Fargo is an American black comedycrime drama television series created and primarily written by Noah Hawley. The show is inspired by the 1996 film of the same name, which was written and directed by the Coen brothers, and takes place within the same fictional universe. The Coens were impressed by Hawley's script and agreed to be named as executive producers.[3] The series premiered on April 15, 2014, on FX,[3] and follows an anthology format, with each season set in a different era and location, 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]
The third season, set primarily in Minnesota from 2010 to 2011 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.
In 2010, St. Cloudprobation 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 have to hide their 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 organization he borrowed money from two years ago, but the company Narwhal and its employees, led by V. M. Varga (David Thewlis), have other plans.
In 1950, the Cannon Limited, led by Loy Cannon (Chris Rock), threaten to usurp the Fadda Family, led by Josto Fadda (Jason Schwartzman), as the ruling crime organization in Kansas City, Missouri. To maintain peace, the groups agree to honor a tradition of trading the youngest sons between the two households. The alliance is jeopardized by the arrival of Josto's brash brother Gaetano (Salvatore Esposito), as well as the unorthodox actions taken by a nurse named Oraetta Mayflower (Jessie Buckley). Meanwhile, Oraetta's teenage neighbor, Ethelrida Pearl Smutny (E'myri Crutchfield), discovers her mortician parents are in debt to the Cannon Limited, which gets her entangled in the criminal activities of Kansas City.
In 2019, Scandia housewife Dorothy "Dot" Lyon (Juno Temple) is kidnapped by Ole Munch (Sam Spruell), but escapes with help from North Dakota State Trooper Witt Farr (Lamorne Morris). When Dot returns home, she claims to her husband Wayne (David Rysdahl) that there was no kidnapping. While Farr and Scandia deputy Indira Olmstead (Richa Moorjani) investigate, Munch comes into conflict with the man who hired him, Roy Tillman (Jon Hamm), the constitutional sheriff of Stark County, North Dakota and Dot's first husband, whom she fled ten years prior. On top of Tillman, Munch, and the police, Dot must also contend with Wayne's wealthy mother Lorraine (Jennifer Jason Leigh), the CEO of a debt collection agency who suspects Dot faked the kidnapping in order to extort her.
In 1997, a pilot was filmed for an intended television series based on the film. Set in Brainerd shortly after the events of the film, it starred Edie Falco as Marge Gunderson and Bruce Bohne reprising his role as Officer Lou. It was directed by Kathy Bates and featured no involvement from the Coen brothers. The episode aired in 2003, during Trio's Brilliant But Cancelled series of failed TV shows.[21]
In 2012, it was announced that FX, with the Coen brothers as executive producers, was developing a new television series based on the film.[22] It was later announced that adaptation would be a ten-episode limited series.[23] On August 2, 2013, it was announced that Billy Bob Thornton had signed on to star in the series.[24] 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.[25] Production began in late 2013, with filming taking place in and around Calgary, Alberta.[26]
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.[27][28] Additionally, a number of references are made connecting the series to the film.[29]
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 referred to 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 [Season 2] 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."[30] This book was realized in season 2, episode 9, "The Castle".[31] Production on the second season began in Calgary on January 19, 2015, and completed on May 20, 2015.[32]
Production on the third season began in January 2017 in Calgary, Alberta.[33] Production on the fourth season was shut down in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[34] The season was originally scheduled to premiere on April 19, 2020, before the shutdown.[35] Filming resumed on the fourth season in late August 2020.[9]
In February 2022, FX renewed the series for a fifth season.[10] Production for the fifth season began as early as October 2022 in Calgary, Alberta.[36] Filming was reported in High River in December 2022,[37] January 2023,[38] and February 2023.[39] Filming reportedly took place at a Didsbury hospital in February,[40] and filming moved to Beiseker on February 27.[41]
"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 [location] 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.[42] Showrunner Noah Hawley continued to use the Coens' device, saying it allowed him to "tell a story in a new way".[43] 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."[44]
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."[45]
Release
On April 15, 2014, the series made its debut on FX and FXX in Canada; the remaining episodes were shown on FXX.[46][47] The next day, it premiered in the UK on Channel 4.[48] On May 1, 2014, it premiered on SBS One in Australia,[49] and on SoHo in New Zealand.[50]
Netflix streamed seasons 1–3 in 20 regions between 2015 and 2022.[51]
The first season received "universal acclaim" on Metacritic, based on a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 from 40 reviews.[5] The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 97% of 141 critics gave the season a positive review, with an average rating of 8.45/10. 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."[52]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.[53]The A.V. Club named it the sixth best TV series of 2014.[54]
The second season also garnered "universal acclaim" on Metacritic, with an average score of 96 based on 33 reviews.[6] On Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 234 reviews are positive and the average rating is 9.1/10. The site's consensus states: "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."[55]
The third season scored 89 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 32 reviews and was again categorized with "universal acclaim".[8] Rotten Tomatoes collected 225 reviews and found that 93% of them were positive, giving the season an average rating of 8.5/10. The site's critical consensus is: "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."[56]
Reviews for the fourth season were more mixed, noting the slower pacing of the story.[57] Rotten Tomatoes collected 58 reviews and identified 84% of them as positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The critics consensus for the season is, "Though Fargo's ambitious fourth season struggles to maintain momentum, fine performances and a change of scenery make for an engaging—if uneven—departure from the series' norm."[58] At Metacritic, the season got a score of 68/100, based on reviews from 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[59]
The fifth season has a 94% approval rating and an average score of 8.5/10 based on 51 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, where critics have reached the following consensus, "A back-to-basics caper populated by the likes of a mesmerizing Juno Temple and a thick slice of Hamm, Fargo's fifth season is a superb return to peak form."[60] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 80 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[61]
Accolades
Noah Hawley, Warren Littlefield and John Cameron at the 74th Annual Peabody Awards
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