El Chema (2016) is an 84-episode Telemundo super-series created by Luis Zelkowicz. A spin-off of El Señor de los Cielos, this is a gritty, adrenaline-fueled origin story that tracks how one boy from the border turns himself into a legend no one can catch.
José María “Chema” Venegas (Mauricio Ochmann) grows up surrounded by violence, instability, and opportunity in all the wrong places. Instead of running from it, he leans in – determined to rise above his circumstances by mastering the very system that traps everyone else.
And he’s very, very good at it.
What starts as small-time hustling quickly evolves into a calculated climb through the ranks of the drug world, as Chema builds an empire fueled by tunnels, strategy, and ruthless precision. He’s constantly at war – with the Rivera family, with the DEA, and with anyone who dares to stand in his way. But his biggest vulnerability might be Elvira Mendivil (Itatí Cantoral), a love that complicates his carefully controlled world.
Set along the volatile U.S.-Mexico border, the story blends action with a sharp look at ambition, loyalty, and survival in a system built on power and betrayal. As Chema engineers daring escapes and outmaneuvers both criminals and authorities, the line between man and myth starts to blur – and the legend of someone who refuses to be contained takes shape in real time.
Based on: El señor de los cielos (2013)
