Snowfall
A look into one of the best drama tv shows
What is Snowfall?
Set in the 1980s Los Angeles, the TV drama follows protagonist Franklin Saint and the beginning of his ambitious drug empire in order to provide for his family and future. Franklin meets with a CIA agent named Teddy McDonald who he begins his business along with and together they plague crack cocaine throughout the world which starts the beginning of the crack cocaine epidemic. Throughout the series Franklin is involved with lots of success and failure. Along with having to deal with gang wars and people trying to tear down his business. Franklin continues to expand his business until he decides to opt out of it once he believes he has provided enough for the future of his family and himself.
Snowfall Cast
Franklin gets multiple people involved with his plans whether it's intentional or not, Such as his friends Leon & Kevin and family Cissy & Jerome. Along with them, CIA Agent Teddy McDonald and affiliated Villaneuva Cartel member Gustavo become involved with Franklins plans as a way to help each others goals.
Lead Actors
Damson Idris - Franklin Saint
Isaiah John - Leon Simmons
Angela Lewis - Aunt Loui
Amin Joseph - Jerome Saint
Carter Hudson - Teddy McDonald
Sergio Peris Mencheta - Gustavo Zapata
Michael Hyatt - Cissy Saint
Gavin Bean - Wanda Bell
Devyn Tyler - Veronique
Scriptwriter
John Singleton, Eric Amadio, Walter Mosley and Dave Andron were all involved with the creation of the show. Mosley commented on a press tour saying that John Singleton gave the writing team everything needed for the show to become successful in order to carry on without his council after his passing in 2019.
"He gave us the show" whenever they had ideas and discussions about the show there were never feuds or disagreements. More of affirming the ideas of each other and looking in to see if it could be expanded upon. John Singleton had given them everything they needed to know about the shows direction.
Featured films from John Singleton
- Boyz N the Hood
- Rosewood
- Baby Boy
Director Of Photography/ Cinematographer
The first two seasons were shot by Jeffrey Greeley and John Lindley ASC, which had a bold style in which wowed the future replacement Tommy Maddox-Upshaw. He began his work in season 3 along with cinematographer Elliot Rockett and wanted to stay with the vision he had seen from the first two seasons, but with his own stamp. Both Singleton and Maddox-Upshaw had visualized what Snowfalls's focus was on, since both had experiences relating to the environment during the crack cocaine epidemic. Maddox-Upshaw stated it to be "violent" and "polarizing" since there was profit being made from what was causing destruction towards neighborhoods.
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Featured films from Tommy Maddox-Upshaw
- A Star is born
- Iron man 2
- Straight out of Compton
Production Designer
There's very few information about snowfalls production designers, but one that has worked for all six seasons of snowfall is Thomas Voth.
Featured films from Thomas Voth
- White Men Can’t Jump
- Driven starring Jason Sudeikis
- Jonathan Mostow’s Hunter’s Prayer
Watch Snowfall
Snowfall is one of those shows where from start to finish, is phenomenal. With perfect pacing and a great cast, Snowfall matches all the boxes of a great show. Its coverage on political issues surrounding communities that were affected
from the Crack Cocaine Epidemic and how it ties up to Franklin Saint is perfect. From season 1 to the finale, you see the drastic change of the entire cast and how much the drug business and violence really changed them. The conclusion was the perfect way to send off both the show and its protagonist. It fits what the show was trying to achieve and is put into one Masterpiece of an episode ("The Struggle" - EP10 S6), along with one of the most sensational acting performances ever from Damson Idris.
