Hotel Cocaine premieres tonight at 9/8c on MGM+.
The series tosses us back to the glitz, glamour, and high-profile crime of Miami in 1978.
It highlights the Latino influence on our culture and our values, but not in the way that you might think.
For this series, creator and executive producer Chris Brancato and executive producer and director Guillermo Navarro use the background we know so well to highlight a sense of family and commitment that sours through the community.
We talked with them and the cast to get a thorough understanding of the series, which we have seen almost in its entirety.
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Hotel Cocaine follows Danny Pino as Roman Compte, the manager of The Mutiny Club, nestled inside The Mutiny Hotel. Roman has worked diligently within the framework of drug traffickers and celebrities, staying steadfastly outside of his brother’s (Nestor Cabal, played by Yul Vazquez) business.
The series explores how Roman is pulled into the underbelly he’d been willfully keeping in his rearview mirror by an exuberant cop, Agent Julio (Michael Chiklis).
Together with the Mutiny Hotel owner, an exuberant and charming man named Burton Greenberg (Mark Feuerstein), and everyone in their orbit, they work from the inside to stop calamity while feeding the dream of returning to their native Cuba to recoup the country they loved so dearly.
The Mutiny Club, which no longer exists as part of the hotel today, was the pinnacle of ‘70s opulence. It attracted everyone from notorious drug lords to high-profile world leaders to celebrities, and it barely left a shred of evidence of its existence.
The club, with its promise of excitement and spectacle, is the central point of the series, beautifully recreated in stunning detail and dovetails spectacularly against the wickedness conducted inside of its walls.
In what can only be a surprising coincidence, during the press day, I discovered a fellow reporter had visited the club, and she shared that what appears in Hotel Cocaine is an amazing recreation of the exclusive club.
When we chatted with Brancato and Navarro, they shared more details about their friendship, keeping the Latino dream alive within the media, and how their partnership on Narcos led to Hotel Cocaine. Take a look.
It’s often said that behind every high-profile and successful man, there is a woman holding him up.
Laura Gordon, Corina Bradley, & Tania Watson play the women closest to Roman. Gordon’s Janice is his right hand and confidant, and she shares a unique connection with Burton.
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Bradley plays Roman’s daughter, Valeria, and Tania is his romantic partner, Marisol. If Janice is inside the operation and getting information as it trickles in, Valeria and Tania are in the dark — until they’re not. That’s when all things change.
It’s worth noting that this is Bradley’s second credit. We’ll call her a rising star because, standing amidst such a talented roster, you’d never know she lacked experience.
The three actors shared their insight into their characters and teased their arcs, and their carefully crafted worlds began to change.
Waiting in the wings for interviews suggested that Feuerstein and Chiklis were on fire in the press room, and all indications were spot on!
Burton is a role unlike any I’ve seen Feuerstein take on so far. He infuses the character with inquisitiveness, silly charm, and innocence to great effect.
This isn’t Chiklis’s first rodeo when it comes to playing law enforcement, but don’t confuse Agent Zulio with Vic Mackey to the Commish. This role is wholly unique, with an arc that packs a lot of punch.
Excuse my own exuberance in the following interview, as the fun began well before the camera officially rolled. Spending a day with these two (the whole cast, really) would have been a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Finally, we sat down with Danny Pino and Yul Vazquez, the on-screen brothers and long-time friends behind the scenes.
From the final words with Brancato and Navarro, in which I had been discussing Vasquez’s nuanced portrayal of a drug lord directly into the conversation, I was dropped right in front of the leading men, which was a little jarring, if I’m honest.
Like all of you, I’m a TV Fanatic, too, after all!
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While I began the chat with something silly and addressed Pino as the lead, the man in the center of the Hotel Cocaine story and its key art, he immediately pulled in Vazquez as the whole reason he was sitting before us.
Their pride in this project is obvious, as it took particular care to represent Latin culture, Miami itself, and its many factions.
Their friendship shines on screen as brothers gingerly accepting of each other’s decisions and always there when needed, growing closer through Nestor’s chosen profession despite Roman’s best efforts.
The sense of love and family is central, personalizing a story that could be misinterpreted with that care.
Hear what they had to say about it below.
The series begins on MGM+ tonight at 9/8c.
Fans of Scarface and Griselda will feel right at home, but so will those of Narcos and The Sopranos.
The acting is superb, and the tale engages you quickly, confidently pulling you along from one episode to the next.
Do your summer viewing a favor and hit the beaches and the hottest club in Miami via Hotel Cocaine.
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.