Snowfall

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.

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!