Snowfall

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.