Snowfall

Premise

Primarily set in Los Angeles between 1983 and 1986, the series revolves around the first crack epidemic and its impact on the city, and the stories of several characters whose lives are fated to intersect: 20-year-old drug dealer Franklin Saint, CIA operative Teddy McDonald, Mexican luchador Gustavo "El Oso" Zapata, and a Mexican crime boss's daughter, Lucia Villanueva.

Cast and characters

Main

Damson Idris as Franklin Saint, a young drug kingpin and patriarch of The Family, a crew of crack cocaine producers/dealers based in South Central Los Angeles.

Carter Hudson as Theodore "Teddy" McDonald / Reed Thompson, a CIA operative working undercover for the American government in the war against communism in Nicaragua.

Emily Rios as Lucia Villanueva (seasons 1–2), the daughter of a Mexican crime boss and heiress to the Villanueva Cartel, a Mexican drug cartel.

Sergio Peris-Mencheta as Gustavo "El Oso" Zapata, a former Mexican luchador employed as an enforcer for the Villanueva Cartel.

Michael Hyatt as Sharon "Cissy" Saint, Franklin's mother and a veteran real estate agent.

Amin Joseph as Jerome Saint, Franklin's OG uncle and a member of The Family and teaches his nephew the ins and outs of drug dealing and gangster life.

Angela Lewis as Louanne "Louie" Saint (née Jones), Jerome's girlfriend (and later wife), a former hustler, and member of The Family.

Juan Javier Cardenas as Alejandro Usteves (season 1), a Nicaraguan Contra soldier and pilot who works with Teddy as a CIA asset by smuggling cocaine.

Isaiah John as Leon Simmons, Franklin's best friend and second-in-command of the Family who is affiliated with the PJ Watts Crips.

Filipe Valle Costa as Pedro Nava (seasons 1–2), Lucia's cousin and a member of The Villanueva Cartel.

Alon Aboutboul as Avi Drexler (Hebrew: אבי דרכסלר) (seasons 1–5), an Israeli drug lord and the head of a powerful Israeli crime syndicate with connections to Mossad.

Recurring

Reign Edwards as Melody Wright (seasons 1–3; guest season 4), Franklin's on/off girlfriend and Andre's daughter.

Peta Sergeant as Julia (seasons 1, 3; guest seasons 2, 5–6), Teddy's ex-wife, mother of their son Paul, and a CIA agent.

Jonathan Avigdori as Yuda (seasons 1, 3; guest season 2), one of Avi's two bodyguards.

Nic Bishop as James Ballard (season 1; guest season 2), Teddy's first CIA handler.

Judith Scott as Claudia Crane (seasons 1–2; guest season 3), the owner of a local nightclub and Louie's former lover.

Moe Irvin as Santos (season 1; guest season 3), Claudia's head of security.

Taylor Kowalski as Rob Volpe (seasons 1–3; guest seasons 4–5), Franklin's friend from high school, a crack bagger, and a member of The Family.

Carlos Linares as Mauricio Villanueva (season 1), Lucia's father and the patriarch of the Villanueva Cartel.

José Zúñiga as Ramiro Nava (season 1), Lucia's maternal uncle, Pedro's father, and the second-in-command of the Villanueva Cartel.

Tony Sancho as Eduardo "Stomper" Castillo (season 1; guest season 2), the leader of Los Monarcas, a Mexican street gang.

Markice Moore as Ray-Ray (season 1; guest season 2), a reckless thief from Compton.

Craig Tate as Lenny (season 1), a violent thief from Compton and Ray-Ray's friend.

Guest

Eric Mitro as Logan Miller (season 1), Alejandro's previous CIA connection who overdoses on cocaine.

Taylor Kowald as Kristen Grelli (season 1), Victoria's sister who is killed by Alejandro to cover loose ends.

Adam Karst as Muir (seasons 1–3, 5), another of Avi's two bodyguards.

Becky O'Donohue as Mrs. Volpe (season 1), Rob's attractive mother.

Mark Harelik as Arnold Tulfowitz (seasons 1, 3), Cissy's former employer and a corrupt real estate tycoon.

Sheaun McKinney as Karvel (seasons 1, 3), a sadist, ruthless gangster and member of The HTB Western Tribe.

Zabryna Guevara as Elena Usteves (seasons 1–2), Alejandro's wife and the leader of a Contra cell in Nicaragua.

Bokeem Woodbine as Knees (season 1), an old friend of Jerome's and a former drug dealer.

Frank Merino as Guillermo "Memo" Mendoza (seasons 1–2), an enforcer for Los Monarcas.

RZA as Swim (season 1), a drug dealer in Oakland who teaches Franklin how to turn cocaine into crack.

Red Grant as Devon Hamilton (season 1), Kevin's cousin in Oakland and a member of an Outlaw Biker Club.

Billy Boyd as Jim Stewart (season 1), a man Teddy and Victoria approach for his information about Kristen.

Stephanie Nash as Gladys Warren (seasons 1–2), Teddy's assistant at the CIA.

Episodes

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.

Historical context

Crack use became rampant because of its cheap price, intense high, and high profit margins. This drug has roughly the same chemical disposition as cocaine, but is processed to be smoked, creating an intense high that can lead to heavy addiction. The crack epidemic mostly affected impoverished neighborhoods, with it having the most harmful ramifications in African American communities. This, in turn, led to an increase in drug-related addictions, death, and imprisonment.

There are ongoing ethical discussions about balancing the need to limit crime with the risk of causing long-term societal harm. Harsher action on crime leads to an increased risk of broader harm. Some people believe that the way the crack epidemic was handled led to more harm than good, while others believe that it was handled in a way that was harsh, yet necessary. Certain laws were enacted that led to a significant increase in the incarcerated population in the US. For example, the three-strike laws would almost guarantee a life sentence if the person convicted had two prior "serious" convictions. The way that the crack epidemic was part of the reason government policies regarding law enforcement are usually very controversial.

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.

Historical accuracy

Snowfall is set during the crack epidemic of the 1980s, when the use of crack cocaine rapidly picked up in the United States and affected impoverished neighborhoods, with it having the most harmful ramifications in African American communities. A key plotline in the series involves the CIA fostering the crack epidemic through cocaine trafficking to raise money for the Contras in Nicaragua. This is based on Gary Webb's controversial 1996 investigative series in the San Jose Mercury News and its follow-up book Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion. According to executive producer Dave Andron, the show's writers worked with the premise that Webb's reporting was factual; however, he acknowledged that he did not "think there was any conspiracy to bring crack to the inner city or destroy a people." Patricia A. Turner, a dean of the UCLA College who studies folklore and conspiracies theories related to Black culture, said the idea that the CIA introduced crack cocaine to Black communities is a conspiracy theory that has persisted since the 1980s. Webb wrote that the crack epidemic was more of an unintended effect and that he "never believed, and never wrote, that there was a grand CIA conspiracy behind the crack plague [...] The CIA couldn't even mine a harbor without getting its trench coat stuck in its fly."

Spin-off

In March 2023, a spin-off series, starring Gail Bean, reprising her role as Wanda Bell-Simmons, was reported to be in early development. After having been in development in two years, the series was given a pilot order by FX in March 2025, with Isaiah John set to co-star with Bean and reprise his role as Leon Simmons. In November 2025, Malcolm Spellman was set as lead writer and executive producer on the spinoff, after it was ordered to series. Asante Blackk, Peyton Alex Smith, and Simmie Sims III were also confirmed to have joined the main cast alongside Bean and John. In March 2026, Isidora Goreshter, Mykelti Williamson, Brandon Mychal Smith, Nicki Micheaux, Eric Balfour, Richard Portnow, Zaire Adams, and Demetrius Grosse were announced to have joined the cast, with Quincy Chad also confirmed to reprise his role as Deon "Big D" Barber. In June 2026, the title was revealed as The Drop: A Snowfall Saga, which is set to premiere on September 8, 2026, on FX and FX on Hulu.