scicero1
So many reviews are personal opinion and copy pasted information summarized from other web pages or straight garbage. I'm sorry, this show is amazing, true to its word, the acting is electrifying, its draws you in so much you are truly hooked. It's not about the drugs than it is the struggle, it's not about the violence than it is the real life struggle we dont realize in our suburban homes, its not about race more than it is about the relationships and how easy going we were to how bad it is now. Its honestly a time machine and peek back into our history not tainted by the news and real look at how we funded wars off the backs of our own.
ssim124
When a show hold my attention from the first episode, Snowfall did it.
jonmccann
It could be considered a bold move, putting on a new to air show, with relatively unknown actors, at the same time that big series are coming back and on air, such as Game of Thrones, Ray Donovan, Ballers etc!But this stands out, not because it's better, those shows are awesome and this is just starting out, but because it has the exact feel, sense, and in fact you can almost smell the authenticity from the outset. That sounds bizarre, I know, it came from my head, but watch an episode and you will know what I mean. It is gritty, holds no punches, but at the same time it isn't that graphically violent, except a couple of places, it leads the viewer into working things out for themselves, pretty much the same way halt and catch fire does, you are left to work things out like a puzzle, with confirmation shortly after and a pat on the back to yourself, which makes for great TV in my opinion!OK, it is a bit sceptical in places, could a young lad scale the heights he does, but I believe it is more of an overview of what life was like then and how poverty and tough climatic times can make you seek out something that you may otherwise never consider, which is quite in tune for a lot of people these days, one paycheck from the food bank!Ultimately, this tells a relatively true story, but not centred around specific real life characters, and has a flexible feel to the actual situation back then, but that's drama and it does work out without you thinking, that's just not plausible. I would call this an indie style title, because I suspect it will go unnoticed a lot by people, but maybe a couple of years down the line it will get noticed and become a classic, bit like Banshee became and that bodes well given that it appears to have a second season green lit, which is great considering it was initially a 1 season docu-drama (as I understand)!
Billy Jason
I find the objections that this show tells a the story about the origins of crack cocaine in the inner cities hypercritical since breaking bad used meth as a gimmick and actually glorified the potential profits you could make in that industry. The story about crack is one about the social and economic environment during that time in the inner cities and how it effected everyone who lived in those areas. It should be told. The show definitely has enough moments to keep me watching but overall it's a disappointment. The acting is hacky. Avi for example chews up every scene he's in. We get it. He's wacky and dangerous. The actor doesn't pull it off and instead of being impulsive and menacing he comes off as trying too hard and as a joke. Overall, the acting with two exceptions, franklin and cissy, are either way over the top or too self conscious. They don't seem authentic.The show has a great soundtrack, and often the right inner city 1980 vibe. The story is muddled. There are many stories, four main ones, about a dealer, distributors, king pin, and CIA. Yet with so much going on it seems empty. They make a lot of noise, maybe to distract from the reality, they don't have a lot to say. Which is s shame cause there should be too much material to fill 12 episodes. There are moments, like when franklin is waiting for the bus in the hot sun and buys a motorcycle that work. That's why he's doing this. To get rid of the shame of poverty and to feel liberated. The near riot at the apartment complex cissy works at reveals the racial tension in the city and foreshadows the riots to come.Moments like these make you hope the characters and actors will feel comfortable inside their roles and a good coherent story is told thru them. So far most of the time it is failing.