---
title: "Snowpiercer"
year: 2020
kind: "series"
canonical: "https://film.one/tv/snowpiercer-2020"
fi1m_id: "snowpiercer-2020"
imdb_id: "tt6156584"
tmdb_id: 79680
wikidata_id: "Q60691083"
fi1m_score: 63
critics_score: 59
critics_reviews: 14
published: "2026-09-23T11:43:54.150795+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-23T11:44:37.607583+00:00"
region: "NO"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Snowpiercer (2020)

Created by Graeme Manson, Josh Friedman · Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama

## Identity

Snowpiercer

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/snowpiercer-2020
- **Type:** Series
- **Fi1m ID:** snowpiercer-2020
- **IMDb ID:** tt6156584
- **TMDB ID:** 79680
- **Wikidata ID:** Q60691083
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6156584/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/79680, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60691083

**Fi1m score: 63** · Critics 59 from 14 reviews

*In a sentence:* Jennifer Connelly makes a train’s internal politics more interesting than its murder mystery

> *Snowpiercer* makes an uneven detective drama out of its class-divided train, with Jennifer Connelly supplying much of the interest. The first season becomes absorbing, but its solemn dialogue and slow start make that improvement harder work than it should be.

## Synopsis

A murder investigation unfolds aboard Snowpiercer, a giant train whose passengers are divided by class. Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs), Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly) and Bess Till (Mickey Sumner) are among the people caught up in the case and the conflicts surrounding it. The search for answers brings the train’s unequal society into view, with relationships, rival interests and questions of survival complicating the inquiry. Layton has to pursue the mystery within that divided community, where identifying a killer is only one of the problems facing the passengers.

## Review

The first season of [*Snowpiercer*](https://film.one/film/snowpiercer) is decent science-fiction television with an opening that makes it unnecessarily difficult to settle in. Creators Josh Friedman and Graeme Manson turn a giant train divided by class into the setting for a murder inquiry, introducing its passengers through their competing interests. It is a workable way to introduce a complicated society. Too often, though, the investigation takes precedence over the people whose lives ought to make us care about the answer.

The difficulty is not the mixture of detective fiction and social conflict; those ought to suit each other. A closed community can make every question awkward, particularly when some passengers have more power than others. Here the early episodes spend too much time explaining people through dialogue and backstory, with a solemnity that makes the stranger material feel oddly routine. We grew impatient with the murder inquiry because those explanations kept interrupting the more interesting business of discovering how the train’s society worked.

Jennifer Connelly gives us something worth watching while the plotting finds its pace. As Melanie Cavill, she makes the character’s coldness interesting enough to hold our attention even when the dialogue is doing little to help. Daveed Diggs brings conviction to Andre Layton, and Mickey Sumner makes Bess Till a welcome presence in an ensemble that is not always given enough room to develop. Their acting keeps relationships worth following through stretches when the investigation itself feels less urgent.

The production design team, including Barry Robison, makes the train worth exploring. The sets make the differences between passengers easier to grasp than some of the dialogue does, giving the class conflict a convincing physical setting. The cinematography, with John Grillo among those credited, supports the drama’s serious tone without being especially playful. That restraint helps make the peculiar premise credible. It also becomes a limitation when the writing needs something beyond competent images to distinguish its familiar detective business.

The editing team includes Marta Evry and Jay Prychidny, but the early storytelling has a stop-start rhythm that the cutting cannot disguise. The inquiry repeatedly has to accommodate another explanation before it can move forward. Music credited to The Haxan Cloak and Bear McCreary suits the prevailing seriousness, though the drama hardly needs more encouragement to insist that everything matters. Less emphasis might have made the shifts between crime story, survival drama and social satire feel less laboured, and left more room for the premise’s absurdity.

The first season improves when it gives more attention to its characters and the arrangements keeping this society going. Its longer form begins to feel useful, allowing relationships to complicate the class conflict rather than merely illustrate it. There is more to Melanie Cavill than the initial chill suggests, and the increased attention to her gives the drama a firmer centre. By then, the passengers have become sufficiently interesting that an episode need not depend entirely on the strength of its next investigative development.

The series is most persuasive as science-fiction television when it asks how people with different interests can go on living together. That question gives its enclosed setting a purpose beyond providing a list of suspects, although the stiff conversations remain an obstacle. Try it for the people and their competing claims on the train; expect the detective work to test your patience.

*Fi1m score 63, published 23 September 2026.*

## Straight answers

**Is Snowpiercer worth watching?**

*Snowpiercer* is worth trying for patient science-fiction viewers interested in class conflict and character drama; we score it 63/100. Jennifer Connelly supplies much of the interest, and the first season becomes absorbing as the passengers’ relationships develop, but the slow murder inquiry and solemn dialogue make it harder work than it should be.

**Where can I watch Snowpiercer in Norway?**

*Snowpiercer* is not on any streaming or rental service in Norway at the moment. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is Snowpiercer, and is it suitable for children?**

*Snowpiercer* carries a UK 18 certificate and a US TV-MA rating, making it an adult series rather than suitable viewing for children. Its murder investigation and survival conflicts establish a serious premise, but we cannot offer a precise guide to violence or frightening scenes beyond the adult classification.

### Reviews we read (14)

- **The Guardian** (77/100, inferred): The critic finds the series a highly watchable piece of trashy comfort viewing, turning the premise into a steampunk police procedural on a giant train. It is praised for delivering diverting episodic storytelling suited to lockdown viewing despite bypassing the deeper allegory of its sources. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/may/25/snowpiercer-review-steampunk-law-order-is-a-trashy-treat)
- **Empire**, James Dyer (65/100, inferred): The TV adaptation lacks the propulsion and punch of the film but delivers an enjoyable, absorbing sci-fi procedural with good supporting characters and expanded mythology. It is recommended as lockdown entertainment despite being po-faced. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/snowpiercer-season-1/)
- **The i Paper**, Barbara Speed (3/5): The series is a schlocky, defanged reboot of the source material that turns the class allegory into a murder mystery. Strong set design and Jennifer Connelly's icy performance stand out as highlights. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/snowpiercer-netflix-review-bong-joon-ho-schlocky-defanged-reboot-original-430997)
- **Vulture** (60/100, inferred): The series starts out shaky and only becomes compelling midway through, averaging out to halfway decent rather than great. It fails to fully tap into the zeitgeist despite its themes, though relatable elements and strong performances, particularly Jennifer Connelly's, provide some appeal. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2020/05/snowpiercer-tv-series-review.html)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Daniel Fienberg (50/100, inferred): TNT’s adaptation is a tonally uneven, narratively confusing mess with half-developed characters and incomplete satire, though it is not awful. Solid production values, some strong performances, and moments of giddy lunacy help it settle into a watchable rhythm after early episodes. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/snowpiercer-review-1294195/)
- **The Times**, Liam Fay (47/100, inferred): The critic describes the series as a floridly bonkers and clumsily assembled saga that yokes together mismatched genres with erratic tone. It is faulted for a futile attempt to make the cartoonish premise feel gritty, resulting in a long bumpy ride with only modest reward. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/tv-review-snowpiercer-david-brophys-unsung-heroes-letters-from-lockdown-the-peoples-news-m0j28lsqk)
- **Radio Times** (2/5): The Netflix series fails to live up to Bong Joon-ho’s 2013 film, lacking its gleefully bonkers energy and feeling unnatural in dialogue and execution. Strong set design and themes of inequality are noted but do not compensate. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/snowpiercer-review-netflix/)
- **Variety** (40/100, inferred): The series emphasizes its weird premise but suffers from dull dialogue, backstories, and a florid, melodramatic tone that undercuts its neo-noir ambitions. It glides too easily without the thrill or bite of the source material. [Read](https://variety.com/2020/tv/reviews/snowpiercer-show-review-1234601952/)
- **Den of Geek**, Michael Ahr (4.5/5): The adaptation succeeds as a compelling drama exploring class conflicts, survival, and conspiracies with top-notch performances from Daveed Diggs and Jennifer Connelly. Varied action sequences and shifting focuses on mysteries and relationships keep viewers engaged throughout the season. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/snowpiercer-review-spoiler-free/)
- **Paste**, Jim Vorel (80/100, inferred): The series exceeded expectations as one of 2020's most captivating dramas by using its runtime to expand the mythology and moral complexities rather than trying to replicate the film. It singles out the shift in focus toward Jennifer Connelly's Melanie Cavill as a key strength in character building. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/snowpiercer/snowpiercer-season-one-review-explained-season-2)
- **NME**, Beth Webb (76/100, inferred): The series turns the story into a noirish detective drama that expands the train's world and class dynamics across its episodes. It singles out Jennifer Connelly's compelling performance as Melanie and Daveed Diggs' lead role for particular praise while noting some inconsistency in episode quality. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/snowpiercer-review-netflix-tv-2671119)
- **Consequence** (75/100, inferred): The series keeps an addictive first season moving with its murder-mystery device and deep exploration of the train's society. It singles out the strong performances by Jennifer Connelly and Daveed Diggs for keeping viewers engaged despite some simplifications and pacing shifts. [Read](https://consequence.net/2020/05/tv-review-snowpiercer/)
- **Collider**, Allie Gemmill (C): The adaptation struggles to find momentum in its early episodes and feels like a frustrating exercise compared to the original film. It praises the strong performances from Jennifer Connelly, Daveed Diggs, and Mickey Sumner as bright spots amid the issues. [Read](https://collider.com/snowpiercer-tnt-tv-show-review/)
- **The Ringer**, Miles Surrey (30/100, inferred): The TNT series is a mediocre, unmemorable basic-cable drama that fails to capture the eccentric energy or visual flair of Bong Joon-ho’s original film. The reviewer singles out its conventional murder-mystery setup and lack of the source material’s bleak humor as key shortcomings. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2020/05/15/tv/snowpiercer-tnt-bong-joon-ho-parasite)

## Details

- **Created by:** Graeme Manson, Josh Friedman
- **Creator:** Graeme Manson, Josh Friedman
- **Director:** Christoph Schrewe, Leslie Hope, James Hawes, Erica A. Watson, Joe Menendez, Sam Miller, Clare Kilner, Rebecca Rodriguez, Fred Toye, Helen Shaver, David Frazee, Everardo Gout
- **Writer:** Tina de la Torre, Paul Zbyszewski, Ian Sobel, John F. Corcoran, Michael Bhim, Iden Baghdadchi
- **Story:** Tina de la Torre, Graeme Manson, Hiram Martinez, Josh Friedman
- **Teleplay:** Tina de la Torre, Graeme Manson, Aubrey Nealon, Renée St. Cyr, Donald Joh, Tiffany Ezuma, Paul Zbyszewski, Kiersten Van Horne, Zak Schwartz, Chinaka Hodge, Ian Sobel, John F. Corcoran, Michael Bhim, Iden Baghdadchi, Hiram Martinez, Marisha Mukerjee, Mateja Božičević, Liam Fearnley, Lizzie Mickery
- **Cinematography:** John Grillo, Thomas Burstyn, Yaron Levy, Trig Singer, Jaime Reynoso
- **Editor:** Jay Prychidny, Cheryl Potter, Marta Evry, Jamie Alain, John Nicholls, D. Gillian Truster, Nicholas Wong, Steve Polivka, Allan Lee, Justin Li
- **Music:** The Haxan Cloak, Bear McCreary
- **Production design:** Stephen Geaghan, Barry Robison, Zack Grobler
- **Producer:** Holly Redford, Alissa Bachner, Jiwon Park
- **Cast:** Daveed Diggs as Andre Layton; Jennifer Connelly as Melanie Cavill; Mickey Sumner as Bess Till; Alison Wright as Ruth Wardell; Iddo Goldberg as Bennett Knox; Roberto Urbina as Javier de La Torre; Rowan Blanchard as Alexandra Cavill; Lena Hall as Miss Audrey
- **Release (Norway):** 17 May 2020
- **Genres:** Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e8m6e4BX7g

## Where to watch in Norway

Not streaming, renting or buying in Norway at the last check.

## If you liked this

- *The Prisoner* (1967): Another enclosed society where apparently reasonable rules make individual freedom increasingly difficult.
- *High-Rise* (2015): Class divisions become architecture, with nastier humour and less interest in detective work.
- *The Platform* (2019): A harsher confined-space allegory about unequal resources and the excuses people make.
- *3%* (2016): Competition for privilege turns survival drama into a sustained examination of inequality.
- *Silo* (2023): A sealed community, institutional secrets and an investigation that threatens the accepted order.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/snowpiercer-2020