Looking for a quick true crime binge that stands out from the typical murder dramas?
The Watch With Us team has a recommendation for you. Prime Video released Cocaine Quarterback: Signal-Caller for the Cartel, a three-episode docuseries about convicted drug trafficker Owen Hanson’s rise from USC college football champion to smuggling for one of the world’s most dangerous cartels.
Produced by Mark Wahlberg, this over-the-top docuseries unveils the way USC’s football benchwarmer was hiding a sinister secret in plain sight.
Find out why you need to watch Cocaine Quarterback right now.
It’s a Fascinating Intersection of Sports and True Crime
True crime and sports documentary fans don’t always overlap, but this show makes a strong case that they should. Hanson started with huge promise — he was the only member of the USC football team to walk on, rather than be recruited, in 2004. But he mostly ended up warming the bench at USC — and supplying drugs to teammates who needed to play through injuries.
After graduating, Hanson was recruited by the infamous Sinaloa cartel — and while Cocaine Quarterback follows Hanson’s drug dealing career well beyond the football field, it makes it clear how his time on the team, where he was known as a “hustler” and a “team player,” set him up for this life of crime after his hopes of becoming a real estate agent were crushed by the 2008 recession.
It’s a wild reminder that some of the most compelling sports stories don’t end with a championship ring.
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It’s a Real-Life ‘Breaking Bad’ Story
For fans of Breaking Bad, Cocaine Quarterback hits some of the same tropes — a down-on-his-luck man with a dangerous ego ends up becoming a drug kingpin before falling from grace and landing in the crosshairs of the cartel. While this is a documentary instead of a scripted series, it echoes Walter White’s journey with shocking and ironic twists as well as larger-than-life characters.
If you love compelling crime drama but haven’t historically been a big documentary watcher, Cocaine Quarterback could be your perfect entry point.
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The Characters Are Memorable and Larger Than Life
From Hanson’s former teammates who recall his charm and recklessness, to law enforcement officers who still can’t believe the scale of his operation, the interviews are as colorful as any scripted series. The series leans into the absurdity of characters like Hanson and his rivals — people like Robert “Robin Hood 702” Cipriani, a professional gambler with whom Hanson shared a lengthy feud.
Hanson himself comes across as equal parts frat boy, criminal mastermind and tragic cautionary tale. Even the prosecutors, private investigators and cartel associates interviewed have moments of dark humor that keep the pacing sharp. (One Australian reporter who investigated a mess Hanson landed in overseas flatly called him a “stupid idiot.”)
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It’s the kind of documentary where the real people feel stranger — and more fascinating — than fiction.
For a wild ride of football, drugs and egos, check out Cocaine Quarterback: Signal-Caller for the Cartel on Amazon Prime Video.
