If you were watching FX’s Snowfall during its fifth season and felt your skin crawl every time a certain charismatic, slightly unhinged detective walked onto the screen, you weren't alone. That was Brandon Jay McLaren. He stepped into the chaotic world of 1980s Los Angeles as Detective Beau Buckley, and honestly, he didn't just play the role—he owned the specific, greasy intersection of law enforcement and pure opportunism.
Most people know McLaren from his days as the Red Ranger in Power Rangers S.P.D. or his more straight-laced turns in Graceland and The Rookie. But Brandon Jay McLaren in Snowfall was a completely different animal. It was a masterclass in playing a "dirty cop" without falling into those tired, overplayed clichés we've seen a thousand times in crime procedurals.
Who Exactly Was Detective Buckley?
Buckley wasn't just a background extra with a badge. He was introduced in Season 5 as a recurring detective in the LAPD’s Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums (C.R.A.S.H.) unit. If you know anything about L.A. history, you know that unit has a... let’s call it a complicated reputation.
Buckley was the guy who facilitated the messy, often violent relationship between the police and the dealers. Specifically, he became a pivotal, if toxic, ally for Aunt Louie and Jerome Saint. While Franklin Saint was busy playing chess with the CIA, Louie was playing checkers in the streets, and Buckley was the piece she thought she could control.
Spoiler alert: You can't really "control" a guy who is fundamentally looking out for number one.
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Why the Character Worked
What made McLaren's performance so jarring was the transition. One minute he’s the "cool" detective offering a bit of protection, and the next, he’s a looming threat to the very people paying him. He brought this frantic, high-stakes energy to the screen that made you realize the Saints weren't just fighting the government; they were fighting a local system that was just as predatory.
The Overlap with The Rookie
Here is a fun bit of trivia that most fans missed: Brandon Jay McLaren was actually filming Snowfall and The Rookie at the same time.
Think about that for a second. On one channel, he’s playing Elijah Stone—a terrifying, calculated gang leader and nemesis to Nathan Fillion’s John Nolan. On the other, he’s playing Buckley, a detective who is ostensibly on the side of the law but behaves worse than most criminals.
McLaren has mentioned in interviews that jumping between these two worlds was intense. He’d literally leave one set as a kingpin and show up on the other as a cop. It’s a testament to his range. He didn’t just swap costumes; he swapped entire internal moral compasses. Or, in the case of Buckley and Elijah, he swapped two different versions of "corrupt."
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Why the Fans Loved (and Hated) Him
Buckley’s arc peaked during the brutal power struggles of Season 5 and Season 6. He was the catalyst for a lot of the friction between Franklin and Louie. By giving Louie a direct line to police "resources," he empowered her to step out from Franklin’s shadow.
That didn't end well for anyone.
- The Unpredictability: You never knew if Buckley was going to show up to help or to shake someone down.
- The Realism: He represented the actual corruption that fueled the crack epidemic in the 80s.
- The Performance: McLaren has this way of using his eyes to signal that he’s three steps ahead—or at least thinks he is.
Honestly, the way Buckley’s story ended felt right for the show. In a world as dark as Snowfall, characters like him don't get a sunset. They get the consequences of the chaos they helped sow.
The Impact of Brandon Jay McLaren on Snowfall’s Legacy
When we talk about the best villains or antagonists in the series, names like Teddy McDonald or Manboy usually come up first. But Brandon Jay McLaren brought a localized, grounded sense of dread to the narrative.
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He reminded the audience that the "war on drugs" wasn't just happening in CIA safehouses or at the docks. It was happening in precinct backrooms where detectives were getting rich off the very product they were supposed to be clearing off the streets.
Buckley wasn't a "big picture" villain. He was a shark in a small pond, and that made him feel much more dangerous to the characters we actually cared about.
What You Can Learn from Buckley’s Arc
If you’re a fan of crime dramas or an aspiring writer/actor, study what McLaren did here. He didn't play "evil." He played "ambitious." Buckley believed he was entitled to a piece of the pie because he was the one doing the dirty work. That’s a much more human, and therefore much scarier, motivation than just being a "bad guy."
Next Steps for Fans:
If you want to see the full range of what Brandon Jay McLaren can do, your best bet is to go back and watch his episodes in Snowfall Season 5 alongside his run in The Rookie. Seeing him play both sides of the law simultaneously is basically a clinic in character acting. Also, keep an eye out for his work in the 2025-2026 season of Wayward on Netflix, where he continues to lean into these complex, high-intensity roles.