El Chema: Season 1
2016 · 85 episodes · ★ 8.0
What Season 1 of El Chema
The season opens in prison, where El Chema awaits extradition to the United States. His men try to delay the transfer, and the lead character manages to escape. The series then goes back to his childhood, when he is a boy smuggling marijuana across the border. Little by little, he earns the trust of Don Ricardo, who gives him increasingly delicate jobs. His driving force is ambition: he wants to become independent and move up to a higher position in the organization. Along the way, he crosses paths with Amanda, with whom he has a complicated relationship, and Saúl, who is also interested in her. Elvira, his mother, watches her son's every move with concern.
Season 1 Episodes
1x01 Episode 1
The president sends Chema a message in jail. The boss orders his men to kidnap the prison director’s family to delay his transfer to the USA.
1x02 Episode 2
José María “Chema” Venegas stands up to the authorities and starts a riot in the jail. After, he flees through the tunnel built just for him.
1x03 Episode 3
Auristela calls Chema for an interview in Venezuela but the FBI follow the journalist’s tracks and capture the narco. Rutila falls for Chema.
1x04 Episode 4
Auristela and Chema both score. She gets her interview and he seduces her. The narco finds protection, more business and secret routes in Venezuela.
1x05 Episode 5
Just as he promised, El Chema tells Auristela his life story, growing up with his parents Joaquín and Elvira — under the watchful eye of enemies.
1x06 Episode 6
José María is promoted in the organization and gets a present. Oteiza is his first challenge. Elvira and Don Ricardo face off for Chema’s toy.
1x07 Episode 7
Chema takes the next step and uses his toy in his first murder. Amanda goes on a date with Chema in the stables. Joaquín gets beat up.
1x08 Episode 8
Oteiza’s death shakes the narco’s foundations and the basis of corruption. Ricardo doesn’t trust Chema’s accomplice. Chema confronts Ricardo.
1x09 Episode 9
Amanda and Chema spend the night together but he asks her to keep it a secret. He thinks he’s having a fling with his boss’s sister but it’s not true.
1x10 Episode 10
Blanca finds out that Chema slept with Amanda. Ricardo puts pressure on Tobias to show his support for the organization.
1x11 Episode 11
Chema receives five times what he earns and dreams of becoming leader. Ricardo knows that he wants to go out on his own. Amanda isn’t his priority.
1x12 Episode 12
Once she finds out Ricardo is her father, Amanda demands her inheritance. Elvira tells the boss that Chema has found out Amanda is his daughter.
1x13 Episode 13
Regina is Ricardo’s lover but he knows that Rojo is crazy about her. They go to the boss’s office and make love. Chema swears loyalty to his boss.
1x14 Episode 14
Chema defines his strategy for trafficking arms and undocumented immigrants. He leaves the merch with the boss. Ricardo and Amanda make amends.
1x15 Episode 15
Amanda takes revenge on Chema and tells him that she and Saúl are dating. Regina and Amanda get in on the plan. José María congratulates Saúl.
1x16 Episode 16
Saúl confronts Chema and demands that he stay away from Amanda. A determined Saúl gets Ricardo’s permission and asks for her hand.
1x17 Episode 17
Chema takes Wendy away from prostitution. In Miami he meets Imelda Rosado and must give her a trophy. Amanda says yes but asks Saúl for time.
1x18 Episode 18
Chema defeats the Cuban narcos in Miami. Imelda offers him twice what he earns with Ricardo but he stays loyal to his boss. Ricardo is mad at Rojo.
1x19 Episode 19
Amanda becomes Blanca’s accomplice and finds out about her relationship with Centeno. She also meets Wendy, her rival.
Starring: Jhoan Martinez
1x20 Episode 20
A high level council requires an explanation of the situation after Oteiza’s death. Centeno and Don Ricardo have a plan for Chema.
Starring: Jhoan Martinez
1x21 Episode 21
Don Ricardo’s and Centeno’s play is complete. Chema is arrested for Oteiza’s death and Wendy visits him. Elvira discovers the truth and breaks down.
Starring: Jhoan Martinez
1x22 Episode 22
Rojo and his allies rescue Chema in prison. An earthquake in Mexico distracts the security guards. Don Ricardo orders them to let him escape.
Starring: Jhoan Martinez
1x23 Episode 23
Chema lays a trap for Púas. Chema warns Don Ricardo that Centeno has to be dealt with. Chema works with Juan Lee to enter the Chinese market.
Starring: Jhoan Martinez
1x24 Episode 24
Chema starts thinking about how to expand his business. He orders a tunnel to be built and puts Juan Lee in charge of half a ton of heroin.
1x25 Episode 25
Amanda wants a bachelorette party with Chema before marrying Saúl. Chema makes Wendy return to the club and gets involved with Juan Lee's daughter.
Starring: Jhoan Martinez
1x26 Episode 26
On her wedding day Amanda admits that she’s not in love. Elvira and Joaquín go on a date. Chema does a full turn and makes a pact with Don Feyo.
Starring: Jhoan Martinez
1x27 Episode 27
The big day. Amanda has a private conversation with Don Ricardo. Chema and his boss take the opportunity to do business with their competitors.
Starring: Jhoan Martinez
1x28 Episode 28
Chema’s independence plan is almost ready. Chema takes over at the business and Don Ricardo appears weak. Joaquín resurfaces drunk.
Starring: Jhoan Martinez
1x29 Episode 29
Alcohol brings out the worst in Don Ricardo, who succumbs to Regina. He also accuses Chema of stealing control. Blanca is crazy about Centeno.
Starring: Jhoan Martinez
1x30 Episode 30
Chema goes to Tucson for business. Torres, the authorities’ informant, meets José María Venegas and records everything. Regina leaves with Rojo.
Starring: Jhoan Martinez
1x31 Episode 31
Mabel and Gary are a couple but that doesn’t stop her from putting herself at Chema’s disposal. Tobias and Inés suspect Regina. Torres is worried.
Starring: Jhoan Martinez
1x32 Episode 32
Mabel confirms Chema’s suspicion: the DEA knows about the operation. They open new routes and get rid of those in trouble to save the business.
1x33 Episode 33
Don Ricardo makes it to the Roberts’ ranch where he asks for information about the DEA and confronts Rojo. Mabel helps Regina. Torres wants immunity.
1x34 Episode 34
Mabel calls Torres to give him information. Regina joins the team. Centeno doesn’t want to see Blanca. They kidnap Óscar Cadenas’s sister.
1x35 Episode 35
Chema and the Roberts get away with it. Mabel gets involved with José María Venegas. Ricardo looks for Chema's wife in the bar.
1x36 Episode 36
Torres returns to the Roberts and Chema without a wire but the DEA keeps observing him. Even though his family is far away, they are still in danger.
1x37 Episode 37
Mabel is willing to leave her husband but Chema can’t stop thinking about the business. Cadenas turns himself in on one condition. Ponce gets nosy.
1x38 Episode 38
Everything started out as a game but now Mabel confesses her feelings. José María Venegas expands his networks and will soon start working in Miami.
1x39 Episode 39
Chema is occupied with their sponsor while Don Ricardo and Gary are about to betray him. This mistake could become a mortal sin.
1x40 Episode 40
Óscar Cadenas remains faithful to el Chema, and Gary and Leslie try to remove him from the business. Don Ricardo seduces Inés.
1x41 Episode 41
El Chema mounts a revolution in the drug business and decides to confront Don Ricardo. Torres wants to become a member of the DEA.
1x42 Episode 42
Elvira and Amanda hug and kiss, Don Ricardo and el Chema lock eyes. Elvira says her goodbyes to Joaquín. Los Paiva come across Regina after a mission.
1x43 Episode 43
Elvira demands a death toll. The mother-son relationship is damaged, but he will always protect his mother. Regina is pregnant.
1x44 Episode 44
After a great deal of time, el Chema and Amanda make love. She wants to have children with him, although she has to keep this a secret for now.
1x45 Episode 45
El Chema visits Elvira and discovers a disturbing truth. El capo prepares to “clean” the zone. Regina finally speaks with Inés after four years.
1x46 Episode 46
Mabel has made up her mind and makes a request of el Chema. Gary acts under pressure from the DEA. Elvira cracks and makes a painful decision.
1x47 Episode 47
Mabel falls victim to the trap and must reveal where el Chema is hiding in order to win her freedom. Ricardo goes after Inés, but she evades him.
1x48 Episode 48
In order to trap el Chema, the DEA searches for a collaborator. Amanda and Inés are happy to finally see Regina and her two children.
1x49 Episode 49
Severely compromised, el Chema realizes that now is the time to negotiate, but makes sure to do so with guile.
1x50 Episode 50
Now that el Chema is behind bars, Amanda has a new mission: helping him escape from prison. Mabel goes to José María’s cell, but he rejects her.
1x51 Episode 51
El Rojo and his man set out to free el Chema. Amanda also completes her objective and distracts the DEA high command. The Colombians trap Torres.
1x52 Episode 52
With more equipment, el Chema gets rid of Jones and Torres and leaves Andrews alive in order to keep an ally in the DEA.
1x53 Episode 53
El Chema and Andrews make a pact. The DEA agent receives money in exchange for finding Roberts. El Chema is thankful for Amanda. Regina is locked up.
1x54 Episode 54
The capture of el Chema is now an affair of state, but Don Ricardo now has him in his sights. The DEA works for José María who now eyes Mexicali.
1x55 Episode 55
El Chema’s confrontation of Gary and Mabel doesn’t end well. Don Ricardo asks Nelson to become his partner and infiltrate El Chema’s men.
1x56 Episode 56
Mabel decides to go to the south of Italy to leave everything behind. Centeno doesn’t find El Chema but claims a different victim.
1x57 Episode 57
Colonel Centeno faces serious consequences when he is caught in bed with Blanca. El Chema grants El Rojo the honor of killing his ex-boss.
1x58 Episode 58
El Chema orders a ceasefire against Ricardo, who wants to continue the war. Centeno’s disappearance is under investigation.
1x59 Episode 59
Everything has to be ready once war is declared. Ricardo passes information to Fabrizio Ponce, who arrives in Sinaloa to catch El Chema dead or alive.
1x60 Episode 60
El Chema shoots at the army and flees. Joaquín confronts Ponce and is shot. El Chema looks to Central America as a new route.
1x61 Episode 61
El Chema allows Ponce to live and decides to attack the corrupt leaders. Joaquín and Elvira are given a new chance as a couple. Inés rejects Ricardo.
1x62 Episode 62
A round table defines Ricardo Almenar as the common enemy. Imelda confronts El Chema. Fabrizio detains Clark and Marta for an inquiry.
1x63 Episode 63
The drug enforcement agent has a witness and proof of movements that Tobías Clark can’t justify.
1x64 Episode 64
El Chema negotiates with Nelson and Tostao in order to find out and reduce Ricardo’s routes in Central America.
1x65 Episode 65
After breaking up with Saúl, Amanda looks for el Chema. A single question raises suspicions. Nelson may use an event at the racetrack as his alibi.
1x66 Episode 66
Nelson Martínez gets around the security tape and enters into Marta’s apartment, who is the key witness in the case against Tobías Clark.
1x67 Episode 67
The drug business finally makes it to the “big leagues;” Nelson Martínez swears allegiance to el Chema. Clark feels miserable because he’s a killer.
1x68 Episode 68
El Chema expands his reach to flood Central America with drugs, and now counts on the CIA and death threats against Andrews.
1x69 Episode 69
After losing a leg, Narváez uses Joaquín to exact his revenge. Meanwhile, Ponce and his men go to Sinaloa, where they are torturing el Chema’s father.
1x70 Episode 70
Benito Narváez wants el Chema to fall into the trap while he patiently waits for him. Meanwhile, Nelson flirts with Regina.
1x71 Episode 71
El Chema surrounds Benito Narváez and those who protect him. Someone intervenes to stop the counterattack. Ricardo visits Tostao.
1x72 Episode 72
Regina makes love to Nelson. Joaquín is laid to rest, and el Chema swears to exact his revenge for his death.
1x73 Episode 73
El Chema and his men attack Ricardo while he is meeting with Inés. The DEA and Ponce identify Marta’s assassin.
1x74 Episode 74
Blanca threatens the journalist who wrote negatively about Ricardo and her family. Tobías and his son find out that Inés was killed.
1x75 Episode 75
Regina doesn’t believe Rojo and Chema sows the seeds of doubt: Who got rid of Inés? Narváez makes a bribe and flees. Salma becomes Chema’s accomplice.
1x76 Episode 76
Ponce frees Narváez and gets lynched. El Chema thinks he is the “world’s best trafficker.” Nelson wants to “steal” Regina. El Chema confronts him.
1x77 Episode 77
El Chema convinces Philip to negotiate with him. Salma thanks el Chema for the appointment. Narváez collaborates. El Rojo wants to retire.
1x78 Episode 78
Ricardo offers Nelson money to kill Regina and plots to finish off El Chema with Blanca. El Rojo is frightened for Regina. Amanda asks for a truce.
1x79 Episode 79
Nelson flees with Regina. El Chema consolidates his business with help from the DEA and the CIA. Tobías goes after El Chema. Nelson is acting strange.
1x80 Episode 80
Clark reveals that Almenar is responsible for the death of his wife. Salma tells Chema about Ponce’s intentions. El Chema and El Rojo go after Nelson.
1x81 Episode 81
Nelson goes against Regina and her children. U.S. planes bomb El Chema’s people. Salma agrees to sleep with Ponce for investigative purposes.
1x82 Episode 82
El Rojo considers leaving the business. Ricardo claims responsibility for kidnapping Regina. El Chema and El Rojo order to have Blanca kidnapped.
1x83 Episode 83
El Chema and El Rojo receive a special delivery. El Rojo goes crazy. Nelson is captured. El Chema tells Salma that he wants to retire.
1x84 Episode 84
Ponce thwarts El Chema’s operation. El Chema and El Rojo go after Ricardo. Blanca makes a deal with El Chema. Ponce traps Ricardo.
1x85 Episode 85 Season Finale
Season 1 Cast
Julio BrachoDon Ricardo Almenar Paiva85 episodes
Itatí CantoralBlanca85 episodes
Fernando NoriegaEutimio 'Rojo' Flores85 episodes
Arcelia RamírezElvira Mendivil85 episodes
Alejandro SpeitzerDon Ricardo Almenar Paiva (joven)85 episodes
Scarlet GruberBlanca Joven85 episodes
Jorge Luis MorenoVíctor Casillas Jr.85 episodes
Isela VegaCelia85 episodes
Rafael Ernesto HernándezCanario85 episodes
Luisa HuertasNelly85 episodes
Jhoan Martinez12 episodesWhere to Watch Season 1 of El Chema
It is currently not available on the major streaming platforms.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes are in season 1 of El Chema?
Season 1 of El Chema has 85 episodes.
When did season 1 of El Chema premiere?
Released on December 6, 2016.
Where to watch season 1 of El Chema?
Currently not available on the major subscription platforms (availability may vary by country).