It’s become such a regular occurrence for TV shows to either be canceled, removed from their streaming service of choice, or a combination of both that nobody really tends to bat an eyelid anymore when it happens, but Snowpiercer has still managed to carve out a unique place for itself in small screen purgatory.
Inspired by the Bong Joon-ho’s minor masterpiece that was itself derived from graphic novel Le Transperceneige, the dystopian sci-fi action thriller drew decent enough ratings across its three-season run on TNT, while Netflix securing the streaming distribution rights in many international markets saw Snowpiercer cultivate a fandom that seemed to grow larger with each passing year.
However, after a lengthy pandemic-induced delay, shooting on the fourth season – which was also announced to be the last – dragged on until August of 2022. This past January, though, Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed that as part of its cull of scripted content on TNT and TBS, Snowpiercer‘s already-completed fourth season wouldn’t air on the network, but more than six months later and it still hasn’t been able to find a new home.
Despite being stuck in limbo, the futuristic societal parable has nonetheless found itself returning to relevance in the midst of the writers’ and actors’ strike, with star Lena Hall revealing that the entire cast were given a full body scan as part of their season 4 commitments, but were never told exactly what it was for.
Of course, AI is a key part of the ongoing action after plans to digitally scan and retain the likenesses of on-camera talents caused a furor, but it’s still shocking to discover the Snowpiercer ensemble were asked to partake in the process without actually being told how it would be used.