Snowfall Season 5: Premiere Date, Cast And Other Quick Things We Know About The FX Series

Damson Idris on Snowfall
(Image credit: FX)

Ever since its launch in July 2017, Snowfall has consistently been one of the most-watched shows on TV and one of the best FX drama series. The sprawling crime drama co-created by Dave Andron, Eric Amadio, and the late John Singleton has consistently delivered one gripping chapter in the saga of drug kingpin Franklin Saint after another, and we’ll soon pick up where things left off with one of the biggest finales of the 2021.

That’s right! Snowfall Season 5 is right around the corner, and we have a decent amount of information about the series, including its release date, cast, and where the show is headed. There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s jump right in…

Damson Idris on Snowfall

(Image credit: FX)

Snowfall Season 5 Premieres February 23 On FX 

Snowfall has long been an anchor of FX’s Wednesday night programming block, and that will continue for another season when the show premieres on February 23. In December 2021, FX announced that Snowfall Season 5 would premiere in a slot it has held since the summer of 2017, and judging by the show’s success in recent years, it will hold that position as long as the series is around.

But, fans who don’t have access to FX through a cable or satellite plan shouldn’t worry all that much because Snowfall Season 5. Like a large portion of the network’s programming, it will be available on Hulu the day after it airs on TV. This means, you can expect to watch Snowfall streaming starting on Thursday, February 24.

The Snowfall cast

(Image credit: FX)

The Snowfall Cast Includes Damson Idris, Carter Hudson And Sergio Peris-Mencheta

When Snowfall Season 5 starts up in February, it will see the return of some of its most prominent stars for another round of hard-hitting drama. Leading the cast once again is series star Damson Idris, who will be portraying young drug kingpin Franklin Saint, who finds himself in a difficult position as the series works its way through the crack cocaine epidemic.

In November 2021, Damson Idris took to Twitter to share a picture of himself alongside co-stars Carter Hudson (the shadowy CIA operative Teddy McDonald) and Sergio Peris-Mencheta (the luchador-turned-enforcer Gustavo “El Oso” Zapata).

Expect to hear more about the rest of the Snowfall Season 5 cast in the coming weeks. 

Cops making an arrest on Snowfall

(Image credit: FX)

Snowfall Season 5 Will Be Set In The Fallout Of Len Bias’ 1986 Cocaine Death And The Creation Of C.R.A.S.H.

One of the most consistent elements of Snowfall has been the passage of time. When the series first started several years ago, its story was set in 1983, and by the time the Season 4 finale aired, the characters were living in 1985 Los Angeles. Well, it looks like we’ll be jumping forward another year in Snowfall Season 5.

In May 2021, series co-creator Dave Andron sat down for a chat with GoldDerby where he alluded to a time jump and what the season will be about, saying:

We’re going to probably, it looks like, jump forward a little bit in time, more than we have maybe in the past to get into the meat of 1986 when the violence was really ramping up, when you really started to feel the full militarization of the LAPD, when the War on Drugs was on its way to reaching its apex.

FX later confirmed that Snowfall Season 5 would be set in the fallout of the tragic death of Len Bias, who overdosed on cocaine shortly after being selected by the Boston Celtics in the 1986 NBA Draft. The season will also detail the creation of the C.R.A.S.H. (Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums) unit. All of this creates one dangerous situation for Franklin Saint and his operation.

Damson Idris on Snowfall

(Image credit: FX)

Snowfall Season 5 Will Consist Of 10 Episodes

Just like the first four seasons of the FX crime drama series, Snowfall Season 5 will consist of 10 one-hour (including commercials) episodes, as was announced by the network in December 2021. A new episode will air each Wednesday and will be available to stream the following day on Hulu.

In the past, people like co-creator John Singleton, Dan Attias, Tanya Hamilton, and Michael Lehmann have all stepped in to direct an episode here and there, but at this time, no directors have been revealed for the show’s next chapter. Expect to hear more about this as we get closer to the show’s return.

The Snowfall Cast

(Image credit: FX)

FX Renewed Snowfall Just A Few Episodes Into Season 4 In March 2021

Although all of the details surrounding Snowfall's new episodes didn’t start to trickle in until the final weeks of 2021, FX officially gave the successful crime drama a Season 5 renewal order before the previous season even wrapped up. In fact, the network had so much faith in the long-running series, it ordered the next chapter just three episodes into the critically acclaimed Snowfall Season 4.

In March 2021, when the announcement came down, Deadline reported that Snowfall had seen tremendous ratings growth in its fourth season and was up 41% over the same period in the previous season, and was averaging 5.1 million viewers on TV and streaming. When sharing the Season 5 release date in late 2021, FX revealed that the show was its most-watched series of the year.

Damson Idris on Snowfall

(Image credit: FX)

The Snowfall Season 5 Trailer Shows Family Drama And Trauma 

Christmas came a little early for those who wanted to get a little taste of the action that will be featured in Snowfall Season 5, as FX uploaded the first teaser trailer on December 23, 2021 to its YouTube page, with the trailer making its TV debut two days later as part of the Christmas Day NBA slate of games on ESPN and ABC. Check it out below:

Despite being only 40 seconds in length, this teaser manages to jam-pack in a lot of family drama and trauma surrounding Franklin Saint and his criminal enterprise, as well as some hard-hitting action, both in Los Angeles and overseas.

This about concludes everything we know about Snowfall Season 5, but expect to hear more about the FX crime drama series as we get closer to its premiere date. And speaking of which, now’s a good a time as any to take a look at our list of all the 2022 TV premiere dates.

Philip Sledge
Content Writer

Philip grew up in Louisiana (not New Orleans) before moving to St. Louis after graduating from Louisiana State University-Shreveport. When he's not writing about movies or television, Philip can be found being chased by his three kids, telling his dogs to stop barking at the mailman, or chatting about professional wrestling to his wife. Writing gigs with school newspapers, multiple daily newspapers, and other varied job experiences led him to this point where he actually gets to write about movies, shows, wrestling, and documentaries (which is a huge win in his eyes). If the stars properly align, he will talk about For Love Of The Game being the best baseball movie of all time.