Good news: “Snowpiercer” is rescued

Happy endings are possible, it seems, even in the grimmest circumstances. That’s:
— Even in a post-apocalyptic world in which most folks have frozen to death; and
— Even in something that the Discovery people have touched.
In short, “Snowpiercer” (shown here) has been rescued. Its first three seasons will rerun later this year on AMC+; its fourth one will debut early next year on AMC.
This is a project that has traveled the globe. A 1982 French graphic novel became a 2013 Korean movie and then a 2020 American TV series on TNT.
Its story also happens to circle the Earth: After an eco-disaster, the world has frozen. An eccentric inventor (Sean Bean) created a mega-train that goes around the planet 2.7 times a year, its constant motion keeping people warm.
What the train couldn’t do, of course, is to keep people calm and happy. The privileged folks were cared to by Melanie (Jennifer Connelly), the hospitalty director; the others preferred Layton (Daveed Diggs,shownhere,center), an ex-cop.
Critics leaned toward approval; ratings were modest and (as with most shows on basic-cable) trending downward, Then came the jolts:
In April of 2022, Discovery took over Warner Brothers and began slashing costs. It dumped the “Batgirl” movie, to take a $90 million write-off. It ended CNN+ and canceled shows, including Samantha Bee’s weekly satire. It sold the CW network to a company that then dropped most of its shows.
And in January or 2023, it announced that “Snowpiercer” would not be back on TNT. Now – 14 months later – the show finally has a home for its 10-episode fourth season.
AMC is one of the few basic-cable networks (another is FX) to continue to do ambitious scripted shows. Lately, it’s been airing supernatural stories (Anne Rice tales and “Walking Dead” spin-offs) and crime shows – “Dark Winds,” “Monsieur Spade” and, startiing March 31, “Parish.”
And next year, it will add “Snowpiercer.”