Fargo (TV series)

Fargo is an American black comedy–crime drama television series created and written by Noah Hawley. The show is inspired by the 1996 film of the same name written and directed by the Coen brothers, who serve as executive producers on the series. It premiered on April 15, 2014, on FX.[1] Future seasons will follow an anthologyformat with each season being set in a different era along with a different story, cast and set of characters.

The first season, starring Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks, and Martin Freeman, was met with considerable acclaim.[2] It won the Emmy Awards forOutstanding Miniseries and Outstanding Directing, and received fifteen additional nominations including Outstanding Writing, another Outstanding Directing nomination, and acting nominations for Thornton, Tolman, Hanks, and Freeman. It also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film for its first season as well as Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film for Thornton.

On July 21, 2014, FX renewed Fargo for a ten-episode second season[3] to premiere in fall 2015.

Contents

 * 1 Episodes
 * 2 Premise
 * 2.1 Season 1
 * 2.2 Season 2
 * 3 Cast
 * 3.1 Season 1
 * 3.1.1 Main cast
 * 3.1.2 Recurring cast
 * 3.2 Season 2
 * 3.2.1 Main cast
 * 3.2.2 Recurring cast
 * 4 Production
 * 5 "This is a true story"
 * 6 Reception
 * 6.1 Critical response
 * 6.2 Accolades
 * 7 International broadcast
 * 8 References
 * 9 External links

Episodes[edit]
Main article: List of Fargo episodes

Season 1[edit]
In January 2006, Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) passes through Bemidji, Minnesota and influences the community with his malice, violence and deception, including put-upon insurance salesman Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman). 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[edit]
According to series creator Noah Hawley, the second season's story will revolve around an incident that occurred in 1979 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, which was often mentioned during the first season, and will feature a young Lou Solverson and Molly's mother.[5]

Main cast[edit]

 * Billy Bob Thornton as Lorne Malvo
 * Allison Tolman as Deputy Molly Solverson
 * Colin Hanks as Officer Gus Grimly
 * Martin Freeman as Lester Nygaard

Recurring cast[edit]

 * Bob Odenkirk as Chief Bill Oswalt
 * Adam Goldberg as Mr. Numbers
 * Russell Harvard as Mr. Wrench
 * Oliver Platt as Stavros Milos
 * Glenn Howerton as Don Chumph
 * Jordan Peele as Special Agent Webb Pepper
 * Keegan-Michael Key as Special Agent Bill Budge
 * Joey King as Greta Grimly
 * Keith Carradine as Lou Solverson
 * Kate Walsh as Gina Hess
 * Atticus Mitchell as Mickey Hess
 * Liam Green as Moe Hess
 * Julie Ann Emery as Ida Thurman
 * Tom Musgrave as Bo Munk
 * Rachel Blanchard as Kitty Nygaard
 * Joshua Close as Chazz Nygaard
 * Spencer Drever as Gordo Nygaard
 * Kelly Holden Bashar as Pearl Nygaard
 * Susan Park as Linda Park
 * Gary Valentine as Deputy Knudsen
 * Stephen Root as Burt Canton

Main cast[edit]

 * Patrick Wilson as Lou Solverson[6]
 * Ted Danson as Sheriff Hank Larsson[6]
 * Jean Smart as Floyd Gerhardt[6]
 * Kirsten Dunst as Peggy Blomquist[7]
 * Jesse Plemons as Ed Blomquist[7]

Recurring cast[edit]

 * Jeffrey Donovan as Dodd Gerhardt[8]
 * Rachel Keller as Simone[8]
 * Nick Offerman as Karl Weathers[6]
 * Brad Garrett as Joe Bulo[6]
 * Kieran Culkin as Rye Gerhardt[6]
 * Bokeem Woodbine as Mike Milligan[6]
 * Angus Sampson as Bear Gerhardt[6]
 * Keir O'Donnell as Ben Schmidt[9]
 * Bruce Campbell as Ronald Reagan[10]
 * Michael Hogan as Otto Gerhardt[11]
 * Cristin Milioti as Betsy Solverson[12]

Production[edit]
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.[13] It was later announced that adaptation would be a 10-episode limited series.[14] On August 2, 2013, it was announced that Billy Bob Thornton had signed on to star in the series.[15] 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.[16] Production began in fall 2013 with filming taking place in and around Calgary, Alberta.[17]

The series is set in the same fictional universe as the film, whose events took place between Minneapolis and Brainerd, Minnesota in 1987. The first season features the buried ransom money from the film in a minor subplot.[18][19] Additionally, a number of references are made connecting the series to the film.[20]

Following the renewal of the second season in July 2014, series creator Noah Hawley revealed some details about it. He stated it will focus on Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1979, as referenced by Lou Solverson in the first season. The ten episodes will be set in Luverne, Minnesota, Fargo 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."[5] Production on the second season began in Calgary on January 19, 2015.[6]

"This is a true story"[edit]
Similar to the original film, each episode begins with the superimposed text:

However, like the film, this claim is completely fictional.[21] Showrunner Noah Hawley continued use of the Coens' device, saying it allowed him to tell “a story in a new way”.[22]

Critical response[edit]
Fargo has received broad acclaim from television critics, and the first season received a Metacritic score of 85 out of 100 based on 40 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim."[2] The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes currently reports a 98% "certified fresh" critics rating with an average rating of 8.3/10 based on 54 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."[23] 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.[24] The A.V. Club named it the sixth best TV series of 2014.[25]

International broadcast[edit]
The series made its debut on FXX and FX Canada on April 15, 2014; the remaining episodes were shown on FXX.[33][34] On April 19, 2014, it premiered in Israel on Hot 3.[35] The next day, it premiered in the UK onChannel 4.[36] On May 1, 2014, it premiered on SBS One in Australia,[37] on M-Net in South Africa,[38] and on SoHo in New Zealand.