Snowfall Season 3 of the critically acclaimed crime drama television series, premiered its third season on July 10, 2019. Created by John Singleton, Eric Amadio, and Dave Andron, this series continues to delve into the 1980s crack epidemic in Los Angeles. Snowfall Season 3’s release followed the show’s increasing popularity and the audience’s anticipation for the further unraveling of the narrative.
The brainchild of John Singleton, Eric Amadio, and Dave Andron, Snowfall is a crime drama television series that was first shown on the Showtime Network in 2014 before it was later picked up by Walt Disney Television’s FX in September 2016.
The show, which is set in 80s Los Angeles, centers on the surge of crack cocaine use in the city and its impact on the culture and inhabitants. It follows the lives of four characters; teenage drug dealer Franklin Saint, CIA operative Teddy McDonald, Mexican wrestler Gustavo “El Oso” Zapata, and the niece of a Mexican crime boss Lucia Villanueva, whose lives intersect as the plot unravels.
Read on to find out all the information you need to know about the third season of the TV series, including its release date, rumors and updates, and other facts.
Snowfall Season 3 Release Date
“Snowfall,” the crime drama television series set in Los Angeles in 1984, depicting the early days of the crack cocaine epidemic, released its third season on July 10, 2019.
On September 19, 2018, a day before the 10th and final episode of the second season titled “Education” aired, it was announced that Snowfall was renewed for a third season. The Co-President of Original Programming for FX Networks and FX Productions, Eric Schrier, spoke about his joy of seeing Snowfall’s audience and critical acclaim grow in its second season. He added that the creative team had done an excellent and fantastic job and the network “has high hopes for season three.”
Snowfall Season 3 Storyline
Snowfall season 3 will be taking place in the year 1984, a time in which the crack epidemic in South Central Los Angeles was at an all-time high. As a result of the increased number of social consequences that the crack epidemic brought along with it, such as increased crime and violence, the LA police department has begun to take a look at the growing epidemic and those who are benefitting from it.
One police officer who takes the issue very close to heart is Franklin Saint’s neighbor, Sergeant Andre Wright, who begins to pay very close attention to the budding drug lord, threatening to shine a light and bring an end to his business.
While the LAPD and Sergeant Wright are working rounding the clock to quench the proverbial fire of crack sweeping the city, another of the show’s main character, CIA operative Teddy McDonald, finds himself in a bit of a twist as he and the agency has to work twice as much as before in order to make sure that the flow of cocaine into Los Angeles does not come to a stop anytime soon. He does so by using Gustavo “El Oso” Zapata to find new routes into the United States to continue America’s funding of the war against communism in Central America as the DEA intensifies its efforts to clamp down on the inflow of drugs.
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Snowfall Rumours and Updates
The Show will Continue Despite the Death of one of its Creators
While going about the production of Snowfall Season 3, the Snowfall family was thrown into mourning after one of the creators of the show, John Singleton, who also served as director and executive producer, passed away after complications following a stroke.
Singleton had reported experiencing weakness in his legs after returning back home from a trip to Costa Rica. He suffered a stroke on April 17, 2019, and was placed under intensive care at Cedars-Sinai Hospital. About a week later, his condition worsened as he slipped into a coma. After having spent three days on life support, he was unplugged from the machine and he died. John Singleton, who made history as the youngest filmmaker and first Black person ever to be nominated for an Academy Award, was survived by his mother, father, and seven children. He died aged 51.
Some of Singleton’s best known work includes directing the cult classic film Boyz n the Hood (1991), which earned him a Best Director Academy Award nomination, Poetic Justice (1993), Shaft (2000), Baby Boy (2001), 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), and Four Brothers (2005).
Speaking on the loss of John Singleton, Executive Producer of Snowfall, Trevor Engelson, said that every single member of the Snowfall family is sad about the loss of someone who justified his name on the billing of the show by having a hands-on approach to everything. “He was in the writer’s room, he was on set, he put his stamp on everything,” said Engelson.
However, Engelson noted that they would all be moving forward with the project because that would be what the multi-talented film director, screenwriter, and producer would have wanted. He went on to add that the actors carried on with their work as if John was there to push them with his well-known phrase, “Use that real-life emotion in your performance.”
Snowfall Cast
Damson Idris as Franklin Saint
Leading the cast for Snowfall season 3 will once again be English television, film and stage actor Damson Idris who plays the role of a 19-year-old drug dealer named Franklin Saint. In the previous seasons, Saint gets involved in the drug world when he starts selling crack cocaine. He went on to become a heavyweight in the game and would now be looking to cement his status as a drug lord in South Central Los Angeles.
Carter Hudson as Teddy McDonald
Carter Hudson will continue to play the role of a CIA operative Teddy McDonald who is working undercover for the American government by running a secret drug ring in order to fund foreign insurgents.
Emily Rios as Lucia Villanueva
Actress and model Emily Rios plays Lucia Villanueva, a self-obsessed daughter of a Mexican crime boss whose own father feared her ambition.
Sergio Peris-Mencheta as Gustavo “El Oso” Zapata
Sergio Peris-Mencheta plays Gustavo Zapata, mostly referred to as El Oso, a former Mexican luchador (lucha libre wrestler) turned enforcer.
Amin Joseph as Jerome Saint
American actor and producer Amin Joseph plays the character of Jerome Saint, Franklin’s uncle who now works with his nephew to expand their budding drug business.
Michael Hyatt as Cissy Saint
British-born American actress Michael Hyatt plays the role of Franklin’s mother Cissy Saint, a pragmatic and hard-working mother who desires the best for her son but is against his involvement in the drug world.
Angela Lewis as Aunt Louie
Angela Lewis plays Franklin’s Aunt Louie, Jerome’s long-suffering girlfriend who left her past wildlife as a party girl to get deeply involved in her nephew’s drug business.
Isaiah John as Leon Simmons
Isiah John plays the role of one of Franklin’s best friends named Leon Simmons, who has now become one of the budding drug lord’s trusted lieutenants.
Alon Moni Aboutboul as Avi Dexter
Israeli actor Alon Aboutboul plays the role of a respected drugs and arms dealer named Avi Drexler. Drexler and Franklin’s dealings intertwine all through the series, from Franklin once selling drugs for him to him now helping the teenager put away his money.
Other actors who make appearances on the show include Kevin Carroll who plays Franklin’s estranged father, Alton Saint; Jonathan Tucker who plays Teddy’s brother, Matt McDonald; Adriana DeGirolami as undercover DEA agent Soledad; DeRay Davis as Jerome and Franklin’s bodyguard Peaches. Marcus Henderson plays Sergeant Andre Wright, the father to Franklin’s on-again, off-again girlfriend Melody Wright, who is played by Reign Edwards.
Gustavo “El Oso” Zapata Death
There is a rumor floating on the internet that actor Sergio Peris-Mencheta will not be playing the main role in the third season of Snowfall. Viewers of episode nine of the second season of the show will recall that the former Mexican wrestler was badly injured from an attack by another Mexican drug dealer who was eventually killed by Lucia. It is said that Oso did not survive the ordeal, however, not more was revealed about the character as the second season came to an abrupt end after the tenth episode.
While this theory has been floating around, it is important to note that Oso has been said to play a role in helping Teddy smuggle drugs into the United States. With there being the very little information available about the upcoming season, many continue to wonder what the creators of the show have in store for us.
Snowfall is one of the Most Popular Shows on FX
Of all the television series’ that are on FX, Snowfall remains one of the most popular shows on the network. This is despite the fact that the ratings for the second season obtained a decline in comparison to its pilot season, a bad sign for any show looking to get renewed by a network.
A sign that network executives were somewhat impressed by the show was the fact that the president of FX congratulated the whole Snowfall production team for its creativity, which was very apparent in the second season. While the network admitted that there was a decline in ratings, it reported that there was a significant increase in the number of audience and critics of the show. With that, the network is expecting a much-improved rating when Snowfall Season 3 premiers.