FX's Snowfall originally premiered in 2017 to mixed critical reception. But, over the years, it has cemented itself as both an engaging and thrilling crime series with a particularly unique subject. Co-created by John Singleton, Eric Amadio, and Dave Andron, Snowfall takes place in early 1980s, Los Angeles, following the steady rise and spectacular fall of Mr. Franklin Saint. During the onset of the first crack epidemic, Saint finds himself caught up in the drug trade, wheeling and dealing with the CIA and Mexican gangs before eventually rising to power as a bona fide crack kingpin.
Now on its sixth and final season, Snowfall is a series that should demand your attention. Being on FX, you're already guaranteed a show that rises above most other cable offerings in terms of mature content. It's a series that examines not only Franklin's dramatic rise and fall but also how his actions and involvement in the drug trade gradually tear apart the world he once knew. Characters will change significantly if they're not killed outright, historical events will play a direct part in escalating tensions, and every season increases the scope and scale of Franklin's operations. All these and more are just a few reasons you should watch FX's Snowfall.
Snowfall's Characters Feel Real
A show would be nothing without compelling characters. Thankfully, Snowfall delivers an engaging protagonist in the form of Franklin Saint on top of its plethora of supporting cast members.
It's natural to see Franklin Saint and immediately draw comparisons to Breaking Bad's Walter White. Both get involved in the drug trade for personal reasons, are highly intelligent with academic backgrounds, and justify their gradual moral degradation through charitable acts. However, while Walter White trades in meth for the sake of his family and their future, Saint goes into the drug trade for himself from the get-go. It's a by-product of multiple different factors. Lacking the ability to utilize his talents elsewhere, a general sense of being put down by society, and the "high" of achieving success on his own terms all drive Saint into the business.
Of course, Franklin needs an equally deep set of characters to bounce his aspirations off of. Everyone alongside Saint has their own reasons for partaking in "the game" of drug dealing. Whether it's the professional luchador Gustavo, the reluctant enforcer Leon, Saint's regretful uncle Jerome, or Franklin's former Black Panther father, all the characters in Snowfall attempt to look beyond the destruction of their local community for their own, sometimes hypocritical purposes. It's a wonderfully human depiction of multiple flawed characters, all of whom find themselves dug in too deep into "the game" for them to really leave of their own volition.
Snowfall's Setting Plays a Huge Role
While Snowfall is about the rise and fall of Franklin Saint, the series goes to great lengths to show just how far the extent of the drug trade reaches. As the drama unfolds surrounding the characters we know and love, their actions have direct consequences on the world around them.
A major storyline in the first few seasons is Franklin's relation to Teddy McDonald, a covert CIA agent tasked with funneling money from the drug trade into munitions for the Contras in Nicaragua. If you're familiar with US history, you'll likely remember that the Contras were at the center of the Iran--Contra affair, wherein it was revealed that the US government had a vested interest in seeing the Contra rebel groups repel the influence of the Marxist government. Of course, Geopolitics aren't the sole focus of the series, but Teddy's involvement in the CIA allows the series to comment on several key ideas. These range from the idealized perception of the American dream to the government's capability to undermine its own people for the sake of international interests. Their presence in Snowfall would wax and wane, but it's always at least partially responsible for some of each season's various conflicts.
The Reagan administration and his resulting War on Drugs would profoundly impact the crack epidemic's epicenter. Every season starts with an establishing shot to set the general mood of the season. For example, compare the opening shot of season one to the opening shot of season six. Prior to the mass proliferation of crack in Franklin's hometown, it was an almost romantic image. Children run around free and happy, a warm orange hue envelops the towering palm trees, and Franklin wanders around with his friends in the streets of South Central. Now, we jump to the beginning of season five: the first shot is of someone completely different, an up-and-coming baseball star dying of an overdose. Franklin, meanwhile, is surrounded by real estate luxury hundreds of miles away, only learning about the event from a newspaper clipping. All he can do is react with a cold bitterness due to how it may affect his "business." As the series continues, overdosed bodies, homeless addicts, and tense officers only become more and more prominent in the background, seeping into the main storyline more frequently until just about every character we've seen is now at risk of certain death.
With Snowfall only a few episodes into its sixth and final season, there's no better time to get invested in the thrilling crime series. While we may ultimately have to say goodbye to Franklin Saint when it comes time for the series finale, the journey leading there is one that is both incredibly entertaining and thought-provoking. It's been a steady success for the successful network, one that will hopefully draw in a new generation of fans once it reaches a definitive conclusion.