An early renewal means that Snowpiercer will be back for season 3 (and beyond) — here's everything we know about the next chapter of the post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama. TNT's Snowpiercer is an adaptation of the successful climate fiction graphic novel created by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette. The first season introduced viewers to the near-future dystopia in which the only (known) surviving humans lived on a massive, highly-advanced, 10-mile-long super train. Season 2 expanded the cast by adding Sean Bean as the charming and devious villain, Mr. Wilford, as well as Rowan Blanchard as the young Alexandra Cavill.
As expected, Mr. Wilford injected new excitement and intrigue into Snowpiercer season 2 as the passengers of the train became split between preserving the democracy established by Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs) or re-embracing the brutal, class-based "perfect order" designed by the billionaire Messiah, Mr. Wilford. However, a new wrinkle was Melanie's discovery in snow samples that the Earth could be warming from the Freeze, and that the planet could become warm enough to resettle. After Melanie left the train to pursue her theory, Layton was left to defend the train. He ultimately failed, and the villainous Mr. Wilford regained control of his prized locomotive.
Snowpiercer season 3 is poised to continue the story of Layton trying to wrest the 1,033-car-long super train back from Mr. Wilford. However, the stunning events of Snowpiercer season 2's finale ended with a major death that completely changes the paradigm of the show. Fortunately for fans, the cliffhanger will be resolved when Snowpiercer season 3 airs.
Snowpiercer Season 3 Renewal
TNT announced Snowpiercer's season 3 renewal on January 19, 2021, just a week before season 2 premiered on January 25. It was exciting news reassuring fans that the series' intriguingly complex tale is assured to continue, especially since season 2 introduced fascinating new characters and also reshuffled the loyalties of season 1's original cast. Snowpiercer season 1 and 2 are 10 episodes each, so fans can expect a similar episode count for season 3.
In a surprise twist, TNT also announced Snowpiercer season 4 is in the works. In June 2021, Daveed Diggs, who plays the protagonist freedom-fighter (and sometimes detective) Andre Layton, tweeted out a behind-the-scenes clip of him and some of his castmates on the set filming the Snowpiercer season 3 finale. In the tweet, he told fans that they had been greenlit for season 4, which he promises will be "bigger and more Snowpiercer-y-er."
Snowpiercer Season 3 Release Date Info And Cast
On November 3, 2021, TNT announced the release date for Snowpiercer season 3. The premiere will air on January 24, 2022. This establishes that the show will keep its winter time slot; season 2 aired from January to March 2021, whereas the first season aired over the summer. Given the chilly premise of the thriller series, winter seems to be a more appropriate season for the show. Although the TNT announcement did not include an episode number, presumably Snowpiercer season 3 will have 10 episodes and conclude in March, just as season 2 did.
Even though many characters died in Snowpiercer season 2, there should be plenty of familiar faces when the show returns. The cast expected to return for Snowpiercer season 3 includes series leads Daveed Diggs and Sean Bean, Rowan Blanchard, Alison Wright, Lena Hall, Mickey Sumner, Sam Otto, Annalise Basso, and Steven Ogg, while Chelsea Harris was promoted to series regular and Archie Panjabi is joining the cast. After the shocking ending of Snowpiercer season 2, TVLine confirmed that Jennifer Connelly will also return for season 3 although Melanie Cavill was seemingly killed off in the final episode.
Snowpiercer Season 3 Story Details
Hopefully, the next installment can begin to address the biggest unanswered questions from Snowpiercer season 2. The second season concluded with an epic cliffhanger in which Andre Layton led a group of rebels to steal the first 10 cars of Snowpiercer, turning it into a pirate train. They set off for the Rocky Mountains to rescue Melanie only to find that she has apparently abandoned the refuge of the research station and ventured off into the frozen wilderness to die. However, Cavill left behind all of her data proving her theory that parts of the Earth are warming enough to colonize.
The ending of Snowpiercer season 2 set the stage for Layton and company to return to the Great Ark Train and take it back from Mr. Wilford. However that conflict shakes out will determine the future of the human race, but Snowpiercer season 3 could also result in Melanie's dream that "the future is outside" of the train coming true at last.