By Published Apr 2, 2026, 9:30 PM EDT
Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant's Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones.
You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, "Movie Monsters of the Deep."
Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant.
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often show a surprising amount of versatility, with avoiding the temptation to make the end of days a depressing place, or simply copying Mad Max. On the other hand, the dystopian subgenre seemingly has less opportunity to get creative, with most shows being set in cyberpunk capitalist nightmares with similar aesthetics.
That said, occasionally a show arrives that changes the game for its genre and is set to inspire future series. While excellent ratings from audiences and critics are not always essential when this happens, it helps when the show is actually good, and fulfilled this, at least for the first two seasons, which are often .
Snowpiercer's Setting Was An Ambitious Feat For The Sci-Fi Dystopian Genre
Snowpiercer is a rare , as it was based on a 1982 French graphic novel named Le Transperceneige. The source material inspired Bong Joon-ho's 2013 dystopian movie masterpiece, Snowpiercer, as well as the TV show of the same name, and while all three vary in quality, they have the same unusual location.
Snowpiercer is set seven years after the world we know has been buried by a second Ice Age, and the last remaining survivors all live on a gigantic high-speed train that perpetually circles the globe. The story follows these passengers and explores real-world issues like class warfare, social justice, and the drive for survival, confined within this one claustrophobic setting.
There are some , and Bong Joon-ho's Snowpiercer movie was outstanding, earning a 94% positive critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, while setting a two-hour movie on a train is one thing, setting a four-season TV show with 40 episodes in the same place is an incredibly ambitious and risky feat, yet it worked.
Why Snowpiercer Is Still Worth Watching Despite Ending In 2026
Snowpiercer's unusual location alone makes it well worth watching, but it is also a . The show is a mix of genres that combines a murder mystery and social commentary, and the fact that this all takes place on a giant train is truly unique in the dystopian TV genre.
The first two series maintained a claustrophobic atmosphere that made all the action seem much more intense, and while the last two seasons are considered to have drastically declined in quality, the show is still an exciting concept. The population on the train is divided along the lines of social class, and Snowpiercer's story follows the lower class revolution against the corrupt elites.
Even during the third and fourth season of Snowpiercer, the acting saves the show. The final two seasons were both criticized for poor writing, inconsistent pacing, and illogical character choices that seemed to weaken the social commentary aspect, but Daveed Diggs and Jennifer Connolly were both praised for their performances and the way their characters' relationship evolved over the course of the show.
All 4 Seasons Of Snowpiercer Are Available On Tubi To Watch For Free
While streaming giants like Netflix, Apple TV, and Prime Video tend to get the most attention for their excellent sci-fi TV shows, . Netflix's reputation for canceling excellent series before their time is starting to damage its reputation in sci-fi, and while Apple TV is home to some sci-fi masterpieces, it is missing many great shows.
Tubi is home to some iconic sci-fi TV series, and . Rather than being a remake of Bong Joon-ho's movie, it instead shares the same concept but introduces new characters, so even if you have already seen and enjoyed the movie, the Snowpiercer TV series is worth watching too.
Cast
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Daveed Diggs -
Mickey Sumner
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