The 'Snowfall' Season 3 Finale Isn't The End Of The Story

The third season of Snowfall finishes up on FX with "Other Lives," a finale that promises lasting change in South Central. The episode summary indicates that Franklin (Damson Idris) will walk "a different path" than the one he's been on so far, but it's not clear exactly what that means. The good news is, Snowfall will return for Season 4, so the show will have enough time to explore the fallout from whatever Franklin decides.

The renewal news was announced in early August, per Variety, at the Television Critics Association summer press tour. Season 4 is set to premiere in 2020, though an exact date has yet to be released. But looking at past premieres could give viewers some idea of when to expect new episodes. Snowfall has stuck to roughly the same schedule for the past three years: each season premieres in July and concludes in September. If the same remains true of Season 4, then fans can probably expect it in July 2020. That's a little under a year away, making for a lengthy wait. But at least new episodes are a guarantee; you can go into the Snowfall Season 3 finale with the knowledge that more is forthcoming, eventually. You won't find yourself stuck on a cliffhanger that will never be resolved.

Nick Grad, the president of original programming at FX, shared a statement about the show with The Hollywood Reporter. "Snowfall has continued its creative leap forward this season with the hard work and contributions of John Singleton and the brilliant performance of Damson Idris," Grad said. "We are grateful to [executive producers] Dave Andron, Thomas Schlamme, Michael London, Trevor Engelson, and Walter Mosley for honoring John's legacy through their commitment to building on the artistic excellence of Snowfall with a fourth season on FX."

News of the show's renewal arrived several months after the death of co-creator John Singleton in April 2019. He had suffered a stroke, as reported by The New York Times. His co-creators Eric Amadio and Dave Andron will continue with the show, with Andron as the showrunner. "Nothing too drastic will change," Andron told The Wrap while discussing what would happen to the show without Singleton. "At this point, having had four years with him thinking about the show, talking about the show, knowing the place in his heart that it came from... I think we feel pretty comfortable telling the story that he wanted to tell."

Andron also revealed that he and Singleton had a five year plan for Snowfall, so if it continues to be a success for FX, then it might be renewed for a fifth season as well. It's a little too early to make that call, but it seems like there would be enough material for Season 5 if it ended up happening.

In the same interview with The Wrap, Idris said that he still felt Singleton's presence strongly on the set. "I'd say that he's still there," Idris said. "We still keep a chair on set with his name on it, and he's empowered all of us to keep going on and keep creating the greatness that is Snowfall."

That story will continue in a fourth season, though it'll be quite a few months before it makes it to your TV screen.

The Snowfall Season 3 finale airs on FX on Sept. 11 t 10 p.m. ET.