Synopsis: Two-time Emmy Award-winning executive producer/writer David Mills (The Corner, ER, NYPD Blue and Homicide: Life on the Street) has created NBC’s gritty new series "Kingpin."

In this stylized drama, the struggles and machinations of a powerful Mexican drug-trafficking family are displayed in graphic detail as they face challenges from both the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and from the dangerous underworld in which they reside. Yancey Arias ("The Time Machine") stars as Stanford-educated Miguel Cadena, a savvy businessman who has risen to the threshold of supremacy in his family’s illegal drug cartel as power begins to pass from one generation to the next.

Behind the opulent façade of the Cadenas’ lifestyle of private jets, yachts and villas stands a massive drug-dealing operation that produces immense quantities of illegal narcotics despite the ongoing family infighting.

Also starring in "Kingpin" are Sheryl Lee (L.A. Doctors, Twin Peaks) as Marlene, Miguel’s beautiful American wife, who as a lawyer works to protect the family business from government intervention and who shares her husband’s proclivity for ruthless cunning; Ruben Carbajel as Joey, the couple’s 8-year-old son whom they attempt to shelter from their dangerous lifestyle; Bobby Cannavale (Third Watch) as Chato, Miguel’s ambitious and brutal yet loyal brother; Angela Alvarado Rosa ("Boss of Bosses") as Delia Flores, a DEA agent ardently fighting to thwart drug dealers wherever she finds them; Brian Benben (Dream On) as Dr. Heywood Klein, a successful plastic surgeon who is conflicted over his role in the Cadenas’ North American operations; and Shay Roundtree ("Drumline") as Junie Gatling, one of Klein's go-to men in the trenches of the drug trade. (Courtesy NBC Entertainment, 2003)

The Cast:
Yancey Arias as Miguel Cadena
Brian Benben as Dr. Heywood Klein
Bobby Cannavale as Chato Cadena
Sheryl Lee as Marlene Cadena
Angela Alvarado Rosa as Delia Flores
Shay Roundtree as Junie Gatling

Production Credits:
"Kingpin" is produced by NBC Studios and Spelling Television, Inc. Aaron Spelling and E. Duke Vincent are executive producers along with two-time Emmy winner David Mills ("The Corner, " NBC’s "ER"). Dan Sackheim is co-executive producer. Allen Coulter ("The Sopranos") directs the pilot episode from a script by Mills.

The Episodes:
1-1 El Velorio--02/04/2003
As Miguel Cadena (Yancey Arias) begins to act as leader of "La Corporacion," he faces an external challenge from a bold general (guest star Reni Santoni) who wishes to change the terms of their business association. Within the family, Miguel's uncle Tio Beto (guest star Miguel Sandoval) refuses to give his approval to Miguel's ascension to power, which is good news to Beto's daughter Lupita (guest star Elpidia Carrillo) and her husband Manny (guest star Danny Trejo), who believe that their mastery of black magic makes them best-suited to lead. Meanwhile, in Texas, DEA Agent Delia Flores (Angela Alvarado Rosa) re-doubles her efforts to catch a killer, and Dr. Klein (Brian Benben) takes his best shot at getting out of the illegal drug trade with the help of an eager buyer (guest star Darius McCrary) and his enforcer (Shay Roundtree).
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1-2 Black Magic Woman--02/09/2003
Looking to broaden "La Corporacion's" business in foreign markets, Miguel Cadena (Yancey Arias) partners with Tijuana cartel boss Gilberto Zambrano (guest star Rudy Moreno) to strike a deal with Thai heroin kingpin Khun Chao (guest star Ric Young) for a mutual exchange of product. In the midst of sealing this multi-million dollar deal, a premonition from Lupita (guest star Elpidia Carrillo, "Bread and Roses") casts a cloud of doubt over the partnership. Elsewhere, Dr. Klein's (Brian Benben) divorce settlement hits another snag as his scorned estranged wife (Sean Young, "No Way Out") demands a large cash settlement -- forcing the surgeon to take drastic actions with the aid of Truck (guest star Darius McCrary) and his enforcer (Shay Roundtree). Meanwhile, DEA Agent Delia Flores (Angela Alvarado Rosa) must continue her pursuit of the cartel leaders from Houston when she is transferred out of El Paso.
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1-3 French Connection--02/11/2003
Although Miguel (Yancey Arias) realizes that his wife (Sheryl Lee) has been keeping a dangerous secret from him, he must focus on a European doctor (guest star Henry Stram) who claims to have a new drug that could dramatically increase the cartel's fortune. Elsewhere, Chato (Bobby Cannavale) begins an ominous affair with a married woman (guest star Maria Conchita Alonso, "Moscow on the Hudson") with a powerful husband (guest star Eduardo Palomo). Meanwhile in Texas, a cash-poor Dr. Klein (Brian Benben) goes crawling back to Romulo (guest star Lombardo Boyar) in hopes of boosting his income.
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1-4 The Odd Couple--02/16/2003
Following his affair with the wife (guest star Maria Conchita Alonso, "Moscow on the Hudson") of Police Chief Lazareno (guest star Eduardo Palomo), Chato (Bobby Cannavale) finds himself falsely incarcerated as her husband attempts to exact his revenge. At home, Miguel (Yancey Arias) and Marlene (Sheryl Lee) give careful consideration to their roles as parents as they deal with son Joey's (Rubén Carbajal) first sin. Elsewhere, Agent Flores (Angela Alvarado Rosa) stumbles into another officer's (guest star Malik Yoba) territory, leading her closer to Truck Thomas' (guest star Darius McCrary) drug operation -- and her ultimate goal of destroying the drug ring.
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