El Señor de los Cielos


El Señor de los Cielos is an American crime drama television series created by Luis Zelkowicz, based on an original idea by Mariano Calasso, and Andrés López. It premiered on Telemundo on 15 April 2013. The series is based on the life and work of Amado Carrillo Fuentes, the former leader of the Juárez Cartel. It stars Rafael Amaya as the titular character, Aurelio Casillas.
The series has won several awards including; International Emmy Award for Non-English Language U.S. Primetime Program. Premios Tu Mundo for Novela or serie of the Year for three consecutive years.
In May 2023, Telemundo renewed the series for a ninth and final season that premiered on 13 February 2024. In May 2024, Telemundo announced a spin-off sequel titled Dinastía Casillas, following Amaya's departure in the ninth season. In January 2026, the series was renewed for a tenth season, with Rafael Amaya returning as Aurelio Casillas.
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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 have three children, Rutila, Heriberto, and Luz Marina. He also has his faithful brother Chacorta 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, who through her fault ends up operating his face in a failed attempt to escape from the authorities. Aurelio meets Victoria Navárez, a beautiful woman who throws herself to be the governor of Jalisco. 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, 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, 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, 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 appears a beautiful woman sent by Feyo Aguilera to be able to make Aurelio fall, but her mission is to become Aurelio's lover in order to finally bring down his 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 his power and prestige at risk, as he is unable to find a donor for the transplant he needs to survive. On the other hand, Mónica fights for her life after being rescued from Víctor during their wedding, as she was shot while she fled, apparently mortally wounded. After Mónica is taken away from him, Víctor searches everywhere to find her whereabouts and continue with their 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, has turned himself in to Bernardo Castillo, Secretary of Security of Mexico. The DEA commissioner, Joe Navarro, has made every attempt to achieve his extradition. What he does not know is that Baltazar Ojeda, a CIA 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 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 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

Production

In May 2012, the series was presented at Telemundo's upfront for the 2012–2013 television season. In June 2012, Rafael Amaya 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.
On 22 January 2026, Telemundo renewed the series for a tenth season, with Rafael Amaya set to reprise his role as Aurelio Casillas.

Crossovers

El Señor de los Cielos is known for taking place in the same universe as other famous narconovelas like El Chema, Señora Acero, Queen of the South, Pablo Escobar: El Patrón del Mal, Dueños del Paraíso and La Doña. In the season 1 of El Señor de los Cielos, Pablo Escobar from Pablo Escobar: El Patrón del Mal appears as a recurring character. In Señora Acero, 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, titled Queen of the South in which Aurelio Casillas is a big rival to Teresa Mendoza, 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 El Chema, the character appears in few episodes of the series.
In the fifth season of El Señor de los Cielos, there is a crossover with Dueños del Paraíso when the main villain of Dueños del Paraiso, Leandro Quezada, the head of Santa Norma Cartel 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 becomes an unexpected ally of Aurelio Casillas after returning to Mexico after fleeing to France 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", and Amado Casillas "El Águila Azul", 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, Telemundo 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 Rafael Amaya, appeared in the series Señora Acero 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. 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 have a spin-off based on actor Mauricio Ochmann's character "El Chema". 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, a 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. In the ninth season, the opening theme is titled "El hombre bestia".

Ratings

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