What Year Is It in Snowfall? A Deep Dive into the Timeline and Impact of the Acclaimed TV Series
1983 – that‘s the year it all began for young dealer Franklin Saint and the residents of South Central LA in the riveting drama Snowfall. But over 6 intense seasons, what span of time does the criminal saga really cover and what key years helped shape its story? As both a historical reimagining of the crack cocaine crisis and a gripping character study, Snowfall gives an unflinching look at how the drug epidemic escalated year by year to devastate communities, families, and lives.
Let‘s take a deep dive into when each dramatic season is set, how the violent drug trade took over LA, and Franklin‘s complex role within it all.
Snowfall Thrusts Us into a Pivotal Year – 1983
It‘s the summer of 1983 when we meet 19-year-old Franklin Saint, working at a local grocery store but hungry for more. Franklin gets his chance when Mexican wrestler Gustavo "El Oso" Zapata introduces the first slivers of crack cocaine into the city on behalf of the Guadalajara cartel. Recognizing the drug’s instantly addictive and lucrative potential, Franklin recruits his friends to start selling it themselves, determined to escape poverty and gain power on his own terms.
1983 proves to be an explosive year, as dealers flood South Central LA with crack while addiction skyrockets. By the Season 1 finale, Franklin is well on his way to becoming the city‘s newest kingpin. Historical context gives Snowfall‘s debut season added gravity – 1983 marked a pivotal moment as harder drugs began replacing PCP and heroin on LA‘s streets just as unemployment and despair were rising in minority neighborhoods. The crack epidemic was barreling towards the city like a Category 5 hurricane.
1984 Welcomes the Full Storm – Crack Hits LA
Season 2 picks up with Franklin now moving serious weight of crack in 1984 as demand explodes. But with uppity gang leaders, violent rivals, and increased police attention threatening his operation, simply surviving day-to-day becomes Franklin‘s focus. Snowfall‘s sophomore year shows the unprecedented severity of crack sweeping the city compared to past drug waves.
The show powerfully captures how quickly addiction can ravage individuals and families. Franklin’s parents slide deeper into their vices while his aunt Louie watches her neighborhood deteriorate. By 1984, crack claimed over 5,000 lives in LA County alone. Assaults, robberies, and burglaries also rose 20-50%. Snowfall offers a fictional lens into the real emerging public health crisis.
The Summer of 1984 Reaches a Boiling Point
Staying in 1984, Snowfall Season 3 focuses on the simmering summer where tensions reach a boiling point. As business booms, Franklin no longer just wants to deal but to be the boss. Rival gangs go to war over control of the trade while police respond with increased brutality. Addict Cissy’s erratic behavior spirals, showing the heart wrenching toll of dependency.
Without glorifying the violence, Snowfall‘s third season suggests the endless cycle many got trapped in once introduced to the highly addictive drug. In real life, the number of ER visits related to crack and cocaine exploded 10x in LA from 1984-1987. Snowfall highlights crack‘s destructive spread across all communities.
1985 Brings New Dangers and Chaos
By Season 4 in 1985, the Saint family has splintered and Franklin‘s empire is in jeopardy. Corrupt CIA agent Teddy McDonald pulls strings to redirect cocaine sales to fund overseas conflicts rather than aid the community like Franklin envisioned. As he fights to regain his throne, Snowfall shows Franklin questioning his God-like power and legacy for the first time.
1985 marked another gut punch year for LA – crack-related homicides tripled while the number of crack babies born jumped 370%. Snowfall refuses to let viewers forget the underlying tragedies even as its characters get caught up in greed and violence.
1986 Starts with the Tables Turned
A cunning Louie has claimed the crown when Snowfall‘s 5th season picks up in 1986 with Franklin dethroned. But through new love interest Veronique, Franklin sees hope of escaping the game for good. However, the sins of his past still haunt him. By now crack has an iron grip on LA, leaving destruction in its wake from Skid Row to Compton.
In real life, the hugely profitable drug market led to increased gang warfare over territory that peaked in the late 80‘s. Snowfall highlights through characters like Louie how neighborhood loyalty eroded, as money became the only driving force.
October 1986 Sets the Stage for a Reckoning
Snowfall‘s 6th and final season opens in October 1986 with the Saint family empire on the verge of collapse. Franklin must reflect on his pursuit of power and its true cost as he watches the community wither.
In reality, open-air drug markets blighted cities from LA to NYC by the mid 80’s as addiction rates hit new highs. Snowfall‘s finale will likely emphasize Franklin’s culpability in fueling a crisis that crossed borders and changed history.
Snowfall Captures History Through One Man‘s Journey
In the end, Snowfall is less about the specifics of each year than one young black man’s intoxicating rise to rule an underground empire in a society that offered him few other opportunities. We witness the allure Franklin feels in going from poverty to practically owning the City of Angels. But through characters like his mother Cissy, Snowfall also reveals the true price communities paid for that temporary power and escape.
From 1983 to 1986, Snowfall packs in the seismic cultural shifts and economic disparities that allowed crack to flourish as it did. But it’s seeing those years through Franklin’s eyes that makes the series so poignant. His ambition, remorse, and ultimate reckoning personalize the systemic failures and racism that catalyzed the drug crisis. Snowfall powerfully distills a painful chapter of history into one unforgettable story.
So while the when matters, it’s the who that gives Snowfall its raw power. Like all great anti-heroes, we can’t take our eyes off Franklin Saint as he struggles between seeking justice and creating chaos. Whatever fate awaits Franklin in that final 1986 episode, his compelling rise and fall will stay with us long after the credits roll.