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The new Netflix series "Narcos" seems, at times, to be utterly unbelievable — because it's true.

Well, pretty much true.

This 10-part drama, which begins streaming on Netflix on Friday (Aug. 28) is the more-or-less true story of drug king Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura), who is both a villian and a hero in his native Colombia as he builds the infamous Medellin drug cartel.

The narrative is built around DEA agent Steve Murphy (Boyd Holbrook), who leads the battle against Escobar. But "Narcos" almost plays like a documentary at times, showing us the story of how the cocaine business blew up in Colombia and how Escobar took advantage of it. But, more than anything, "Narcos" is a fascinating character drama.

It is, not surprisingly, enormously violent. Horrifically violent. Super violent.

It's almost a drug-cartel version of "House of Cards" as well. Escobar ponders a run for president of Colombia and becomes a hero to the masses by giving huge amounts of money away to the poor.

"Narcos" is not as compelling as "House of Cards" — well, the first season of "House of Cards" — but it is good.

All 10 episodes of "Narcos" are currently streaming on Netflix.