A dystopian comic book cult favorite rebooted and plunged into purgatory just when the end was nigh comes in from the streaming cold

Reboots of comic book properties are a regular occurrence that nobody bats an eyelid towards, but bringing Snowpiercer to the small screen still raised a brow or two considering there was little chance it would be able to improve upon its theatrical predecessor.

Director Bong Joon-ho’s riveting adaptation of French graphic novel Le Transperceneige was an enthralling post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller dripping in thematic resonance that boasted a supremely talented ensemble cast, several barnstorming action sequences, and plenty of scathing insights into socioeconomic discord. Needless to say, it won rave reviews and quietly gathered a reputation as an indisputable cult classic.

The TV series isn’t bad, to be fair, but it’s not a patch on its illustrious forebear, even if the jury remains out on whether or not we’ll ever get to see it finish. The fourth and final season of Snowpiercer wrapped shooting last year, but after TNT decided against airing the last run as part of its abandonment of scripted original programming, the conclusion has been left floating in purgatory without a home to call its own.

It’s insane that there’s an entire season of expensive television just sitting on the shelf gathering dust, especially when it wraps up an ongoing arc that found plenty of fans, but it’s not the episodic iteration that’s been causing havoc on streaming.

Instead, FlixPatrol has revealed the feature-length Snowpiercer to be the third most-watched movie on Starz’ global charts, so people are evidently invested enough in the property to revisit one of its tellings, regardless of whether or not the small screen version even ends up airing at all.