Griselda reviews: Sofia Vergara is praised as Miami’s ‘Cocaine Godmother’ – but critics say Netflix show has ‘pacing issues’ and ‘one-note’ supporting characters

The controversial new Netflix series Griselda has received mixed early reviews.

Sofia Vergara, 51, stars as Miami’s ‘Cocaine Godmother’ Griselda Blanco in the six-part series – which tells the story of how Blanco’s legendary reign paved the way for Colombia’s most infamous cartel.

Although Vergara was praised for her portrayal of Blanco, the show was criticized by critics for its “pacing problems”, “sloppy” scenes and “one-note” supporting characters.

The Hollywood Reporter critic Daniel Fienberg writes: ‘No matter how dramatically sloppy Griselda becomes, Vergara keeps it watchable. The hardest-working member of the Modern Family cast, she has consistently elevated Gloria from walking stereotype to complicated punchline machine, but has never won an Emmy.

“Vergara, an executive producer here, deserves credit for unveiling a whole new slate of serious films.

‘She never makes Griselda as terrifying as the real woman was – an opening quote from Pablo Escobar in which he admits to being afraid of her makes it particularly strange that Escobar isn’t even used as a minor character – but she pinpoints Griselda’s insecurities and her brain even from beneath the layers of makeup.

“What keeps it from being a truly great performance is the absence of any worthy scene partners, although co-stars Vanessa Ferlito and José Zúñiga have a few scenes where they come close.”

Further criticism was leveled at ‘one-note figures’ such as Martin Rodriguez’s Rivi and Maximiliano Hernández’s Papo.

Loud and clear critic Clotilde Chinnici gave the series two and a half stars out of five and focused on the show’s character development and pacing, but praised the “magnetic” Vergara’s acting.

The review reads: ‘While Griselda’s stakes are clearly high, some of the conflict at times feels a bit artificial and overdramatized to advance the plot. Likewise, the motivation of the characters and their development, such as Darío and once Griselda in the last two episodes, is not always clear and often rushed.

‘I thought the overall problem with Griselda was a matter of pace. Some plot points are introduced and dropped too quickly for me to really care or have time to understand their implications, especially in the second half of the season, which ultimately hurts the sense of danger and menace that Griselda seems to constantly suffer from .

‘The structure of the episodes doesn’t help either, as it always follows the same formula, with a slow start and a high-stakes cliffhanger, and so becomes quite predictable by the end of the show.’

The review praised Vergara, adding, “Griselda always remains the sole focus in every scene she is in, thanks to Sofia Vergara’s magnetic acting. Despite Griselda being the main character the series revolves around and the dramatized retelling of the story we see in the series, I felt like the show left me wanting more. Her character development sometimes seems rushed and her motives are too unclear by the end of the Netflix show.”

Star Tribune critic Neal Justin called Vergara’s performance “game-changing” and predicted she would win an Emmy for the role.

The review reads: ‘Sofía Vergara rose to fame playing a Charo clone on Modern Family, drawing laughs from her cartoonish physique and mangling of the English language. Her future as a Colombian cuchi-cuchi star seemed closed. But first appearances can be deceiving.

‘It’s worth noting that Charo is actually a brilliant flamenco guitarist. And Vergara can do a lot more than pretend to be in love with Ed O’Neill. The proof can be found in “Griselda,” a powerful new series streaming on Netflix Thursday.

It is the story of real-life drug lord Griselda Blanco, who controlled much of the cocaine market in Miami in the 1980s. Vergara uses wigs, fake teeth and prosthetic eyebrow coverings to sell her transformation into a dramatic actor.

“But it’s her cold-blooded fierceness that really convinces viewers that she’s stepped far away from the sitcom world. She is at her best in the second half of the six episodes, when her addiction to coke and power leads to her downfall. She thinks she’s becoming Michael Corleone, but in reality she’s Tony Montana.

‘There’s a compelling B-story about a detective (Juliana Aidén Martinez) who seems to be the only cop in Florida Blanco refuses to underestimate. But this is Vergara’s showcase. Don’t be surprised if you see her giving a lot of acceptance speeches come awards season.”

Roger Ebert critic Cristina Escobar also gave the series two and a half stars, labeling the show an “empty vessel” and writing, “Those who enjoyed Narcos and Sons of Anarchy will find plenty here to entertain them on the surface, but in terms of larger social commentary or insights about the state of Latinidad, it is an empty vessel.

“Ultimately, Griselda is a high that makes you a little worse.”

Variety critic Aramide Tinubu praised the suspenseful drama, writing: ‘The show is fast-paced, well-acted, brutal, fascinating and full of drama. It all starts with a daring escape.’

“Martín Rodríguez’s turn as Jorge “Rivi” Ayala-Rivera, a top hitter in Miami, is one of the most mesmerizing performances from a criminal mastermind on TV recently.

“Slippery, whimsical and sensual, he has an unsettling presence that anchors audiences in the era and its super-specific world.”

This comes as it emerged that Vergara is being sued by GBlanco’s estate, which wants to block the new Netflix series over its alleged “unauthorized use of their family’s image and likeness.”

Vergara, who was crushed by the son of ‘Cocaine Godmother’ Blanco, stars in the series that tells the story of how Blanco’s legendary reign paved the way for Colombia’s most infamous cartel.

A lawsuit obtained by TMZ and launched by Blanco’s adult children acting as representatives of her estate, names Vergara as a defendant and Netflix – with the estate suing both parties over what they claim is the unauthorized use of their family’s image and likeness in this upcoming series.

The series is scheduled for release on January 25, but the family is trying to block the release and has asked a judge for an injunction.

Giselda’s son Michael Corleone Blanco claims that he has been doing interviews for years to get his and his mother’s life story down on paper, in the hope that it can develop into a production.

He claims these interviews date back to 2009 and lasted until 2022.

He claims the unnamed parties wanted to develop the story into a book – and says they told him they were going to shop it in Hollywood in 2016.

He claims they pitched it to a producer prior to meeting with Netflix about it and claims he was then told Netflix was interested but that he didn’t want to use the information from the interviews he had done.

Michael says he has now learned that the new Griselda show will feature many of his anecdotes and material – and says he has not been paid.

He and his siblings claim Netflix has ripped off their family story and woven it into the plot of their show, with the children claiming that using their own images and likenesses in the show without their consent violates their rights.

DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for Vergara and Netflix for comment.

This comes after Michael spoke exclusively to DailyMail.com about his anger and disappointment at Sofia and her team refusing his offer to consult on the project.

He called the rejection a “slap in the face” and said they “wouldn’t have gotten away with it” if his mother were still alive.