Snowpiercer TV series moves from TNT to TBS, second season ordered

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

The TNT television series based on director Bong Joon-ho's 2013 film SNOWPIERCER has been in the works for quite a while, and got slowed down a bit along the way by creative differences – after the pilot was shot with Scott Derrickson at the helm, writer/showrunner Josh Friedman had a falling out with TNT and dropped off the project. He was replaced by Graeme Manson, who is said to have a "radically different vision for the show" than Friedman had. Reshoots were required, and Derrickson opted not to return to direct them.

The show is still moving ahead, though. And it's switching networks. WarnerMedia has moved Snowpiercer from TNT over to TBS, where it will premiere in the spring of 2020. Five years after the show first went into development.

While we're still a year away from when Snowpiercer will begin airing on TBS, the network has already ordered a second season.

Snowpiercer is set 

seven years after the world has become a frozen wasteland. The series centers on the remnants of humanity, who inhabit a gigantic, perpetually-moving train that circles the globe. As it does, issues of class warfare, social injustice and the politics of survival are raised.

Snowpiercer's move to TBS is a major step forward as the comedy-focused network prepares to expand into drama. TBS and TNT GM Brett Weitz said

Snowpiercer is the perfect show to kick off TBS' entry into dramas with intricate storytelling, stunning visuals and first-class acting. We believe in the longevity of this series and that audiences will be amazed by the fantastical world that brings to life such relevant social, political and environmental issues."

The show stars Daveed Diggs as a prisoner in the tail end of the train, Jennifer Connelly as a first class passenger who handles the train's PA announcements, Steven Ogg as a hardened and battle-scarred convict, Mickey Sumner as part of the train's security force, Annalise Basso as a poor fourth class passenger, Sasha Frolova as a character who is returning to the front of the train after serving three years in the prison car, Benjamin Haigh as the poverty-stricken Fergus McConnell, Katie McGuinness as Fergus's no-nonsense mother, Alison Wright as a fourth-class passenger who works in a nail salon, Roberto Urbina as a fireman in a polyamorous relationship, Susan Park as the finest chef at the train's best restaurant, and Lena Hall as the train's archivist. Sam Otto and Sheila Vand are also on board, but details on their characters were not given.

Rowan Blanchard was recently cast to play Alexandra, "a self-assured 17-year-old, wise beyond her years, with mysterious connections to the history of Snowpiercer." She's a guest star in season 1, but will be promoted to series regular status in season 2.

A co-production of Tomorrow Studios, Turner's Studio T, and CJ Entertainment, Snowpiercer is executive produced by Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Bong Joon Ho, Park Chan-wook, Lee Tae-hun, and Dooho Choi.