Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Mature action series challenges cross-border stereotypes.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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The Gringo Hunters
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Inspired by a 2022 Washington Post report of the same name, THE GRINGO HUNTERS is a series about a Mexican police unit assigned to track and capture U.S. criminals who have crossed their border. The members of the International Liaison Unit, aka the Gringo Hunters, are overseen by Chief of Police Ortega (Gerardo Trejoluna) and include veteran members like Officers Nico Bernal (Harold Torres), Gloria Carbajal (Mayra Hermosillo), Crisantos (Héctor Kotsifakis), and Archi (Andrew Leland Rogers). They're joined by Air Force transfer Beto (Manuel Masalva) and Camila (Regina Nava), the chief's niece and the youngest person on the squad. Also helping them out is Nico's unit mentor, Temo Lozano (Dagoberto Gama). Working as an autonomous Mexican law enforcement group, they collaborate with U.S. Marshals and other agencies north of the border to track and apprehend U.S. drug dealers, murderers, and other fugitives in and around Tijuana and deport them to the United States for prosecution. Social media makes it hard to stay under the radar despite their work being extremely dangerous. But now they're facing what appears to be police corruption within Mexican law enforcement, which makes it even more deadly.
Is It Any Good?
Co-produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, the entertaining crime series challenges what has become a conventional U.S. narrative about cross-border crime between the U.S. and México. It's a fictional show, but is loosely based on the highly successful International Liaison Unit of the Baja California State Police, whose work profiled in a Washington Post piece that spotlights the unit's first female leader, Commander Abigail Esparza, and how she was killed in the line of duty by an escaped U.S. prisoner. As a result, while the series is a lively police procedural, what drives it is a narrative that firmly speaks to the efforts of Mexican authorities to extradite or deport the estimated 1000 U.S. citizens thought to be living as fugitives in México today. It also highlights the need U.S. law enforcement agencies have for their help. Overall, it's a fun watch, but the messages the show sends about the real relationship between the two American countries aren't subtle.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Abigail Esparza. What challenges did she overcome to become the first female commander of the International Liaison Unit in México? How long was she in charge?
What are some of the different ways The Gringo Hunters challenges racist stereotypes about México and crime? What about generalizations made about the U.S. and crime?
TV Details
- Premiere date : July 9, 2025
- Cast : Harold Torres , Mayra Hermosillo , Dagoberto Gama
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Action
- Character Strengths : Courage , Perseverance , Teamwork
- TV rating :
- Last updated : July 15, 2025
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