‘Snowfall’

I haven’t seen many people mention watching Snowfall, both seasons of which were shown on BBC Two in the UK, which felt like an odd home. It’s 1980s drug-running in Los Angeles, co-created by John Singelton.

We’ve just finished season two, and it’s still pretty good. It zips along, jumping between three interrelated groups of people and those around them: young black guys selling the new crack cocaine on the streets; Mexican-Americans importing cocaine; and a white CIA operative importing drugs to raise money for the US government’s wars in South America.

It has good performances, it looks striking, and it gets you rooting for characters who are only heroes in as much as they’re slightly less compromised than some of the others. It doesn’t dwell on many of the wider consequences of the characters’ activity; it doesn’t deal with Big Issues like The Wire. And it’s not as tense as, say, The Shield. And it’s not as fun or witty as something like Justified. But it’s still entertaining and I’m glad there’ll be a third season.