Netflix has a new true-crime series that’s been a massive hit in the US, with comparisons to the popular crime drama Narcos. Narcos explored the world of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, a subject that continuously fascinates American audiences decades after the notorious criminal’s death in 1993. Though the Narcos franchise seems to have ended with 2018’s Narcos: Mexico, it continues to be one of the most influential Netflix releases, credited for capitalizing on and dramatizing a real-world fixation.

Netflix’s TV library maintains a variety of genres for audiences to explore, including various true-crime titles. The platform now has new competition for Narcos, El Chapo, and other shows like it, with a new series quickly finding success in the streaming service’s algorithm, perpetuating the allure of drug-smuggling-related stories.

Netflix’s Cocaine Air Has Become An Immediate Streaming Hit

Netflix’s New True Crime Hit Is Already #9 In The US

The TV docuseries Cocaine Air: Smugglers at 30,000 Ft. is climbing the Netflix rankings just days after its release, examining the wildly fascinating real-life story of the 2013 drug arrests of two former French air force pilots who were discovered flying with more than 1,500 pounds of cocaine. Just over a week after the show’s June 11 release date, Cocaine Air can be found at #9 on Netflix Tudum’s Top 10 Shows in the United States list, contending with popular fiction titles like Sirens, Tires, and Ginny & Georgia.

The appeal of Cocaine Air is that, despite it having the dramatic potential of a season of Narcos and the absurd humor of a Coen Brothers film like Fargo, the documentary depicts a true eight-year saga, leading to its subjects ultimately being acquitted of charges in 2021. The pilots in question, who have maintained for over a decade that they were unaware of the 26 suitcases of cocaine on board, are among the many eccentric characters in the rather humorous true-crime documentary. Speaking with Variety, director Olivier Bouchara said the following:

“[Bouchara was] fascinated from the outset by how unreal the scene of the arrest was. Four Frenchmen arrested on the tarmac at Punta Cana with 700 kilos of cocaine in a private jet. It’s like a spin-off of ‘Narcos,’ except that none of the four fit the profile. Two pilots, former air force heroes, family men. And two passengers with no criminal records, not even for stealing potatoes. It was this dissonance that made us want to dig deeper.”

Our Take On Cocaine Air’s Success

Cocaine Air’s Streaming Success Shouldn’t Surprise Anyone

As a long-time fan of darkly comedic crime dramas, it’s always fascinating to learn about stories like Cocaine Air. We watch television and see seemingly impossible sets of events like a season of FX’s Fargo, and think, “How could they possibly come up with this?” Well, the answer is that ridiculous things happen in the real world, and Netflix’s new documentary is a fun way to explore a true-crime story that differs in tone and subject from the typical murder case. Narcos fans will certainly get a kick out of it.