Fargo (TV series)

Fargo is an American black comedy–crime drama anthology television series created and primarily written by Noah Hawley. The show is inspired by the eponymous 1996 film written and directed by the Coen brothers, who are credited as executive producers on the series alongside Hawley. The series premiered on April 15, 2014, on FX,[3] and follows an anthology format, with each season set in a different era, and with a different story and mostly new characters and cast, although there is minor overlap. Each season is heavily influenced by various Coen brothers films, with each containing numerous references to them.[4]

Fargo
Genre
Created byNoah Hawley
Based onFargo
by Joel and Ethan Coen
Starring
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Composer(s)Jeff Russo
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes30 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
Producer(s)
  • Kim Todd
  • Chad Oakes
  • Michael Frislev
  • Erik Holmberg
Production location(s)
Cinematography
Running time46–68 minutes
Production company(s)
  • Nomadic Pictures
  • 26 Keys Productions
  • The Littlefield Company
  • Mike Zoss Productions (2014–15)
  • FX Productions (2014–15)
  • FXP (2017)
  • MGM Television
DistributorMGM Domestic Television Distribution
Release
Original networkFX
Picture format16:9 HDTV
Original releaseApril 15, 2014 (2014-04-15) –
present
External links
Website

The first season, set in Minnesota and North Dakota in 2006 and starring Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks, and Martin Freeman, received wide acclaim from critics.[5] It won the Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Miniseries, Outstanding Directing, and Outstanding Casting, and received 15 additional nominations including Outstanding Writing, another Outstanding Directing nomination, and acting nominations for all four leads. It also won the Golden Globe Awards for Best Miniseries or Television Film and Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film for Thornton.

The second season, set in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota in 1979 and starring Kirsten Dunst, Patrick Wilson, Jesse Plemons, Jean Smart, and Ted Danson, received widespread critical acclaim.[6] It received three Golden Globe nominations, along with several Emmy nominations including Outstanding Miniseries, and acting nominations for Dunst, Plemons, Smart, and Bokeem Woodbine.

The third season, set in Minnesota in 2010 and starring Ewan McGregor, Carrie Coon, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Goran Bogdan, and David Thewlis, premiered on April 19, 2017.[7] Like previous seasons, it was met with acclaim from critics,[8] and received Emmy nominations including Outstanding Miniseries, and acting nominations for McGregor, Coon, and Thewlis. It received three Golden Globe nominations, for Outstanding Limited Series, and McGregor and Thewlis for acting, with McGregor winning in his category.

The upcoming fourth season is set in 1950 in Kansas City, Missouri, and features a cast led by Chris Rock, Jason Schwartzman, Jessie Buckley, Ben Whishaw, and Timothy Olyphant. The season was scheduled to premiere on April 19, 2020, but it was delayed indefinitely after production was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9][10]

Series overview
Main article: List of Fargo episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
110April 15, 2014 (2014-04-15)June 17, 2014 (2014-06-17)
210October 12, 2015 (2015-10-12)December 14, 2015 (2015-12-14)
310April 19, 2017 (2017-04-19)June 21, 2017 (2017-06-21)
410[11]TBATBA

Season 1 (2014)
Main article: Fargo (season 1)

In 2006, Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) passes through Bemidji, Minnesota, and influences the community – including put-upon insurance salesman Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) – with his malice, violence, and deception. Meanwhile, Deputy Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman) and Duluth police officer Gus Grimly (Colin Hanks) team up to solve a series of murders they believe may be linked to Malvo and Nygaard.

Season 2 (2015)
Main article: Fargo (season 2)

In 1979, beautician Peggy Blumquist (Kirsten Dunst) and her husband, butcher Ed Blumquist (Jesse Plemons) of Luverne, Minnesota, cover up her hit-and-run and murder of Rye Gerhardt (Kieran Culkin), son of Floyd Gerhardt (Jean Smart), matriarch of the Gerhardt crime family in Fargo, North Dakota. Meanwhile, State Trooper Lou Solverson (Patrick Wilson) and his father-in-law, Sheriff Hank Larsson (Ted Danson), investigate a triple homicide at a local diner connected to Rye.[12]

Season 3 (2017)
Main article: Fargo (season 3)

In 2010, St. Cloud probation officer Ray Stussy (Ewan McGregor) and his parolee girlfriend Nikki Swango (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) dream of a better, wealthier life. To achieve this, they attempt to steal a valuable vintage stamp from Ray's more successful older brother, Emmit (also played by McGregor), the self-proclaimed "Parking Lot King of Minnesota". However, their plans backfire, and the couple soon has to hide its involvement in two deaths, including the stepfather of former Eden Valley police chief Gloria Burgle (Carrie Coon). Meanwhile, Emmit wishes to pay back a shady company he borrowed money from two years ago, but the mysterious company and its employees, led by V. M. Varga (David Thewlis) and Yuri Gurka (Goran Bogdan), have other plans.

Season 4
Main article: Fargo (season 4)

The fourth season stars Chris Rock, who plays the head of a crime syndicate made up of black migrants fleeing the Jim Crow South who have a contentious relationship with the Kansas City mafia. It is set in 1950 Kansas City, Missouri. The season was set to premiere on April 19, 2020, but has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9][10]

Cast and characters

Season 1
Main article: Fargo (season 1) § Cast

Season 2
Main article: Fargo (season 2) § Cast

Season 3
Main article: Fargo (season 3) § Cast

Season 4

Production

In 2012, it was announced that FX, with the Coen brothers as executive producers, was developing a new television series based on the 1996 Academy Award-winning film Fargo.[19] It was later announced that adaptation would be a 10-episode limited series.[20] On August 2, 2013, it was announced that Billy Bob Thornton had signed on to star in the series.[21] On September 27, 2013, Martin Freeman also signed on to star. On October 3, 2013, it was announced that Colin Hanks was cast in the role of Duluth police officer Gus Grimly.[22] Production began in late 2013 with filming taking place in and around Calgary, Alberta.[23]

The series is set in the same fictional universe as the film, in which events took place in 1987 between Minneapolis and Brainerd, Minnesota. The first season features the buried ransom money from the film in a minor subplot.[24][25] Additionally, a number of references are made connecting the series to the film.[26]

Following the series renewal in July 2014, creator Noah Hawley revealed that the second season would take place in 1979 and focus on Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as referenced by Lou Solverson and others in the first season. The ten episodes are set in Luverne, Minnesota, Fargo, North Dakota, and Sioux Falls. Hawley agreed that this takes place before the events of the film, but he believes all the stories connect: "I like the idea that somewhere out there is a big, leather-bound book that's the history of true crime in the Midwest, and the movie was Chapter 4, Season 1 was Chapter 9 and this is Chapter 2," he said. "You can turn the pages of this book, and you just find this collection of stories. ... But I like the idea that these things are connected somehow, whether it's linearly or literally or thematically. That's what we play around with."[27] This book was realized in season 2, episode 9, "The Castle".[28] Production on the second season began in Calgary on January 19, 2015, and completed on May 20, 2015.[29] The first teaser for the second season was released on June 17, 2015.[30]

Production on season 3 began in January 2017 in Calgary, Alberta.[31]

"This is a true story"

As with the original film, each episode begins with the superimposed text:

This is a true story. The events depicted took place in Minnesota in [year]. At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred.

As with the film, this claim is untrue.[32] Showrunner Noah Hawley continued to use the Coens' device, saying it allowed him to "tell a story in a new way".[33] Hawley has played with the realism of the story further; responding to queries about Charlie Gerhardt, a character from season 2, he stated "If he’s out there, I’d like to get a letter from him someday, telling me how he turned out."[34]

At the 2017 ATX Television Festival in Austin, Texas, Hawley further discussed the "true story" series tag: "So what does that even mean—the words 'true story'?" he said. "I really wanted to deconstruct that this year." He recalled one of the lines spoken by Sy Feltz, Michael Stuhlbarg's character: "'The world is wrong—it looks like my world but everything is different.' That's what we're exploring this year."[35]

Reception

Critical response
Season Critical response
Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
1 97% (57 reviews) 85 (40 reviews)
2 100% (58 reviews) 96 (33 reviews)
3 93% (65 reviews) 89 (32 reviews)

Season 1

The first season received acclaim from television critics, and received a Metacritic score of 85 out of 100 based on 40 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[5] The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 97% "certified fresh" critics rating with an average rating of 8.48 out of 10 based on 57 reviews. The website consensus reads: "Based on the film of the same name in atmosphere, style, and location only, Fargo presents more quirky characters and a new storyline that is expertly executed with dark humor and odd twists."[36] IGN reviewer Roth Cornet gave the first season a 9.7 out of 10 score, praising the casting, its thematic ties to the movie, and the writing.[37] The A.V. Club named it the sixth best TV series of 2014.[38]

Season 2

The second season has been met with overwhelming acclaim from television critics. It received a Metacritic score of 96 based on 33 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[6] Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% "certified fresh" rating with an average rating of 9.12 out of 10 based on 58 reviews, with the site's consensus, "Season two of Fargo retains all the elements that made the series an award-winning hit, successfully delivering another stellar saga powered by fascinating characters, cheeky cynicism, and just a touch of the absurd."[39]

Season 3

The third season has received acclaim similar to the first two seasons from critics. On Metacritic, it has a score of 89 out of 100 based on 32 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[8] On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 93% rating with an average score of 8.51 out of 10 based on 65 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "Thanks in part to a memorable dual performance from Ewan McGregor, Fargo mostly maintains the sly wit and off-kilter sensibility it displayed in its first two seasons."[40]

Accolades
Noah Hawley, Warren Littlefield and John Cameron at the 74th Annual Peabody Awards
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Fargo

Fargo has won 51 of its 226 award nominations. The first season garnered 8 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, with the show itself winning the Outstanding Miniseries and director Colin Bucksey winning the Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special.[41] It received an additional 10 Creative Arts Emmy Award nominations, winning for Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special.[41] It has received eight Golden Globe Award nominations, with the show winning for Best Miniseries or Television Film, and Billy Bob Thornton winning for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film.[42] The series has also received one Screen Actors Guild Award nomination to Billy Bob Thornton for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie.[43] Additional accolades include: the American Film Institute Award for Top Ten Television Program in 2014[44] and 2015,[45] the Artios Award for Excellence in Casting,[46] a Peabody Award,[47] seven Critics' Choice Television Awards in which the show won twice for Best Miniseries and five times in acting for Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Jean Smart,[48][49] the Dorian Awards for TV Drama of the Year,[50] the Golden Reel Award for Best Music Score,[51] two Producers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television[52][53] and a Writers Guild of America Awards for Long Form – Adapted.[54]

Broadcast

On April 15, 2014, the series made its debut on FX and FXX in Canada; the remaining episodes were shown on FXX.[55][56] The next day, it premiered in the UK on Channel 4.[57] On May 1, 2014, it premiered on SBS One in Australia,[58] and on SoHo in New Zealand.[59]

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