You’re Missing Out on Max’s Most Underrated Drama Series

The big picture

• Sierra Madre: No trespassing
  depicts wealthy intriguers in San Pedro confronting crime and corruption.
• The characters navigate power struggles and alliances, revealing the dark side of keeping up appearances.
• The show reflects real events in Monterrey and San Pedro, highlighting the impact of political and social dynamics.

There's a new TV show in the streaming universe that you might not have been watching yet. Original from Mexican HBO Sierra Madre: No trespassing was released at the end of April, and if you're in the mood for political and social drama, this will be your cup of tea. Created by Gabriel Nuncio i Diego Enrique Osornothe series chronicles the turbulent lives of the wealthy inhabitants of San Pedro, Mexico's richest city, as they struggle with their busy lives, the banality of keeping up appearances, and a wave of crime breathing down their necks.

The ensemble cast is led by several Narcos: Mexico alumni, included Miguel Rodarte, Mayra Hermosilloand singer-actress Tessa Ia – as rich businessman Marcos Parra, the curious journalist Erika Treviño and Roberta, Marcos' spoiled daughter, respectively. Through them and more characters, Sierra Madre: No trespassing portrays a story of ambitions and uneasy alliances while taking a look at the real-life events that marked both the northeastern Mexican cities of Monterrey and San Pedro. While the program may have flown under the radar due to its almost non-existent online footprint, this is your friendly reminder to give it a try.

What is 'Sierra Madre: No Trespassing' about?

Just like the five boroughs of New York City, the Monterrey metropolitan area includes several cities with specific characteristics that differentiate it from one another. San Pedro stands out for its wealth, harmonious life and its abundant natural spaces, courtesy of its southern limit: the mountain range called Sierra Madre Oriental, hence the show's title. Sierra Madre: No trespassing shows the rich of Sant Pere as intriguers and manipulators bending the politicians to their will, without getting their hands dirty themselves. But Marcos, being a privileged and stubborn upper-class businessman, sees an opportunity to transform the system by running for mayor and infiltrating the system.

After winning the elections, his coming to power reveals that the vicious cycle of corruption can never be broken, it can only change hands. Roberta, a real baby Nepo, is appointed to run the local unit of a government institute that helps Mexican families even when they have no previous experience. The plot of Marcos with his assistant Yuri (Natalia Plascencia) allows them to bend the rules to their will, proving it with great power comes great deception. Having Erika, a member of the press daring enough to seek the truth, in the cast reminds of Civil warnarrative device of. while Sierra Madre: No trespassing it is not based solely on its character, but represents a relevant point of view of a messy situation from an unbiased source.

'Sierra Madre: No Trespassing' is as unapologetic as its characters

Sierra Madre: No trespassingAmong the many focuses of attention are the drug traffickers who are really in charge of San Pedro. Via Lucio (Francisco Barreiro) control of ex-mayor Claudia Lobeira (Karina Gidi), we are introduced to the “Razos”, the gang that rules in the shadows. When Marcos comes to power, he sees the need to ally himself with the opposing drug cartel, “Los del Desierto” to get rid of the “Razos”. The way it cynically recognizes this alliance in front of the public (in addition to the lack of repercussions) exposes the general willingness to push the limits to maintain the status quo.

Through the comings and goings of its inhabitants, Sierra Madre: No trespassing fleshes out his characters without apology. The show's version of San Pedro society, although a bit exaggerated, is not that different from the real version. This is evident by recruiting real-life social media influencers such as Daniela Salinas i Marco Polo – who usually parody the snobbish neighbors of Sant Pere, to be part of the cast of the show. In direct reference to the current political state of the city, Roberta's nepotistic appointment emulates that of first lady and social media influencer. Mariana Rodríguez as leader of the Amar entity in Nuevo León, which finally led her to run for mayor of Monterrey. Through his character's actions, the show makes it clear there are no heroes in this story. Everyone is malleable and will eventually sell their soul for personal gain.

How accurate is “Sierra Madre: No Trespassing”?

Sierra Madre: No trespassing tries too hard to establish Monterrey and San Pedro as two very separate and very different entities. In reality, since they share many borders, their events and repercussions are above all intertwined. Also, while not based on a true story, the show accurately emulates the social and political environment in which the cities of Monterrey and San Pedro have been immersed since the early 2000s. Many of the crimes depicted in the show are based on true events. An attack on a casino that happens off-camera stems from a 2011 fire that killed 52 people, during the years the city was mired in gang warfare.

But Sierra Madre: No trespassingThe latest episode of 's shines a harsher light impunity for one of the most absurd crimes engaged in this city. The accidental killing of medical students outside their hospital by soldiers is a fictional adaptation of student murder. Jorge Mercado i Javier Arredondo, inside his university, Tecnológico de Monterrey, in 2010. Outrage erupted when military forces tried to justify the act by falsely incriminating the students as part of a drug gang. The show replicates this exact (and unfair) modus operandi when the news breaks, and then tries to maintain the erratic narrative. The real-life media case is the subject of the documentary Armed to the teeth.

While some of his dialogue may seem stereotypical, or even clumsy, Sierra Madre: No trespassingThe representation of the political context and class conflict in the cities of Monterrey and San Pedro is worth seeing. Because no matter how much they try to mark divisions, all literal and figurative boundaries blur at the eleventh hour when decisions are made for personal gain. In this underrated show by Max, Rodarte, Hermosillo and Ía carry the weight of a story that transcends the screen, moving from simple entertainment to genuine social commentary about the behind-the-scenes political machinations that affect an entire city and the everyday lives of its unwitting inhabitants.

Sierra Madre: No trespassing is available to stream in the US on Max.

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