USA NETWORK ANNOUNCES SECOND SEASON PICKUP FOR "QUEEN OF THE SOUTH"

Natalie Chaidez Signs on as Showrunner for the Drama from Fox 21 Television Studios and Universal Cable Productions Season One Finale to Air Thursday, September 15 at 10/9c

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA -- September 6, 2016 -- USA Network today announced a second season renewal for the popular drama QUEEN OF THE SOUTH, with Natalie Chaidez (12 Monkeys) signing on as showrunner. Starring Alice Braga ("I Am Legend"), the series is based on the literary page-turner "La Reina Del Sur," by internationally acclaimed author Arturo Pérez-Reverte.

A co-production from Fox 21 Television Studios and Universal Cable Productions (UCP), QUEEN OF THE SOUTH is currently airing on USA Network on Thursday nights, with its season one finale scheduled to air Thursday, September 15 at 10/9c. The series has delivered an average of 2.26MM total viewers (L7), and throughout its run to date has been Thursday's #1 cable entertainment program in Prime among P18-49s (952K) and P25-54s (1.08MM).

Showrunner Chaidez was executive producer for Syfy's 12 Monkeys and is known for her work as co-executive producer on "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and "Heroes." Other credits include consulting producer on USA's Necessary Roughness and In Plain Sight.

QUEEN OF THE SOUTH tells the powerful story of Teresa Mendoza (Braga), a woman who is forced to run and seek refuge in America after her drug-dealing boyfriend is unexpectedly murdered in Mexico. In the process, she teams with an unlikely figure from her past to bring down the leader of the very drug trafficking ring that has her on the run.

The series also stars Verónica Falcón ("Besos de Azúcar") as Camila Vargas, Justina Machado ("Six Feet Under") as Brenda Parra, Peter Gadiot ("Tut") as James Valdez, Hemky Madera ("Weeds") as Pote Galvez and Gerardo Taracena ("Apocalypto") as Cesar "Batman" Guemes. Guest stars include Joaquim de Almeida ("Our Brand is Crisis"), Jon Ecker ("Narcos") and James Martinez ("Breaking Bad"). The season one finale features special guest star Rafael Amaya ("El Señor de los Cielos") in a crossover appearance as Aurelio Casillas.

QUEEN OF THE SOUTH is executive produced by David T. Friendly ("Little Miss Sunshine," "Courage Under Fire"). The drama is developed by M.A. Fortin & Joshua John Miller ("The Final Girls"). Fox 21 Television Studios developed and produced the pilot, and runs lead on the co-production with Universal Cable Productions.

LINKS: Web: http://queen.usanetwork.com Facebook: facebook.com/QueenOnUSA Twitter: @QueenOnUSA #QueenOfTheSouth

About USA Network:

USA Network, the leader in cable entertainment, offers a powerful stable of dramatic, comedic and unscripted originals in more than 102 million U.S. homes. The network also features spectacular live television, a dynamic portfolio of acquired series and the best in blockbuster theatrical films and entertainment events. A trailblazer in digital innovation and storytelling, USA is defining, driving and setting the industry standard for Social TV. USA is a program service of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal. USA's award-winning website is located at http://www.usanetwork.com.

About Fox 21 Television Studios:

Fox 21 Television Studios is a production unit housed within Fox Television Group devoted to making creatively ambitious scripted and unscripted series for all distribution platforms. Fox 21 Television Studios is responsible for the sensation from Ryan Murphy, Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson "The People V. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" (with FX Productions), the Emmy and Golden Globe winning "Homeland," starring Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin, the critically acclaimed "The Americans" (with FX Productions) starring Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell, Brannon Braga and Adam Simon's "Salem," "Dice," from Scot Armstrong, Sean Furst, Bryan Furst, Richard Shepard, Bruce Rubenstein and Andrew Dice Clay, and Howard Gordon's "Tyrant." New series include "Queen of the South," executive produced by David T. Friendly, "Chance" from Kem Nunn, Alexandra Cunningham, Lenny Abrahamson, Michael London, and Brian Grazer, "Genius" (with Imagine, OddLot Entertainment and EUE/Sokolow) from Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Francie Calfo, Gigi Prtizker, Rachel Shane, Sam Sokolow, Jeff Cooney and Noah Pink, and Ryan Murphy's latest anthology, "Feud," starring Oscar winners Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon.

About Universal Cable Productions:

Universal Cable Productions (UCP) creates innovative and critically acclaimed original scripted and digital content across media platforms for domestic and international distribution. In the U.S., UCP's programming can be seen across various networks including the Golden Globe and Peabody award-winning drama "Mr. Robot," "Colony," "Playing House," "Royal Pains" and "Suits" on USA Network; "The Magicians," "12 Monkeys," and "Killjoys" on Syfy; "Girlfriends' Guide To Divorce" on Bravo; "The Royals," on E!; and "Difficult People," on Hulu. UCP's content library includes critic and fan favorites such as the Emmy-award winning "Monk" as well as "Psych" and "Battlestar Galactica." Universal Cable Productions is a part of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. Follow us @UCPisTV.