#’Snowfall’ EP Says ‘Gang Wars Are Ramping Up,’ Plus He Teases a New Moral Center

When this gripping coming-of-age drama set against South Central Los Angeles’ 1980s crack epidemic returns for Season 4, young drug entrepreneur Franklin Saint (Damson Idris) is on the mend after being shot. To recap: His longtime love, Melody (Reign Edwards), retaliated for Franklin killing her father, a hard-nosed cop. Now, a different kind of heat is on.

“Gang wars are ramping up,” explains Snowfall exec producer Dave Andron. “Franklin still lives in this delusion that he can control things — if everybody does what he tells them, they’ll all make money and nobody will get hurt. That’s just not people.”

Feeling responsible for the escalating violence, Franklin makes a calculated move involving rival leaders Manboy (Melvin Gregg) and Skully (De’Aundre Bonds) to squash it. As South Central explodes, investigative reporter Irene Abe (Suzy Nakamura) emerges as the show’s new moral center.

“She’s ambitious, but she’s someone who genuinely cares. She’s watching the neighborhood change and trying to understand it,” Andron says, hinting that she’ll sniff out the “bigger people” aiding Franklin’s rise, like CIA agent Teddy McDonald (Carter Hudson). “She finds her way right into the thick of all of them.”

Snowfall, Season 4 Premiere, Wednesday, February 24, 10/9c, FX