Spoiler alert: The following article contains spoilers from Griselda on Netflix.

Summary

• The Netflix miniseries "Griselda" does not depict the death of Griselda Blanco, a Colombian drug lord.
• Blanco was released from prison in 2004 due to health issues and lived a quiet life until she was assassinated in 2012.
• The producers of "Griselda" chose not to show Blanco's death as they prioritized capturing the emotional truth of her story.

The miniseries Griselda chronicles the life and crimes of Griselda Blanco, a Colombian drug lord who was ultimately killed. The 2024 Netflix biographical crime drama television show was created by Doug Miro, Eric Newman, Carlo Bernard, and Ingrid Escajeda and produced by Sofia Vergara, who plays the titular character in the limited series. Blanco's story is told over the course of six episodes, starting from her move from Medellín, Colombia, to Miami, Florida, and ending with her imprisonment in the United States. However, the writers and producers decided not to depict Blanco's untimely death in the show.

Aside from Vergara as Griselda Blanco, the main cast of Griselda includes Alberto Guerra as Darío Sepúlveda, Martin Rodriguez as Jorge "Rivi" Ayala-Rivera, Juliana Aidén Martinez as June Hawkins, Vanessa Ferlito as Carmen, and Christian Tappan as Arturo Mesa. Since the Netflix miniseries is based on true events, many of the characters in the show are inspired by real people who worked with, were opposed to, and were close to Blanco. Of course, many details of Blanco's life and the characters' stories were dramatized, but the series curiously avoided showing her death by the end of the finale.

Griselda Blanco Was Shot & Killed In 2012

Griselda episode 6 ends with a seven-year time jump but doesn't depict Griselda Blanco's release from prison or murder. Blanco was arrested in 1985 and charged with conspiring to manufacture, import, and distribute cocaine in the United States. There was a reason her nickname was the "Godmother of Cocaine," after all. Blanco was found guilty and sentenced to 15 years in prison. She also struck a deal and pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree murder, resulting in three concurrent 20-year sentences. However, Blanco was released in 2004 due to her health issues and deported to Medellín.

According to TODAY, Blanco lived a quiet life in Colombia until her death on September 3, 2012. While exiting a butcher shop in Medellín, an unknown gunman ed by on a motorcycle and shot Blanco — the same assassination style that she was infamous for during her life of crime in Miami. Unfortunately, the identity of Blanco's killer is unknown to this day. Blanco is reportedly buried in the same cemetery as fellow Colombian drug lord, Pablo Escobar.

Why Netflix's Griselda Doesn't Show Her Death

The Netflix limited series only ran for six episodes, each around 50 to 60 minutes long, so the writers and producers had to cut out some aspects of Griselda Blanco's life. One of the events that they chose to omit was her death in 2012, which they did because they felt it wasn't important to the story. Per TODAY, executive producer Doug Miro explained why Blanco's murder isn't shown in Griselda. He said:

"Emotional truth [was more important]. When I say 'truth,' what we want is the essence of who the characters are emotionally, what their experience was, what it's like to put on their shoes. To do that, you need to go past what's written, past what's published."

All six episodes of Griselda, starring Sofia Vergara as Griselda Blanco, are available to stream on Netflix.

Source: TODAY