Snowfall (TV series)

''Snowfall'' is an American crime drama television series, created by John Singleton, Eric Amadio, and Dave Andron, that was first broadcast on FX on July 5, 2017. Set in Los Angeles in 1983, the series revolves around the first crack epidemic and its impact on the city. The series follows the stories of several characters whose lives are fated to intersect: 20-year-old drug dealer Franklin Saint, Mexican luchador Gustavo "El Oso" Zapata, CIA operative Teddy McDonald, and a Mexican crime boss's niece, Lucia Villanueva.

The series, which was first set up at Showtime in 2014, was picked up by FX for a ten-episode season in September 2016. In August 2017, the network renewed ''Snowfall'' for a second season, which premiered on July 19, 2018. In September 2018, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on July 10, 2019. In August 2019, FX renewed the series for a fourth season which was originally scheduled to premiere in 2020, but filming was temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fourth season premiered on February 24, 2021. In March 2021, FX renewed the series for a fifth season which premiered on February 23, 2022. In April 2022, FX renewed the series for a sixth and final season which is scheduled to premiere on February 22, 2023, with the series finale airing sometime in the spring of 2023.

Cast

Main

*Damson Idris as Franklin Saint, a young drug kingpin and patriarch of The Family, a crew of crack cocaine producers based in Los Angeles
*Carter Hudson as Theodore "Teddy" McDonald/Reed Thompson, a CIA operative working undercover for the American government in the war against communism
* Emily Rios as Lucia Villanueva, the daughter of a Mexican crime boss and heiress to the Villanueva Cartel, a Mexican drug cartel (seasons 1–2)
* Sergio Peris-Mencheta as Gustavo "El Oso" Zapata, a former Mexican luchador affiliated with the Villaneuva Cartel
* Michael Hyatt as Cissy Saint, Franklin's mother and a veteran real estate agent
* Amin Joseph as Jerome Saint, Franklin's uncle and a member of The Family who introduces him to the criminal lifestyle
*Angela Lewis as Louanne "Louie" Saint, Jerome's wife and a member of The Family
*Juan Javier Cardenas as Alejandro Usteves, a Nicaraguan Contra soldier and pilot who works with Teddy as a CIA asset (season 1)
*Isaiah John as Leon Simmons, Franklin's best friend, second-in-command of the Family and is affiliated with the PJ Watts Crips
*Filipe Valle Costa as Pedro Nava, Lucia's cousin and a member of The Villanueva Cartel (seasons 1–2)
* Alon Aboutboul as Avi Drexler (Hebrew: אבי דרקסלר), an Israeli druglord and the head of Avi's Crew, a powerful Israeli crime syndicate who is formerly affiliated with Mossad (seasons 1–5)
*Malcolm Mays as Kevin Hamilton, Franklin and Leon's best friend and a member of The Family (seasons 1–2)
* Marcus Henderson as Andre Wright, a sergeant in the LAPD, Melody's father and Franklin's neighbor (season 3; recurring season 1; guest season 2)
* Kevin Carroll as Alton Williams, Franklin's estranged father and a former member of the Black Panthers who runs a homeless shelter (season 4; recurring seasons 2–3; guest seasons 1, 5)
* Devyn A. Tyler as Veronique Turner, Franklin's girlfriend who works for him as a real estate manager and is pregnant with his child (season 5)

Recurring

* Reign Edwards as Melody Wright, Franklin's on/ off girlfriend and Andre's daughter (seasons 1–3; guest season 4)
* Peta Sergeant as Julia, Teddy's ex-wife and a CIA agent (seasons 1, 3; guest seasons 2, 5)
* Nic Bishop as James Ballard, Teddy's first CIA handler (season 1; guest season 2)
* Judith Scott as Claudia Crane, the owner of a local nightclub and Louie's lover (seasons 1–2; guest season 3)
*Moe Irvin as Santos, Claudia's head of security (season 1; guest season 3)
*Taylor Kowalski as Rob Volpe, Franklin's friend from high school, a crack bagger and a member of The Family (seasons 1–3; guest seasons 4–5)
*Carlos Linares as Mauricio Villanueva, Lucia's father and the patriarch of the Villanueva Cartel (season 1)
* José Zúñiga as Ramiro Nava, Lucia's uncle and the second-in-command of the Villanueva Cartel (season 1)
* Tony Sancho as Eduardo "Stomper" Castillo, the leader of Los Monarcas, a Mexican street gang (season 1; guest season 2)
*Markice Moore as Ray-Ray, a thief from Compton (season 1; guest season 2)
*Craig Tate as Lenny, a thief from Compton and Ray-Ray's friend (season 1)
*Justine Lupe as Victoria Grelli, a young woman who befriends Teddy whilst looking for her missing sister (season 1)
*Michael Ray Escamilla as Hernan Zapata, Gustavo's brother who is confined to a wheelchair (seasons 1, 3–4; guest season 2)
*Wade Allain-Marcus as Diego, a co-leader of the Cali Cartel, a Columbian crime syndicate (season 2; guest seasons 1, 4)
*Izzy Diaz as Danilo, Diego's brother and a co-leader of the Cali Cartel (season 2; guest seasons 1, 4)
*Jonathan Tucker as Matt McDonald, Teddy's older brother, a Vietnam War veteran and a pilot (season 2; guest season 3)
* Gail Bean as Wanda Bell, Leon's ex-girlfriend who develops a strong addiction to crack cocaine (season 2–present)
*DeRay Davis as DeJohn "Peaches" Hill, a Vietnam War veteran and enforcer for The Family (seasons 2–5)
*Adriana DeGirolami as Lorena Cardenas/ Soledad Caro, Pedro's fiancé and an undercover DEA agent (seasons 2–3)
*Marcelo Olivas as Santiago "Conejo" Estrada, a soldado who works with Los Manarcas (season 2)
*Scott Subiono as Tony Marino, a DEA Agent and Lorena's handler (seasons 2–3; guest season 4–present)
* Matthew Alan as Stephen Havemeyer, Teddy's second CIA handler (seasons 3–4; guest seasons 2, 5)
*Jordan Coleman as Thaddeus "Fatback" Barber, Leon's bodyguard and a member of The Family (seasons 3–4)
*Bentley Green as C.J., an up-and-coming member of The Family (seasons 3–4)
*Melvin Gregg as Drew "Manboy" Miller, Franklin's associate and the leader of the Compton Crips (seasons 3–4)
*Calvin Clausell Jr. as Bootsy, the second-in-command of the Compton Crips (season 3; guest season 4)
*Christian Tappan as Rigo Vasco, a drug lord associated with the Medellín Cartel, a Colombian crime syndicate (season 3)
*Asjha Cooper as Eva Walker, one of Melody's best friends, and Leon's fling. (season 3)
*Nate' Jones as Shon-Shon, one of Melody's best friends (season 3)
* Jesse Luken as Herb "Nix" Nixon, a rogue corporal in the LAPD and Andre's friend (season 3; guest season 4)
*Evan Allen-Gessesse as Renny, an enforcer for The Family (season 4–present; guest seasons 2–3)
* De'Aundre Bonds as Terrence "Skully" Brown, an OG and the Leader of the Inglewood Bloods (season 4; guest seasons 3, 5)
*Corr Kendricks as Cornrows, the second-in-command of the Inglewood Bloods (season 4; guest seasons 3, 5)
*Suzy Nakamura as Irene Abe, a journalist working for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner who investigates the ongoing drug trade in Los Angeles (season 4)
*Stephen Ruffin as Wilson, Irene's assistant at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner (season 4)
*Kwame Patterson as Lurp, a freelancer, Franklin's bodyguard and a member of The Family (season 4)
*Geffri Maya as Khadijah Brown, Skully's wife, the mother of his daughter, Tianna Brown, and the sister of Manboy (season 4)
*Adrianna Mitchell as Tanosse, Franklin's ex-girlfriend from high school whom he reconnects with (season 4)
*Ezana Alem as Dimehead, a reckless member of the Compton Crips (season 4)
*Joey Marie Urbina as Xiamara, Nuvia's sister and later Gustavo's girlfriend (season 4–present)
*Christine Horn as Black Diamond, a bounty hunter and later an enforcer for The Family (season 4–present)
*Taylor Polidore as Dallas, a bounty hunter, Black Diamond's partner, and later an enforcer for The Family (season 4–present)
*Quincy Chad as Deon "Big Deon" Barber, Fatback’s cousin, an OG and leader of the PJ Watts Crips (season 5–present; guest season 4)
*Kamron Alexander as Einstein, the brains behind Deon's Crip set (season 5–present; guest season 4)
* Brandon Jay McLaren as Beau Buckley, a leading detective in the LAPD involved in the C.R.A.S.H. unit (season 5)
*DeLaRosa Rivera as Eddie Perez, a detective in the LAPD and Buckley's partner (season 5)
*Alejandro Edda as Rubén, a mysterious figure in contact with Cissy whose looking to eliminate Teddy (season 5)
*Tiffany Lonsdale as Parissa, a surgeon and old acquaintance of Teddy (season 5)
*DeVaughn Nixon as Kane Hamilton, Kevin's older brother and a former shot caller for the Hoover Crips who, after being released from prison, plots revenge against Franklin and The Family (season 5)

Guest

*Taylor Kowald as Kristen Grelli, Victoria's sister who is killed by Alejandro to cover loose ends (season 1)
*Jonathan Avigdori as Yuda, one of Avi's two bodyguards (seasons 1–3)
*Adam Karst as Muir, another of Avi's two bodyguards (seasons 1–3, 5)
*Shaun McKinney as Karvel, a ruthless gangster and member of The HTB Western Tribe (seasons 1, 3)
*Frank Merino as Guillermo "Memo" Mendoza, an enforcer for Los Monarcas (seasons 1–2)
*Stephanie Nash as Gladys Warren, Teddy's assistant at the CIA (seasons 1–2)
* Adriana Barraza as Mariela Villanueva, Lucia's mother and the matriarch of the Villanueva Cartel (seasons 1, 3)
*Manuel Uriza as Miguel Villanueva, Mauricio's brother and Lucia's uncle who is a private investigator (seasons 2–3)
*Alanna Ubach as Gabriella Elias, the leader of La Fuerza, a high-ranking gang in the Mexican Mafia (season 2)
*Herve Clermont as Stern, a Detective in the LAPD Homicide Division (seasons 2–5)
*Hector Hugo as Muñoz Avilés, Stern's partner and a Detective in the LAPD Homicide Division (seasons 2–3)
*Sabina Zúñiga Varela as Nuvia Zapata, Hernan's step wife (seasons 3–4)
*Antonio Jaramillo as Oscar Fuentes, the corrupt police chief of the Tijuana Police Department (season 4)
*Jeremiah Birkett as John Baxter, a homeless crack addict and single father at Alton's homeless shelter (season 4)
*Brent Jennings as Henry Nelson, Irene's ex-husband and an independent journalist (season 4)
* Steven Williams as Paul Davis, a real estate tycoon with political ties (season 4)
*Troy Blendell as Charlie Cass, the acting Editor-in-chief at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner (season 4)
*James Moses Black as Brother Jamal, the Radio talk show host for CO-INTELPRO (season 4)
* David Sullivan as Grady Williamson, a CIA agent who replaces Teddy as the CIA plug (season 5)
*Santiago Veizaga as Clever, a young gangbanger in Bell Gardens (season 5)
* Raymond J. Barry as Old Man James, an elderly man who collects hunting trophies and keeps a pet tiger at his house in Bell Gardens (season 5)
*Nupeir L. Garret as Ricky, Kane's second-in-command (season 5)
*Darrin Cooper as Jacob, a KGB agent and Rubén's handler (season 5)

Episodes

Season 1 (2017)

Season 2 (2018)

Season 3 (2019)

Season 4 (2021)

Season 5 (2022)

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 62% based on 63 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The site's critical consensus for the first season reads, "''Snowfall'' struggles to create a compelling drama from its separate storylines, despite Singleton's accurate recreation of 1983 Los Angeles and a strong lead performance from Damson Idris." On Metacritic, the series has a score of 63 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews." A 100% approval rating for the second season was reported by Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 7/10 based on 7 reviews. A 100% approval rating for the third season was reported by Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 9/10 based on 5 reviews.

Matt Zoller Seitz of ''Vulture'' called ''Snowfall'' a clever constructed thriller that reaches the "standard Scorsese/ Tarantino," praising "the attention it pays to the sights, sounds and textures of people's lives in 1983 Los Angeles, and to fine details of characterization — in other words, the sort of stuff that would never get a dramatic series a green light unless drugs and violence were attached to it." He further stated: "rather than go for a vibe like ''The Wire'' or Steven Soderbergh's ''Traffic'', which explored the drug trade with a newspaperman's anthropological detachment, ''Snowfall'' aims for a bouncier, more seductive vibe." Seitz also praised the "phenomenal" acting of Idris, Peris-Mencheta, Hudson, and Rios. James Poniewozik of ''The New York Times'' praised the performances of the actors, found the series emotional, and complimented its story. Brian Tallerico of '' RogerEbert.com'' found the series narratively ambitious and applauded the performances of the cast members, stating the actors represent the show's greatest asset, writing, "Idris is a fantastic find, conveying a combination of intelligence and innocence that makes Franklin’s arc feel genuine. ..Rios is even better as a more-experienced player in the drug game who has yet to lose her hope for something bigger. Finally, McDonald vacillates in fascinating ways from a pencil pusher to someone willing to do whatever it takes to redeem his legacy as an agent."

Ed Power of '' The Telegraph'' rated the series 4 out of 5 stars, saying, "It’s slick and breezy – far too enamoured with its roguish characters to do justice to a cathartic chapter in the history of modern Los Angeles. But the show has a giddy energy and, amid the blizzard of gangster clichés, Idris shines brightly as star in the making." Melissa Camacho of ''Common Sense Media'' rated the series 3 out of 5 stars, writing, "''Snowfall'' is a dark and gritty series about the crack cocaine trade and that it is intended for adults. ..The characters are complex and live by ambiguous codes, but most seek personal gains by buying/selling drugs. Those old enough to handle it will find a series that's complex and intelligent, but sometimes hard to watch.

Alan Sepinwall of ''Uproxx'' gave a mixed review of the series, criticizing the show's clichéd storytelling and pacing; the latter he observed, "oddly feels sluggish and rushed at the same time, lingering over certain tasks and story beats... but then oddly jumping over story points in a way that had me frequently checking to be sure I hadn't skipped an episode by mistake." He further emphasized: "''Snowfall''s not a bad drama at this stage, just more generic than it should be, especially on a channel known for making old TV ideas feel brand-new."

Ratings

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Accolades

Broadcast

Outside of the United States, ''Snowfall'' premiered on BBC Two in the United Kingdom on October 8, 2017. It is also available for view on BBC iPlayer.

Notes

References

External links

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{{FX network programming

2017 American television series debuts
2010s American crime drama television series
2020s American crime drama television series
2010s American black television series
2020s American black television series
Bloods
Cali Cartel
Crips
English-language television shows
Fictional portrayals of the Los Angeles Police Department
FX Networks original programming
Mexican Mafia
Television productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Television series about the Central Intelligence Agency
Television series about illegal drug trade
Television series about organized crime
Television series set in 1983
Television shows about cocaine
Television shows set in Los Angeles
Works about African-American organized crime
Works about Jewish-American organized crime
Works about Colombian drug cartels
Works about Mexican drug cartels