Alberto Guerra as José María Venegas Mendivil "El Chema" (season 6; recurring season 7) *

as Mónica Robles Urdieta (seasons 2–5; recurring

; she also made a guest appearance in the spin-off series of ''El Chema'') *

as Victoria Navárez "La Gober" (season 2) *

as Rutila Casillas Letrán (seasons 3–9; recurring season 2; guest appearance in the spin-off series of ''El Chema'') ** Terina Angell as Child Rutila (season 1) ** Ana Sofía Durán as Child Rutila (season 2) *

Maritza Rodríguez Sarah Maritza Mintz (formerly Maritza Rodríguez Gómez , September 1, 1975) is a retired Colombian telenovela actress and model. Career She is best known for her roles as Bárbara Santana in Telemundo’s telenovela '' Amantes del desierto'' (2 ...

as Amparo Rojas (seasons 3–4) * Sabrina Seara as Esperanza Salvatierra Cortini (seasons 4–5, recurring season 3) *

as Emiliana Contreras Cortenas (seasons 4–5; guest appearance in the spin-off series of ''El Chema'') * Marisela González as Eunice Lara "La Felina" (season 5; recurring seasons 4, 8–9; main role in

Season 2 Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014 * ''2econd Season'', an album by Unk, 2008 * "Season 2", a song by Phoenix from ''Alpha Zulu ''Alpha Zulu'' is the seventh studio album by French indie pop band Phoenix, released on 4 ...

of '' La Doña'') *

Mariana Seoane Mariana Seoane (born Mariana Alejandra Seoane García on June 10, 1976, in Mexico City, Mexico) is a Mexican actress, model and singer. Biography Seoane was born June 10, 1976, from an Argentinian mother and a Cuban-Mexican father, Seoane demo ...

as Mabel Castaño / Ninón de la Vielle (season 5; main role in the spin-off series of ''El Chema'') *

Miguel Varoni Miguel Américo Belloto Gutiérrez (born 11 December 1964), known professionally as Miguel Varoni, is an Argentine Colombian actor, director, and producer. He is married to Colombian actress Catherine Siachoque María Alexandra Catherine Si ...

as Leandro Quezada (seasons 5–6) *

as Joe Navarro (seasons 6–7) *

Ninel Conde Ninel Herrera Conde is a Mexican singer, actress and television host known for her performances in '' Rebelde'', '' Fuego en la sangre'', '' Mar de amor'' and '' Porque el amor manda''. Career Her first record production was titled Ninel Conde ...

as María de los Ángeles "Evelina" López (seasons 6–7) *

Carlos Bardem Carlos Encinas Bardem (born 7 March 1963) is a Spanish actor and writer. He is often cast in "tough guy" roles, if not outright villains. In addition to his native Spain, he was worked in film and television in Latin America and the United State ...

as Don Leonidas "Chivo" Ahumada (

season 6 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and polar ...

), Former Candidate for the Governor of Coahuila. * Alejandro López Silva as El Súper Javi (season 6, 8; recurring seasons 3–5, 7; guest appearance in the spin-off series of ''El Chema'') *

Francisco Gattorno Francisco Alejandro Gattorno Sánchez (; born October 12, 1964), better known in the show business world plainly as Francisco Gattorno, is a Cuban actor. Biography Francisco grew up in Santa Clara. He is a son of a Canarian father, and mother ...

as Gustavo Casasola (season 6) *

Jesús Moré Jesús Moré (born 8 March 1979) is a Mexican actor. Born in Mexico and currently resides in Los Angeles, United States. He is an actor graduated from the Centro de Educación Artística of Televisa, he started his career making recurring roles i ...

as Omar Terán Robles (season 6; recurring seasons 3–5; guest appearance in the spin-off series of ''El Chema'') * Lisa Owen as Doña Alba Casillas (season 6; recurring seasons 1–3, 5, 7–8) *

Isabella Castillo Isabella Castillo Díaz (born 23 December 1994) is a Cuban-American actress and singer best known for her role as Graciela "Grachi" Alonso, the lead character of the Nickelodeon fantasy television series ''Grachi'', for which has released sever ...

as Diana Ahumada (seasons 6–9) *

María Conchita Alonso María Concepción Alonso Bustillo (born June 29, 1955), better known as María Conchita Alonso, is a Cuban-born Venezuelan-American actress, singer, and beauty pageant titleholder who represented Venezuela at Miss World 1975 and placed in the t ...

as Nora Requena (season 6) * Matías Novoa as Amado Casillas Leal "El Águila Azul" (season 6–7) *

as Ismael Casillas Guerra (seasons 6–9; recurring seasons 4–5; guest appearance in the spin-off series of ''El Chema'') *

Héctor Bonilla Héctor Hermilo Bonilla Rebentun (14 March 1939 – 25 November 2022) was a Mexican actor and director known for his movies Meridiano 100 and Rojo Amanecer. Bonilla died on 25 November 2022, at the age of 83. Filmography Film Television ...

as Arturo López "El Rayo" (season 6) * Roberto Escobar as José Ramiro Valdés (season 6; recurring season 7) *

as Balthazar Ojeda (season 7; recurring season 6) * Danna García as Violeta Estrella (season 7) * Rubén Cortada as Fernando Aguirre (season 8) *

África Zavala África Ivonne Lechuga Zavala (; born 12 August 1985 in Mexico City) is a Mexican actress. Biography 2000s Graduated from the Centro de Educación Artística, CEA of Televisa, she began her career at age 21 starring in the telenovela ''Peregri ...

as Mecha de la Cruz (seasons 8–9) * Yuri Vargas as Tracy Lobo (season 8) *

Itatí Cantoral Itatí Guadalupe Cantoral Zucchi (born May 13, 1975) is a Mexican actress, singer, dancer, and producer. She is best known for her roles as Soraya Montenegro in ''María la del Barrio'' (1995) and Alejandra Álvarez del Castillo Fernández "La ...

as Belén San Román / Blanca Lovato (season 9) *

Julio Bracho Julio Bracho Gavilán (17 July 1909 – 26 April 1978) was a Mexican film director and screenwriter. Bracho was born as ninth of eleven children of Julio Bracho y Zuloaga and his wife Luz Pérez Gavilán. His sister Guadalupe Bracho Pérez ...

as Ricardo Almenar (season 9) * Jason Romo as Diego Bustamante (season 9)

Production

In May 2012, the series was presented at

's upfront for the 2012–2013 television season. In June 2012,

was cast in the lead role. Filming of the series began on 16 January 2013. On 15 February 2022, Telemundo announced that the series had been renewed for an eighth season that premiered on 17 January 2023. On 11 May 2023, Telemundo renewed the series for a ninth season. The ninth season premiered on 13 February 2024. On 24 April 2024, Rafael Amaya announced that he would be leaving Telemundo and the series after the ninth season. Weeks later, Telemundo ordered a spin-off sequel titled ''La dinastía Casillas'', centering on Rutila and Ismael Casillas.

Crossovers

''El Señor de los Cielos'' is known for taking place in the same universe as other famous narconovelas like ''

'' (a spin-off of ''El Señor de los Cielos''), ''

Señora Acero ''Señora Acero'', also known as ''Señora Acero: La Coyote'' as of season three, is an American telenovela created by Roberto Stopello and produced by Argos Comunicación and Telemundo Studios, and distributed by Telemundo Internacional. The ser ...

'', '' Queen of the South'' (the English adaptation of '' La Reina del Sur''), '' Pablo Escobar: El Patrón del Mal'', ''

Dueños del Paraíso ''Dueños del paraíso'' (English: ''Owners of Paradise''), is a 2015 Spanish-language telenovela produced by United States–based television network Telemundo Studios, Miami in co-production by Chile-based television network TVN. The telenove ...

'' and '' La Doña''. In the

of ''El Señor de los Cielos'',

Pablo Escobar Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (; ; 1 December 19492 December 1993) was a Colombian drug lord, narcoterrorist, and politician who was the founder and leader of the Medellín Cartel. Dubbed the "King of Cocaine", Escobar was one of the wealthie ...

(

Andrés Parra Andrés Parra Medina (born 18 September 1977) is a Colombian film and television actor. He is known for portraying the drug lord Pablo Escobar Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (; ; 1 December 19492 December 1993) was a Colombian drug lord, ...

) from '' Pablo Escobar: El Patrón del Mal'' appears as a recurring character. In ''

'', Aurelio Casillas (

), the protagonist of El Señor de los Cielos appeared in three episodes, two of the first season and one in the second season. Aurelio also appears in the English adaptation of '' La Reina del Sur'', entitled '' Queen of the South'' in which Aurelio Casillas is a big rival to Teresa Mendoza (

Alice Braga Alice Braga Moraes (; born 15 April 1983) is a Brazilian actress and producer. She has appeared in several Brazilian films, starring as Angélica in the acclaimed '' City of God'' (2002), Karinna in '' Lower City'' (2005), and Dolores in '' Only ...

), the main protagonist of ''Queen of the South'' and the head of Mendoza Cartel. Later Aurelio appeared in the sequel of the series ''El Señor de los Cielos'', titled ''

'', the character appears in few episodes of the series. In the fifth season of ''El Señor de los Cielos'', there is a crossover with ''

'' when the main villain of ''Dueños del Paraiso'', Leandro Quezada (

), the head of Santa Norma Cartel (or Cartel de Santa Norma) goes to war against Aurelio Casillas for the control of drug trafficking and becomes the fiercest opponent that Aurelio Casillas has ever faced. In the sixth season of ''El Señor de los Cielos'', there is a crossover with '' La Doña'' when the protagonist and main character of ''La Doña'', Altagracia Sandoval or La Doña (

Aracely Arámbula Aracely Arámbula Jáquez (; born March 6, 1975), known professionally as Aracely Arámbula, is a Mexican actress, model, singer, television personality and entrepreneur. Life and career Early life Aracely Arambula Jáquez was born in Chihu ...

) becomes an unexpected ally of the main character and protagonist of El Señor de los Cielos, Aurelio Casillas or Señor de los Cielos (

) after returning to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

after fleeing to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

after the events in La Doña. Another crossover between ''El Señor de los Cielos'' and ''La Doña'' occurs in the second season when the characters Eunice Lara "La Felina" ( Maricela González), and Amado Casillas "El Águila Azul" ( Matías Novoa), two of the main characters of El Señor de los Cielos become recurring characters in La Doña

Related media

During the broadcast of the second season,

published a comic based on the second season of the series, portraying part of the plot of the series. In September 2014, the character played by

, appeared in the series ''

'' in the first two episodes of the series as a special guest, in November 2015 returned to have a special participation in the series in an episode with

Ana Lucia Dominguez Ana or ANA may refer to: People * Ana (given name), a list of people with the name * Ana people or Atakpame people, an ethnic group of West Africa * ana (gamer), Anathan Pham, an Australian professional ''Dota 2'' player known as ana Places * ...

. The character of Aurelio has appeared twice in the adaptation of '' La Reina del Sur'', titled '' Queen of the South.

Spin-off

Telemundo confirmed on May 15, 2016, that the series would see a spin-off based upon actor

's character "El Chema". ''

'' premiered on December 6, 2016.

Opening theme

All songs in the series are composed by Marco Flores and performed by Cardenales de Nuevo León. In the first season the main theme was "El jefe de todos". For the second season, the opening theme song was changed to "El verdadero Jefe de todos". In the third season the song was composed around the main character of the series and is titled "Aurelio Casillas". In the fourth season, the song of the main theme was changed to "El cuarto corrido". In the fifth season the opening theme titled "El quinto corrido", this time performed by Don Chayo, member of the band Cardenales de Nuevo León. In the eighth season the opening theme is titled "Hierba mala nunca muere", performed by

Los Tucanes de Tijuana Los Tucanes De Tijuana (English: The Toucans of Tijuana) are a Mexican norteño band led by Mario Quintero Lara. The band was founded in Tijuana, Baja California in 1987. They, along with Los Tigres del Norte, were pioneers in playing their ...

. In the ninth season, the opening theme is titled "El hombre bestia".

Ratings

;Notes

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Senor de los Cielos, El 2010s American LGBTQ-related drama television series 2013 American television series debuts 2013 Mexican television series debuts 2013 telenovelas 2014 telenovelas 2015 telenovelas 2016 telenovelas 2017 telenovelas 2018 telenovelas 2019 telenovelas 2024 American television series endings 2024 Mexican television series endings American television series based on telenovelas Argos Comunicación telenovelas Films about Mexican drug cartels Mexican LGBTQ-related television shows Spanish-language American telenovelas Spanish-language television shows Telemundo telenovelas Television series about organized crime Works about Mexican drug cartels