User reviews

Snowfall really is one of the most underrated shows currently on television. It's hard for me to even describe how much I like this show. I fell in love with from the very first episode. The writing, acting, look and feel...all of it really make it seem quite realistic. It's about a 20 something year old smart student who rises to the top of the crack cocaine business in Los Angeles in the early 1980's. The writing and acting are some of the best on tv and the reason why this show is so good. The lead actor (Damson Idris) has a bright future ahead of him. This is a show that's definitely worth your time.

Snowfall will hook you from the start and not let go. It really is one of the better series of the last few years, it's extremely gritty and realistic. The cast is made up of mostly previous unknown actors and I think that actually adds to the grittiness of the show. It's now finishing up after this current season 6 and even though it's probably time for it to end I'm actually going to miss it. It's classic John Singleton and is up there with the best things he's ever done. I guarantee that you'll become addicted once you start watching this and you'll want to binge the entire series as fast as you can. It just pulls you into their world and doesn't let go. Do yourself a favor and go watch this incredible series immediately!

I never stamp my approval after two episodes and I'm sure I'll update this, but I need you to know what you're missing out on! Forget the mixed reviews they probably had some kind of expectation, going into this with an open mind and you'll find so many sub-plots that are intriguing, characters that are likable and you'll notice that you want the narrative on each part not shifting only to shift and feel the same. It's John singleton everybody you can't go wrong!this show is extremely entertaining and compelling! It's the most fun I have in front of a TV of a TV for an hour. It had all the ingredients. Don't miss out it's a phenomal show during a fantastic era

No real good guys, no real bad guys, outstanding character development, what's not to like?

We have a government agent thinking he's doing the country right by supplying cocaine within the streets of L. A.; we have this young man who is just trying to support himself and family by selling cocaine; and we have a myriad of supporting characters that help make this very watchable every week.

Each successive episode and season, you get excellent character development plus good plots. The characters face many challenges, make decisions good and bad, and how they affect the friends and family around them.

Several get lost on the way, but that is to be expected considering the nature of the story.

It all leads to well thought out finale.

Again, this isn't a traditional good guys versus bad guys fare, but how the players think what they're doing is right for them, their society or country; how their actions and decisions affect everything and everyone; how drugs and money corrupt.

You'll want more after you finish every episode!

Hmmm... OK... I've been reading reviews on IMDb for many years now for I am an avid fan of movies and TV. After reading some of the poor reviews for Snowfall, I decided to become part of the community. I don't feel this show glorifies or romanticizes the beginnings of the crack era, it just tells it like it was. It was one big party and there was lot's of money to be made. I Thought the pilot captured the 80s in East LA precisely and the soundtrack was aces. I felt the story line was interesting and it kept my attention to the very end. I also thought the acting was on point and the best is yet to come. Different strokes for different folks people.This is my unbiased review and I say this show will be around for awhile.

I do not review that many titles but felt compelled to write a review after seeing the negative ones. While it is possible that this show will end up taking a dive as it progresses - I can say that the beginning so far has been great and has true potential. It sort of reminds me a little of a Breaking Bad type of show. I seriously doubt it ends up being as good as Breaking Bad, but if that is the type of show that you like then you should really consider giving this one a shot.

For those of you who wrote negative reviews, I can understand if it isn't your type of show. The most popular TV shows on today such as reality shows I can not stand yet they seem to get the most attention - we all like what we like. I think the acting has been great so far, and I feel as if I can connect with the actors and I imagine it will get even better with time. I like shows that feel like they can be halfway realistic and not ones that have over the top action where the good guy always wins and never runs out of ammo as he shoots his way through the whole show. So far this show has felt fairly realistic and very plausible, I just hope it stays that way.

One other thing I would like to mention is I love shows that take us back in time such as 11/22/63 or Boardwalk Empire etc. I believe this one was done very well in that regard, the scenery is great and really brings you back to that time period. Some shows like to make the past look different in some regard but with this show it is bright and looks the same as if you were there in the 80s with them.

Will this show stay on track and be one of the greatest shows? I don't know but I certainly hope so. For now I rated it as a 9, but it has the potential to be an easy 10/10, or take a dive down to a 5/10. But it is most certainly worth watching a couple episodes to see if you like it unless you are the type of person that gets upset with the sight of drugs or criminal activities and prefer a fairy tale type of show or fake reality shows.

I've watched two episodes so far and I have been blown away at how real and factual it has been based on what I've read in books about the beginnings of crack. The other reviewers that have given this poor ratings I think must be watching something else. With all the TV shows out there, this is by far above the rest in realism and ethnic relatable characters that don't come across as villains or heroes, just everyday people trying to make better lives for themselves that unfortunately choose bad paths.

It's 1983 South Central LA. Small time dealer Franklin Saint (Damson Idris) is looking to purchase $200. He stumbles upon drug lord Avi Drexler and starts selling cocaine in kilos. CIA operative Teddy McDonald (Carter Hudson) works on foreign assets from LA. He is shown 50 kilo of coke at a dead CIA agent's home and starts smuggling drugs into LA to buy guns for revolutionaries in Central America. Crime lord's daughter Lucia Villanueva recruits Mexican wrestler Gustavo Zapata to steal from her father for the funds to strike out on her own.

This is a bit of Breaking Bad in the hood. It's Fargo with an actual real story. It has some great unknown actors starting with Damson Idris. He's mostly a minor British TV actor before this role. His quiet determination is disorienting. It takes a little time to adjust. One of the show's creators is John Singleton. R. I. P. He's the big name in the group and he's back in his comfort zone, 80's South Central LA. This one does not look away from the darker side to play up the cool gangster fun. Damson's coolness plays really well with the brutal darkness of his character.

Decentman wasn't to decent with his review, I will try to dispel the rumor, that this was poorly written.

Snowfall began by showing the disconnect between the have and have-nots, and the solutions provided to close that gap. Reality can be very ugly, and be the basis for an ugly truth, that crack/cocaine stole the hopes and dreams of a society.

The landscapes where most of the events take place, are not stylized and cocaine use was not sensationalized. The character development, supplied in this pilot, prepares us for the horrific ride we are about to embark.

The writing was a mirror reflection of those turbulent times.

My headline says it all. After hearing Rick Ross describe his meeting with Singelton(rip) I can't help but think how great this show could've been with his involvement. Unfortunately it sounds like he was robbed of that. The show holds its own. It's a chapter in American history many are too young or don't know enough about. Every president has their war, Some are just not top headlines. Hopefully the show can educate while being entertaining. So far so good.

So many reviews are personal opinion and copy pasted information summarized from other web pages or straight garbage. I'm sorry, this show is amazing, true to its word, the acting is electrifying, its draws you in so much you are truly hooked. It's not about the drugs than it is the struggle, it's not about the violence than it is the real life struggle we dont realize in our suburban homes, its not about race more than it is about the relationships and how easy going we were to how bad it is now. Its honestly a time machine and peek back into our history not tainted by the news and real look at how we funded wars off the backs of our own.

Started out great and we saw great acting and good story but it deteriorated into hack writing in the last two episodes. When I watched them, I felt like I was watching a series that havingnothing to do with Snowfall. I actually thought I had tuned to the wrong channel. I don't know what possessed the writers to give us a weak ending but I don't care because I'll chalk it up to the first 99% being an 8 and the last 2% being really crappy.

I had to wait for the show to end and reflect on it afterwards before giving a review due to the majority of shows burning out and losing what made them great in the first place but after 6 years I'll say what I said back then, Snowfall is hands down one of the greatest shows I've ever watched in my life and it deserves way more recognition than it gets.

The acting is spectacular especially from Damson Idris who played Franklin Saint so well but that's not taking anything away from the rest of the cast. They all deserve an award for their outstanding performances throughout the 6 seasons.

Watching Franklin rise to a kingpin has been one of the most thrilling and enjoyable rides I've been on and I know I'll be back throughout my life to witness it all again and again.

Honestly If I could give more stars than 10 I would especially after imo one of the realest endings to a show in television history. To me this is up there with the sopranos, the wire and breaking bad and tbh I might just rate Snowfall above all of them.

Shout-out to John Singleton for bringing us one last masterpiece before he left us.

This story is 99 kinds of awesome. Would our government flood our cities with drugs to raise money to fund an op not approved by Congress.

That's the seeming question at the heart of this story. But that's not really the question that needs to be asked.

The real question is "Whether with or without Congress on board, is there anything our government would not do out of the conviction that we are the good guys, and that the ends justifies any and all kinds of means of getting there?" That is the question at the very heart of many, many, many episodes in our history: Vietnam, Iran-Contra, the Iraq war, Native American genocide, Treaty-breaking, Slavery, on and on and on. . . We always claim the high ground. Yet history hugs the low ground. So here's the kicker, if you want to understand the character of an individual, you look into his/her history.

If you want to understand the character of a nation, a people, you look at their history, too.

This is the way. . . .

I think the plot did move pretty quickly through the first episode. There wasn't much time to develop the characters, but the premise had to be set. I understand. There's a lot of background that needs to be filled in, and it has to be done in a way that doesn't slow the story down to a halt. I'm in it for the long-run, though. So far, I like some of the characters, and I enjoyed the visuals. Let's see more!

It could be considered a bold move, putting on a new to air show, with relatively unknown actors, at the same time that big series are coming back and on air, such as Game of Thrones, Ray Donovan, Ballers etc!

But this stands out, not because it's better, those shows are awesome and this is just starting out, but because it has the exact feel, sense, and in fact you can almost smell the authenticity from the outset. That sounds bizarre, I know, it came from my head, but watch an episode and you will know what I mean. It is gritty, holds no punches, but at the same time it isn't that graphically violent, except a couple of places, it leads the viewer into working things out for themselves, pretty much the same way halt and catch fire does, you are left to work things out like a puzzle, with confirmation shortly after and a pat on the back to yourself, which makes for great TV in my opinion!

OK, it is a bit sceptical in places, could a young lad scale the heights he does, but I believe it is more of an overview of what life was like then and how poverty and tough climatic times can make you seek out something that you may otherwise never consider, which is quite in tune for a lot of people these days, one paycheck from the food bank!

Ultimately, this tells a relatively true story, but not centred around specific real life characters, and has a flexible feel to the actual situation back then, but that's drama and it does work out without you thinking, that's just not plausible. I would call this an indie style title, because I suspect it will go unnoticed a lot by people, but maybe a couple of years down the line it will get noticed and become a classic, bit like Banshee became and that bodes well given that it appears to have a second season green lit, which is great considering it was initially a 1 season docu-drama (as I understand)!

Gritty, realistic, and excellently paced.

Season 1 was the introduction/world building season. Season 2 is the ramp up. Season 3 is going to be explosive.

Every episode will suck you in. There's an intersect between The CIA, The Cartel, Franklin Saint's crew, and the way it delineates Iran-Contra and how it wiped out the Black Panthers and infected minority-majority communities with drugs that have perpetuated generational poverty and criminality.

It's a no holds barred white knuckle thrill ride. If you need a well written crime saga, look no further.

Edit: RIP John Singleton. I hope Snowfall sees a third season despite Singleton's death.

Not breaking any new ground technically. Suffers from a lack of continuity in story and period setting. Having grown up in the era under the just say no, except when ollie and ricky dream up a what could go wrong scheme that destroyed cultures and killed millions, this could have been something. It's just not very ambitious. Not to mention, the art design has alot of anachronisms(21st century coifs for some, retro for others, same with clothing). It seems to borrow to the point of cliche from various movies and series that set richer more nuanced senses of place. Same problem seems to plague the acting, good cast but they're not really given much room to stretch in their roles. Cartoons of serious characters, and a lack of tension breaking humor..

The first season was amazing then started to drift away with repetitive scenes. Just overall gets boring after awhile like you sort of know what's going to happen next.

I LOVE this series. At first, I was disinterested in watching until I overheard a radio personality say it was a must- watch. After watching, I totally agree. This series is one of the best out now. It's one of those that keep you excited to see the next episode. Let's hope the nay-sayers don't discourage the series from reairing for other seasons. I love it and encouraged others to watch. Keep up writers, directors, whomever thought to put the info out. Its the truth!!!