Fargo (TV series)

Fargo is an American anthology crime drama television series. It is set mostly in Bemidji, Minnesota. Other locations shown are Duluth, Minnesota and Fargo, North Dakota. It is based on the 1996 movie of the same name. It premiered on April 15, 2014.

The show was announced in 2012 by FX. The production for the series began in the fall of 2013 with filming taking place in and around Calgary, Alberta. On July 21, 2014, FX renewed Fargo for a ten-episode second season, which premiered in October 2015. A third season premiered in April 2017.

 Series overview 

Plot
Season 1 (2014)

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.

The first season, set primarily in Minnesota and North Dakota from January 2006 to February 2007, 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.

Season 2 (2015)

In 1979, beautician Peggy Blumquist (Kirsten Dunst) and her husband, butcher Ed Blumquist (Jesse Plemons), cover up her hit-and-run of a member of the Gerhardt crime family based in Fargo, North Dakota, led by matriarch Floyd Gerhardt (Jean Smart). Minnesota State Trooper Lou Solverson (Patrick Wilson) and his father-in-law, Rock County Sheriff Hank Larsson (Ted Danson), become entangled with the Blumquists, the Gerhardts, and the Kansas City mafia when they investigate a triple homicide connected to the Gerhardts at a diner in Luverne, Minnesota.

The second season, set in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota in March 1979, received three Golden Globe nominations, along with several Emmy nominations including Outstanding Miniseries, and acting nominations for Dunst, Plemons, Smart, and 
recurring guest Bokeem Woodbine.

Season 3 (2017)

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 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.

The third season, set primarily in Minnesota from 2010 to 2011, premiered on April 19, 2017. Like previous seasons, it 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.

Season 4 (2020)

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.

The fourth season, set primarily in Kansas City, Missouri from 1950 to 1951, premiered on September 27, 2020.

Season 5 (2023–24)

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. The fifth season, set primarily in North Dakota and Minnesota in late 2019, premiered on November 21, 2023. Like the first three seasons, it was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards for Best Miniseries or Television Film and Best Actor and Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film for Hamm and Temple, respectively.

Cast
Season 1
Main cast
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

Season 2
Main cast
Patrick Wilson as Lou Solverson
Ted Danson as Sheriff Hank Larsson
Jean Smart as Floyd Gerhardt
Kirsten Dunst as Peggy Blomquist
Jesse Plemons as Ed Blomquist

Recurring cast

References

Other websites
 Official website



Category:2014 American television series debuts
Category:2010s American crime television series
Category:2010s American drama television series
Category:1970s in fiction
Category:American crime drama television series
Category:Antisocial personality disorder in fiction
Category:Fargo, North Dakota
Category:FX Networks original programming
Category:Minnesota in fiction
Category:Period television series
Category:South Dakota in fiction
Category:American English-language television shows
Category:Live action television series based on movies