''Fargo'' is an American

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

television series created and primarily written by

Noah Hawley Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5– ...

. The show is inspired by the 1996 film of the same name, which was written and directed by the

Coen brothers Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957),State of Minnesota. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002''. Minnesota Department of Health. collectively known as the Coen brothers (), are American film ...

, and takes place within the same

fictional universe A fictional universe, or fictional world, is a self-consistent setting with events, and often other elements, that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed, or fictional realm (or world). Fictional universes may ...

. The Coens were impressed by Hawley's script and agreed to be named as executive producers. The series premiered on April 15, 2014, on FX, 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. The first season, set primarily in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

and

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

from January 2006 to February 2007 and starring

Billy Bob Thornton Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, filmmaker and musician. He had his first break when he co-wrote and starred in the 1992 thriller ''One False Move'', and received international attention after writing, directing, a ...

Allison Tolman Allison Cara Tolman is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Molly Solverson in the first season of the FX television series '' Fargo'', earning Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Early life and education Tolman has two older ...

Colin Hanks Colin Lewes Hanks (born November 24, 1977) is an American actor. He has starred in films including '' Orange County'', ''King Kong'', '' The House Bunny'', '' The Great Buck Howard'', and the ''Jumanji'' film series. His television credits includ ...

, and

Martin Freeman Martin John Christopher Freeman (born 8 September 1971) is an English actor. Among other accolades, he has won an Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Freeman's most not ...

, received wide acclaim from critics. It won the

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

s 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 Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

s 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 South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

in March 1979 and starring

Kirsten Dunst Kirsten Caroline Dunst (; born April 30, 1982) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the short ''Oedipus Wrecks'' directed by Woody Allen in the anthology film '' New York Stories'' (1989). She then gained recognition for her ro ...

Patrick Wilson Patrick Joseph Wilson (born July 3, 1973) is an American actor and director. He began his career in 1995, starring in Broadway musicals. He received nominations for two Tony Awards for his roles in ''The Full Monty'' (2000–2001) and ''Oklahoma ...

, Jesse Plemons,

Jean Smart Jean Elizabeth Smart (born September 13, 1951) is an American actress. After beginning her career in regional theater in the Pacific Northwest, she appeared on Broadway in 1981 as Marlene Dietrich in the biographical play '' Piaf''. Smart was ...

, and

Ted Danson Edward Bridge "Ted" Danson III (born December 29, 1947) is an American actor. He achieved stardom playing the lead character Sam Malone on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'', for which he received two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. ...

, received widespread critical acclaim. It received three Golden Globe nominations, along with several Emmy nominations including Outstanding Miniseries, and acting nominations for Dunst, Plemons, Smart, and

Bokeem Woodbine Bokeem Woodbine (born April 13, 1973) is an American actor. In 1994 he portrayed Joshua, Jason's troubled brother, in ''Jason's Lyric''. He won a Black Reel Award, and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Critics' Choice Television Awa ...

. The third season, set primarily in Minnesota from 2010 to 2011 and starring

Ewan McGregor Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the BAFTA Britannia Humanitarian Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British ...

Carrie Coon Carrie Alexandra Coon (born January 24, 1981) is an American actress. In television, she is known for her starring roles as grieving mother Nora Durst in the HBO drama series '' The Leftovers'' (2014–2017) and as Gloria Burgle in the third s ...

Mary Elizabeth Winstead Mary Elizabeth Winstead (born November 28, 1984) is an American actress and singer. Her first significant role was that of Jessica Bennett (Passions), Jessica Bennett on the NBC soap opera ''Passions'' (1999–2000). She went on to appear in se ...

Goran Bogdan Goran Bogdan (born 2 October 1980) is a Croatian actor. He has appeared in more than 40 films since 2005. He has appeared in some American and English films and TV series such as the 2012 film ''Goltzius and the Pelican Company'', and the thir ...

, and

David Thewlis David Wheeler (born 20 March 1963), better known as David Thewlis (), is a British actor, author, director and screenwriter. Thewlis rose to prominence when he starred in the film ''Naked'' (1993), for which he won the Cannes Film Festival Awa ...

, premiered on April 19, 2017. Like previous seasons, it was met with acclaim from critics, 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 fourth season, set primarily in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

from 1950 to 1951 and starring Chris Rock,

Jessie Buckley Jessie Buckley (born 28 December 1989) is an Irish actress and singer. The recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and three BAFTA Awards, she was listed at number 38 on ''The Irish Times'' list of ...

Jason Schwartzman Jason Francesco Schwartzman (born June 26, 1980) is an American actor and musician. Schwartzman made his film debut in Wes Anderson's 1998 film '' Rushmore'', and has gone on to appear in six other Anderson films: '' The Darjeeling Limited'' (2 ...

Ben Whishaw Benjamin John Whishaw (born 14 October 1980) is an English actor and producer. After winning a British Independent Film Award for his performance in ''My Brother Tom'' (2001), he was nominated for an Olivier Award for his portrayal of the titl ...

, and Jack Huston, premiered on September 27, 2020, and received generally positive reviews, though was not as highly acclaimed as previous seasons. In February 2022, the series was renewed for a fifth season, which will star

Juno Temple Juno Temple (born 21 July 1989) is a British actress. She has appeared in the films ''Notes on a Scandal'' (2006), ''Atonement'' (2007), '' The Other Boleyn Girl'' (2008), ''The Three Musketeers'' (2011), ''The Dark Knight Rises'' (2012), '' Ma ...

Jon Hamm Jonathan Daniel Hamm (born March 10, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Don Draper in the period drama television series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Televisi ...

Jennifer Jason Leigh Jennifer Jason Leigh (born Jennifer Leigh Morrow; February 5, 1962) is an American actress. She began her career on television during the 1970s before making her film breakthrough as Stacy Hamilton in ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982). She ...

Joe Keery Joseph David Keery (born April 24, 1992) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for playing Steve Harrington in the science fiction series '' Stranger Things'' (2016–present) and for his role in the comedy film ''Free Guy'' (2021) ...

Lamorne Morris Lamorne Morris (born August 14, 1983) is an American actor, comedian and television personality. He is known for roles such as Winston Bishop in the Fox sitcom ''New Girl'' (2011-2018), Darrin Morris in the National Geographic docudrama ''Vall ...

Richa Moorjani Richa Moorjani is an American actress who is best known for her role as Kamala in the series ''Never Have I Ever''. Early life and family Moorjani attended the University of California, Davis, where she majored in communications. She graduated ...

, and

Dave Foley David Scott Foley (born January 4, 1963) is a Canadian actor, stand-up comedian, director, producer and writer. He is known as a co-founder of the comedy group The Kids in the Hall, who have appeared together in a number of television, stage and ...

Series overview

Season 1 (2014)

In 2006,

Lorne Malvo Lorne Malvo is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the first season of the FX television series '' Fargo''. He is portrayed by Billy Bob Thornton, who received critical acclaim for his performance and was nominated for a Primetime ...

(

) passes through

Bemidji, Minnesota Bemidji ( ) is a city and the county seat of Beltrami County, in northern Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,574 at the 2020 census. According to 2021 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a population of 15,279, making i ...

, and influences the community – including put-upon insurance salesman

Lester Nygaard Lester Nygaard is a fictional character in the first season of the FX television series '' Fargo'' and is portrayed by Martin Freeman, who received critical acclaim for his performance, and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Glo ...

(

) – with his malice, violence, and deception. Meanwhile, Deputy

Molly Solverson Molly Solverson is a fictional character in the FX (TV channel), FX television program, television series ''Fargo (TV series), Fargo''. One of the main characters of the Fargo (season 1), first season, she is portrayed by Allison Tolman, who rece ...

(

) and

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

police officer Gus Grimly (

) team up to solve a series of murders they believe may be linked to Malvo and Nygaard.

Season 2 (2015)

In 1979, beautician

Peggy Blumquist Peggy Blumquist is a fictional character in the second season of the FX television series '' Fargo'' and is portrayed by Kirsten Dunst. Dunst received widespread critical acclaim for her performance, which was widely lauded as one of the best p ...

(

) and her husband, butcher

Ed Blumquist Ed Blumquist is a fictional character and one of the lead protagonists from second season of the FX produced television series, '' Fargo''. He is created by Noah Hawley and portrayed by Jesse Plemons, who was nominated for the Primetime Emmy A ...

( Jesse Plemons) of

Luverne, Minnesota Luverne () is a city in Rock County, Minnesota, United States, along the Rock River. The population was 4,946 at the 2020 census. It is one of four towns profiled in the 2007 Ken Burns documentary '' The War''. It is the main setting for the s ...

, cover up her hit-and-run and vehicular homicide of Rye Gerhardt (

Kieran Culkin Kieran Kyle Culkin (born September 30, 1982) is an American actor. The brother of actors Macaulay and Rory, he began his career as a child actor in the films ''Home Alone'' (1990), ''Father of the Bride'' (1991)'', The Mighty'' (1998), and ''Th ...

), son of Floyd Gerhardt (

matriarch Matriarchy is a social system in which women hold the primary power positions in roles of authority. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege and control of property. While those definitions apply in general En ...

of the Gerhardt

crime family A crime family is a unit of an organized crime syndicate, particularly in Italian organized crime and especially in the Sicilian Mafia and Italian American Mafia, often operating within a specific geographic territory or a specific set of activ ...

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo ( /ˈfɑɹɡoʊ/) is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 125,990, making it the most populous city in the state and the 219th-most populous city in ...

. Meanwhile, State Trooper

Lou Solverson Lou Solverson is a fictional character in the FX television series '' Fargo''. He first appeared as a supporting character in the first season (set in 2006–2007), played by Keith Carradine, and then as a main character in season two (set in ...

(

) and his father-in-law, Sheriff Hank Larsson (

), investigate a triple homicide at a local diner connected to Rye.

Season 3 (2017)

In 2010, St. Cloud

probation officer A probation and parole officer is an official appointed or sworn to investigate, report on, and supervise the conduct of convicted offenders on probation or those released from incarceration to community supervision such as parole. Most probati ...

Ray Stussy (

) and his parolee girlfriend Nikki Swango (

) 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 Gloria Burgle is a fictional character in the FX television series '' Fargo''. She is the female protagonist of the third season and is portrayed by actress Carrie Coon. Character overview At the beginning of the third season, Gloria is the c ...

(

). 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 (

), have other plans.

Season 4 (2020)

In 1950, the Cannon Limited, led by Loy Cannon ( Chris Rock), threaten to usurp the Fadda Family, led by Josto Fadda (

), as the ruling crime organization in

. In an effort to maintain peace, the groups agree to honor a tradition of trading the youngest sons between the two households. However, 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 (

). Meanwhile, Oraetta's teenaged neighbor Ethelrida Pearl Smutny (E'myri Crutchfield) discovers her parents are in debt to the Cannon Limited, which gets her entangled in the criminal activities of Kansas City.

Season 5

Set in the

upper Midwest The Upper Midwest is a region in the northern portion of the U.S. Census Bureau's Midwestern United States. It is largely a sub-region of the Midwest. Although the exact boundaries are not uniformly agreed-upon, the region is defined as referring ...

in 2019, the plot of the show's fifth season has been teased with the following questions: "When is a kidnapping not a kidnapping, and what if your wife isn't yours?"

, and

have been cast as lead characters Roy, Dorothy "Dot" Lyon, and Lorraine Lyon, respectively. Additional cast members include

as Gator Tillman,

as Witt Farr,

as Indira Olmstead, and

as Danish Graves.

Cast and characters

Overview

* This table only shows characters that have appeared in three or more films in the series. * A dark grey cell indicates that the character was not in the film or that the character's presence in the film has yet to be announced. * An indicates the actor was part of the main cast for the season. * An indicates the actor was part of the recurring cast for the season. * A indicates the actor was part of the guest cast for the season. * An indicates a role as an older version of another character. * A indicates a role as a younger version of another character. * A indicates a voice-only role.

Season 1

as Deputy

as Officer

Gus Grimly Gus Grimly is a fictional character in the FX television series '' Fargo''. One of the main characters of the first season, he is portrayed by Colin Hanks. He appears as a guest in season 2, with Hanks briefly reprising his role in a cameo. Ch ...

Season 2

as State Trooper

* Jesse Plemons as

as Floyd Gerhardt *

as Sheriff Hank Larsson

Season 3

as Emmit and

Ray Stussy Raymond "Ray" Stussy is a Character (arts), fictional character in the FX (TV channel), FX television series ''Fargo (TV series), Fargo''. He is one of several protagonists of the Fargo (season 3), third season and, like his brother Emmit Stussy ...

as Nikki Swango *

as Yuri Gurka *

as V. M. Varga

Season 4

* Chris Rock as Loy Cannon *

as Oraetta Mayflower *

as Josto Fadda *

as Rabbi Milligan * Jack Huston as Odis Weff * Salvatore Esposito as Gaetano Fadda * E'myri Crutchfield as Ethelrida Pearl Smutny *

Andrew Bird Andrew Wegman Bird (born July 11, 1973) is an American indie rock multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. Since 1996, he has released 16 studio albums, as well as several live albums and EPs, spanning various genres including swing musi ...

as Thurman Smutny * Anji White as Dibrell Smutny *

Jeremie Harris Jeremie Harris is an American actor. He is primarily known for his portrayal of Ptonomy Wallace in FX (TV channel), FX's ''Legion (TV series), Legion''. Biography Jeremie Harris grew up in New Rochelle where he had ambitions to become a basketbal ...

as Leon Bittle * Matthew Elam as Lemuel Cannon * Corey Hendrix as Omie Sparkman * James Vincent Meredith as Opal Rackley * Francesco Acquaroli as Ebal Violante * Gaetano Bruno as Constant Calamita * Stephen Spencer as Dr. David Harvard * Karen Aldridge as Zelmare Roulette

Season 5

as Dorothy "Dot" Lyon *

as Roy *

as Lorraine Lyon *

as Gator Tillman *

as Witt Farr *

as Indira Olmstead *

as Danish Graves

Production

In 1997, a

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

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 Edith Falco (born July 5, 1963) is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Carmela Soprano on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007), and Nurse Jackie Peyton on the Showtime series ''Nurse Jackie'' (2009–2015). She also ...

as Marge Gunderson and Bruce Bohne reprising his role as Officer Lou. It was directed by

Kathy Bates Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actor and director. Known for her roles in comedic and dramatic films and television programs, she has received various accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, includ ...

and featured no involvement from the Coen brothers. The episode aired in 2003, during Trio's ''Brilliant But Cancelled'' series of failed TV shows. In 2012, it was announced that FX, with the

executive producers Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

, was developing a new television series based on the film. It was later announced that adaptation would be a ten-episode limited series. On August 2, 2013, it was announced that

had signed on to star in the series. On September 27, 2013,

also signed on to star. On October 3, 2013, it was announced that

was cast in the role of

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

police officer Gus Grimly. Production began in late 2013, with filming taking place in and around

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

. The series is set in the same

as the film, in which events took place in 1987 between

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

and

Brainerd, Minnesota Brainerd is a city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 14,395 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Crow Wing County. Brainerd straddles the Mississippi River several miles upstream from its confluence with ...

. The first season features the buried ransom money from the film in a minor subplot. Additionally, a number of references are made connecting the series to the film. Following the series renewal in July 2014, creator

revealed that the second season would take place in 1979 and focus on

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up ...

, as referred to by Lou Solverson and others in the first season. The ten episodes are set in

;

; 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

eason 2 Eason is a surname. The name comes from Aythe where the first recorded spelling of the family name is that of Aythe Filius Thome which was dated circa 1630, in the "Baillie of Stratherne". Aythe ''filius'' Thome received a charter of the lands of F ...

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." This book was realized in season 2, episode 9, "The Castle". Production on the second season began in Calgary on January 19, 2015, and completed on May 20, 2015. Production on the third season began in January 2017 in Calgary, Alberta. Production on the fourth season was shut down in March 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The season was originally scheduled to premiere on April 19, 2020, before the shutdown. Filming resumed on the fourth season in late August 2020. In February 2022, FX renewed the series for a fifth season. It will be set in 2019. Filming for the fifth season began as early as December 2022 in

High River High River is a town within the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. It is approximately south of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23. High River had a population of 14,324 in 2021. History The community take ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

"This is a true story"

As with the original film, each episode begins with the superimposed text: As with the film, this claim is untrue. Showrunner Noah Hawley continued to use the Coens' device, saying it allowed him to "tell a story in a new way". 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." At the 2017

ATX Television Festival ATX Television Festival is an annual event based in Austin, Texas, that celebrates and showcases the past, present, and future of the television industry. Screenings, Q&As, cast reunions, and industry panel discussions take place over four days an ...

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

, 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 Michael Stewart Stuhlbarg ( ; born July 5, 1968) is an American actor. He is known as a character actor having portrayed a variety of roles in film, television and theatre. He has received several awards including two Screen Actors Guild Awards wi ...

's character: "'The world is wrong—it looks like my world but everything is different.' That's what we're exploring this year."

Release

On April 15, 2014, the series made its debut on FX and

FXX FXX is an American basic cable channel owned by the Walt Disney Television unit of The Walt Disney Company through FX Networks, LLC. It is the partner channel of FX, with its programming focusing on original and acquired comedy series and fe ...

in Canada; the remaining episodes were shown on FXX. The next day, it premiered in the UK on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

. On May 1, 2014, it premiered on

SBS One SBS is a national public television network in Australia. Launched on 24 October 1980, it is the responsibility of SBS's television division, and is available nationally. In 2018, SBS had a 7.7% audience share. As of 2022, SBS is the lowe ...

in Australia, and on

SoHo Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...

in New Zealand.

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

streamed seasons 1–3 in 20 regions between 2015 and 2022.

Reception

Critical response

Season 1

The first season was critically acclaimed; it received a

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

score of 85 out of 100 based on 40 reviews, signifying "universal acclaim". The review aggregation website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

reported that 97% of 140 critics gave the season a positive review, with an average rating of 8.45 out of 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."

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

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. ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' named it the sixth best TV series of 2014.

Season 2

The second season was also met with critical acclaim. It received a

score of 96 based on 33 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". 100% of 233 reviews are positive on Rotten Tomatoes, and the average rating is 9.1 out of 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."

Season 3

The third season received acclaim similar to the first two seasons. Metacritic assigned it a score of 89 out of 100 based on 32 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 93% rating with an average score of 8.5 out of 10 based on 223 reviews. 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."

Season 4

The fourth season received generally positive reviews from critics, though less acclaimed than its previous seasons. Rotten Tomatoes collected 56 reviews and identified 84% of them as positive, with an average rating of 7.1/10. 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." At Metacritic, the season got a score of 68/100, based on reviews from 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."

Accolades

''Fargo'' has won 51 of its 226 award nominations. The first season garnered 8

nominations, with the show itself winning the Outstanding Miniseries and director

Colin Bucksey Colin Bucksey is a British-born American film and television director. Career Since the 1970s, Bucksey has accumulated a number of credits in British TV, directing episodes of '' Crown Court'', ''Armchair Thriller'', ''Educating Marmalade'' an ...

winning the Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special. It received an additional 10

Creative Arts Emmy Award The Creative Arts Emmys are a class of Emmy Awards presented in recognition of technical and other similar achievements in American television programming. They are commonly awarded to behind-the-scenes personnel such as production designers, set ...

nominations, winning for Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special. It has received eight

nominations, with the show winning for Best Miniseries or Television Film, and

winning for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film. 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. Additional accolades include: the American Film Institute Award for Top Ten Television Program in 2014 and 2015, the

Artios Award The Casting Society, formerly known as Casting Society of America (CSA), was founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1982 as a professional society of about 1,200 casting directors and associate casting directors for film, television, theatre, and ...

for Excellence in Casting, a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

, seven

Critics' Choice Television Award The Critics' Choice Television Awards are accolades that are presented annually by the Critics Choice Association (CCA). They were established in 2011, and the first ceremony was held on June 20, 2011, and streamed live on VH1.com. The fourt ...

s in which the show won twice for Best Miniseries and five times in acting for Billy Bob Thornton,

, Jesse Plemons and

, the

Dorian Awards The Dorian Awards are film and television accolades given by GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, founded in 2009 as the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association. GALECA is an association of professional journalists and ...

for TV Drama of the Year, the Golden Reel Award for Best Music Score, two

Producers Guild of America Award The Producers Guild of America Awards were originally established in 1990 by the Producers Guild of America as the Golden Laurel Awards, created by PGA Treasurer Joel Freeman with the support of Guild President Leonard Stern, in order to honor ...

for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television and a

Writers Guild of America Awards The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility The ...

for Long Form – Adapted.

References

External links

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