Claim: Fargo was inspired by a 1996 film also named Fargo.

Fargo is an American black comedy -- crime drama anthology television series created and primarily 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 alongside Hawley . It premiered on April 15 , 2014 , on FX . The series follows an anthology format , with each season set in a different era with a different story , cast , and set of characters ; however , each season shares a common chronology with the original film .   The first season , set in 2006 and starring Billy Bob Thornton , Allison Tolman , Colin Hanks , and Martin Freeman , was met with critical acclaim . It won the Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Miniseries , Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Casting , and received fifteen 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 1979 and starring Kirsten Dunst , Patrick Wilson , Jesse Plemons , Jean Smart , and Ted Danson , was met with even greater 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 .   The third season , set in 2010 and starring Ewan McGregor , Carrie Coon , Mary Elizabeth Winstead , Goran Bogdan and David Thewlis premiered on April 19 , 2017 .