Snowfall Season 5 - What We Know So Far

After getting off to a somewhat rocky start, FX's Snowfall gradually established itself as one of the most engaging and consistent dramas on TV, bringing a stunning level of intricacy and intensity to every episode without ever straining credibility or losing track of the characters' gripping individual journeys. And the fourth season is shaping up to be the most exciting and nerve-wracking one so far.

After season 3 forced Franklin (Damson Idris) to confront the sheer cost of commandeering a crack dealing operation, season 4 has seen all corners of the trade folding in on Franklin and his associates, from his increasing involvement in the Crips vs. Bloods conflict to the intensification of the LAPD's "war on drugs" efforts to the investigation conducted by Herald Examiner reporter Irene Abe (Suzy Nakamura).

As this batch of episodes comes to a head, fans of the show can feel free to begin speculating about the directions it will take in season 5. Deadline has confirmed that Snowfall has been renewed by FX, following a significant upswing in ratings in the pandemic-delayed fourth season. Here is what we know so far about season 5 of Snowfall.

Updated October 27, 2021: This article has been updated to reflect the resumption of production.

Season 4 of Snowfall was originally supposed to come out in 2020 (via Deadline) before it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and production was shut down temporarily, much like what happened to countless other films and series. As a result, the show wasn't able to stick to its usual July-September timeslot, as it was scheduled to air between February and April of 2021.

In light of this, and with uncertainty still hanging in the air about how safe it will be to continue shooting movies and shows for the next few months, we can probably assume that the show is no longer tied to a summer release schedule as it was in years past. That said, given the previous waiting times between announcement and release were of 11 months for season 2 and nine and a half months for season 3, it would seem that there is plenty enough time for FX to opt between moving Snowfall back to mid-year or maintaining its current February-April time slot.

Therefore, it's likely that season 5 of Snowfall will come out at some point between February and September of 2022. However, we probably won't get an exact date until the season's production schedule solidifies. We do know that the new season is officially back in production, which is a very promising sign. Star Damson Idris tweeted out a shot from the set on October 26 with no caption but a camera emoji.

Snowfall is one of those shows where nobody is safe, and that has become especially true in season 4. There's no real telling, at any given point, who we'll be seeing again in the next episode. If things keep going as they are, the only season 5 presence that's somewhat safe to cinch is Damson Idris himself, both because so much of the show still revolves around Franklin and because the real-life inspiration behind the character, "Freeway" Rick Ross, eventually served a prison sentence and is, in fact, alive to this day (via Showbiz CheatSheet). Per Deadline, we will also see the addition of Clarice's Devyn Tyler as a new series regular named Veronique. Veronique will apparently bring a sophisticated sensibility to the world of Snowfall, with brains matched only by her drive to succeed.

Assuming the rest of season 4's principal cast remains, that would mean a return of Carter Hudson, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Michael Hyatt, Isaiah John, Amin Joseph, and Kevin Carroll for season 5. And, as recurring players go, Melvin Gregg, Geffri Maya, De'Aundre Bonds, and Suzy Nakamura have been prominent enough that it wouldn't be surprising if they came back as well, though Nakamura's character is in a rather precarious standing at the moment from a plot perspective.

In a lot of ways, season 4 of Snowfall has been surprisingly definitive, tracking the implosion of the house of cards built in collaboration between Franklin and the CIA. The dogged determination of Irene Abe throughout the season has finally resulted in her exposé of the operation getting published. Now, it remains to be seen whether that will lead to further investigations and total calamity for Franklin, Teddy, and the others, or if the parties involved will find a way to hush Irene up. Even if they do manage to shake the Herald Examiner and the government off their trail, some damage will be irrevocable. The escalating tensions between Franklin, Manboy, and Skully guarantee that it won't be smooth sailing for any of the characters going forward.

What seems certain about the future of Snowfall is that, if seasons 1 to 4 have been the "rise" portion of this story, with the crack boom propelling the characters higher and higher up, we're on the cusp of witnessing the fall. From The Shield to Breaking Bad, there's a storied tradition of crime dramas using their latter seasons to bear witness as the protagonists' actions finally catch up to them. Actor Isaiah John seemed to confirm as much, when he told N'Style Atlanta, "I feel like Leon is mentally going through it this season because now you know he was going to take the fall for what he felt responsible for, and Franklin kind of talked him out of it."

After taking a slow-burn approach to the horrors of the crack epidemic for most of its run, it seems inevitable that Snowfall should be heading the way of its genre forebears in the final stretch.