‘Queen Of The South’: USA Network Drama To End With Fifth Season

The Queen of the South is done playing games.

The USA Network drama is ending with its upcoming fifth season, which will mark the end of the NBCU cable net’s long-running scripted series.

Production on Season 5 of the show, which was renewed back in August 2019, was suspended in March 2020 due to the Covid pandemic and started up again last fall in New Orleans. The 10-episode season – the previous four had 13 each — will premiere at 10 p.m. Wednesday, April 7.

“We could not be prouder of our entire cast and crew that joined us on this magnificent journey,” said executive producers Dailyn Rodriguez, Ben Lobato and David Friendly. “Queen of the South began shooting in Mexico City, brought us to faraway places like Malta and Colombia and finally landed in New Orleans. We cannot wait to share the explosive final season with our devoted fans. And, of course, we could not have made this show without the talented and tireless Alice Braga, who brought our queen to life.”

Braga plays Teresa Mendoza, a woman who is forced to run from the Mexican cartel and seek refuge in America. Queen of the South follows her eventual rise to power over her own drug-trafficking empire.

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Season 5 will see Molly Burnett, who plays Kelly Anne, a member of Mendoza’s cartel, upped to series regular, with Pasha Lychnikoff joining in a recurring role as an underworld oligarch and war criminal.

Queen of the South is based on Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s novel La Reina del Sur, which was a popular series for NBCU-owned Spanish-language network. It is produced by 20th Television and UCP with Friendly, Rodriguez and Lobato as EPs.

It leaves The Sinner, which was renewed for a fourth season last summer, as USA Network’s only current scripted series as part of the network’s move away from ongoing scripted series toward more live and unscripted programming and “eventized” scripted projects such as anthology series.

“For five incredible seasons, Queen of the South has captivated us with brilliant storytelling and bold, powerful characters,” added Frances Berwick, Chairman, Entertainment Networks. “This series broke boundaries for the genre, and we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with this incredible team of creators, cast and crew along with our studio partners at 20th Television and UCP. As we close this final chapter, we look forward to a great season culminating in a finale that will give our fans the ending they deserve.”