Queen of the South is back for its fifth and final season on USA, and it definitely isn't going to simply recover old ground after how Season 4 ended for Alice Braga's Teresa Mendoza. The fourth season aired its final episode all the way back in August 2019, making the return for Season 5 a long time coming, but likely also a little bittersweet for fans as it marks the beginning of the end of Teresa's story. Fortunately, Braga has shared the new challenges for her character and the show overall in the fifth season.
Alice Braga spoke with CinemaBlend and other outlets in honor of the final season of Queen of the South at a recent press event, and she previewed the kind of action that is in store for viewers as Teresa truly takes her place as queen of her world in New Orleans. Considering how hard she had to fight to get to where she is, Teresa's place at the top is going to take some fierce defense (and probably some offense as well), and Braga shared:
Oh my God, yeah, a lot of action. I think she got to the point in her life that she's just the boss of everything. And of course, there's more people challenging her and coming after her. And wanting to take her business over. And so there's a lot of action happening and a lot of new turnarounds that I think people are not expecting. And I'm really excited to see the reaction for sure.
Fans don't need to worry that Queen of the South will just deliver more of the same in the fifth and final season! The trailer already indicated that the final round of episodes is going to be intense, and Alice Braga confirmed a lot of action in response to the new challenges now that her character is the boss of everything. According to the star, those fans might not see all of what's coming either. Teresa may start on top, but can she stay on top?
For those who have been waiting for over a year and a half to see what happens next for Teresa, the process of getting the fifth and final season ready for its USA premiere wasn't an easy or smooth one. Alice Braga explained the particulars of picking up filming again after an unexpected break in production, saying:
It was very, very challenging because we started filming March 2020, Season 5, and we got shut down while we were cross-shooting Episode 1 and 2. So we shut down for six months. And then we came back with COVID protocols and everything. So it's been a real challenge in the sense of how to keep it alive, how to keep it fresh and organic, and also how to not let COVID go on camera. To not show that we are afraid of something or not being close to each other, how can we engage with it? And it's been a wonderful ride. It's been very powerful, that the crew was so trustworthy, and so committed to the craft of making it and was wonderful, but it was challenging. It was definitely challenging.
Like many other productions in 2020, Queen of the South had to go into an unplanned break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but not before starting to film in March. Going from March to September meant a big gap after when the show picked up where it left off in Season 4, and with plenty of new pandemic-related challenges to address. Queen of the South will also be one of the series that will continue telling stories without incorporating COVID, which has not been the case for many network shows.
Interestingly, Queen of the South was officially announced as ending with its fifth season back in early March, which is at least a good sign that the show had time to plan Season 5 with the knowledge that it wouldn't return for Season 6. That's no guarantee that Queen of the South won't be one of the shows that ends on a cliffhanger, but hopefully it means that the show will tie off most of its loose ends, for better or worse. Queen of the South returns for its fifth and final season on Wednesday, April 7 at 10 p.m. ET on USA, with the rest of the 10-episode season airing Wednesdays at 10 p.m.
