Eyebrows were certainly raised back in 2014 when it was announced that there would be a television remake of the Coen Brothers‘ crime classic Fargo, and understandably so as the 1996 film is widely regarded to be among the greatest pictures of its decade as well as a glorious highlight in the Coens’ careers. 10 years on since the first season was released however, the FX series has become an acclaimed mainstay of modern television entertainment, running as an anthology series with each of its five seasons presenting its own unique story of violence, chaos, and crime which somehow connects to Fargo, North Dakota.
While it is in no way a direct adaptation, the series does contain many references to the 1996 film and other titles in the Coens’ filmography, thriving with a similarly offbeat tone that mimics the filmmakers’ style without being a copy of it. With stories running from the 1950s to the modern day; focusing on hardened gangsters, simple cops, and criminally ambitious family folk alike; Fargo‘s five seasons have provided plenty of wacky entertainment, with each season flaunting its own strengths and weaknesses.
Fargo
- Release Date
- April 15, 2014
- Main Genre
- Crime
- Rating
- TV-MA
- Seasons
- 5
- Studio
- FX
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5 Season 4
No. of Episodes: 11
The fourth season of Fargo presented the series’ most ambitious and serious entry thus far. Whereas much of the joy the series flaunted early on stemmed from its outlandish characters and bizarre plot threads, season four embarked on a whole new form of narrative, one eager to engage with serious issues such as racial tensions in America and class warfare. The mixture of Fargo‘s comedic zest and stylish flair clashed with the more dramatic focus surprisingly well for the most part, though there were a few occasions where the season was stranded between tones with awkward results.
It takes place in the early 1950s, focusing on a territory war between the ruling Italian mob family, led by the impulsive and unconvincing new boss Josto Fadda (Jason Schwartzman), and the growing black crime syndicate Cannon Limited, led by the ambitious businessman and crook Loy Cannon (Chris Rock). It also follows the many characters caught up in the middle of the conflict, ranging from the struggling Smutny family to Timothy Olyphant‘s Mormon U.S. Marshall, and even to the delightfully wicked Fargo villain Oraetta Mayflower (Jessie Buckley). While season four started off in fine form with a fresh premise and plenty of exceptional characters, it struggled to stretch its story across 11 episodes. That being said, Rock’s surprisingly powerful performance and Buckley’s hilariously twisted outing alone made the season a worthwhile watch.
4 Season 3
No. of Episodes: 10
Not dissimilar to season four, the third season of Fargo ran with an intriguing overall premise which struggled to maintain its story across the season. Taking place in 2010, it focuses on the ongoing feud between diametrically opposed twin brothers, Emmit and Raymond Stussy (both portrayed by Ewan McGregor), with Emmit happily married and comfortable as the owner of a successful parking lot empire, while Raymond is a scheming parol officer, struggling to get by. The tension between the two of them escalates when Ray tries to steal the prized family heirloom from Emmit with help from his partner Nikki Swango (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Meanwhile, Emmit faces business issues as he is targeted by V. M. Varga (David Thewlis), the enforcer for a company he owes money to, while police chief Gloria Burgle (Carrie Coon) looks into the mysterious murder of her stepfather, Ennis Stussy (Scott Hylands).
While much of the season’s quirkiness comes as a well-earned addition to the unraveling mystery, there were stages where it felt like it was trying to elevate the peculiarity on display to be weirder than the previous seasons rather than to serve the story and its characters. While this wasn’t a terrible flaw, and did make for some rewarding moments in its own right, it sometimes robbed some agency and substance from its core characters. Still, at its best, season three could be incredible, as was displayed by the performances from McGregor, Winstead, Thewlis, and Coon, as well as some astounding sequences such as the extended opening chase which kick-started the episode “Who Rules the Land of Denial?”.
3 Season 5
No. of Episodes: 10
While Fargo has never fallen far from grace, the recent fifth season has stood as a resounding return to form as it has gotten more in touch with the quaint, quirky criminals that made the series such a success in its first seasons. Set in 2019 in the small town of Scandia, it follows the many oddball, criminal residents while focusing on Dorothy “Dot” Lyon (Juno Temple), an ordinary housewife with a hidden past which begins to re-emerge when she clashes with the authorities.
A captivating cacophony of lunacy, violence, and style, season five may have seen a return to the narrative tone of the show’s first two seasons, but it hasn’t lost any of its dare or ambition, resulting in a characteristically thrilling, shockingly violent, borderline slapstick, and hilariously funny crime drama. Excelling off the back of excellent performances from the ensemble supporting casts which includes Jon Hamm, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Joe Keery, season five of Fargo has achieved an effervescent sense of morality which places it much nearer to the best the series has produced than the worst. – Ryan Heffernan
2 Season 1
No. of Episodes: 10
The first season of Fargo saw the series immediately announce itself not only as being distinct and apart from the film, but also as being an attention-grabbing, thrilling, and cynically comedic TV show well worth watching. Mimicking the progression of the Coen Brothers’ film, it starts out relatively small in terms of its scope, but gradually expands to introduce all the players at the perfect time to elevate the tension and further the narrative. Furthermore, it does this with hilarious results, with the tone of the comedy used in season one arguably the best on display throughout the series as it remained wickedly dark without having any of the mean-spirited, targeted tinge that crept into the humor in some of the later seasons.
The season follows Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman), an insurance agent who actually bore many similarities to William H. Macy‘s immoral protagonist from the film. Lester is introduced as being meek and powerless, trapped in an unhappy marriage and the butt of many of the jokes in his social circle. However, his life changes forever when he accidentally kills his wife during a bitter argument and must call upon the aid of, Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton), a quirky hitman he met by chance, to cover up the crime, though the chief of police is killed in the process. Staged as a break-in, it falls to police deputy Molly Solverson (Alison Tolman) and officer Gus Grimly (Colin Hanks) to figure out what happened. It was a perfect array of lead characters, with Lester a comically bad criminal, Lorne a genuinely intimidating and ruthless killer, while writer Noah Hawley even incorporated a rare dose of heartfelt sincerity in the blossoming romance between Molly and Gus.
1 Season 2
No. of Episodes: 10
While Fargo made a fantastic introduction with its first season, the second season was arguably where the series perfected its storytelling fluidity, its oddball yet complicated and violent characters, and its grasp on its complex, multidimensional tone. The premise itself is actually similar to that of season one, focusing on young couple Peggy (Kirsten Dunst) and Ed Blumquist (masterfully played by Jesse Plemons) as they struggle to navigate their way through a growing criminal conspiracy after Peggy accidentally killed a member of a powerful crime family in a hit-and-run incident. The fallout sees the criminal organization scurrying to find the killer while the good-natured state trooper Lou Solverson (Patrick Wilson) and his loyal ally Sheriff Hank Larrson (Ted Danson) investigate a connected shooting in a diner.
While some of the lesser Fargo seasons have a knack for tying themselves into knots as they try to interweave all the plot threads, season two excelled at presenting parallel stories which intersect beautifully while still making every single major character strike audiences exactly as desired. While mostly upbeat and humorous, season two also has its fair share of tragic and heartbreaking moments, from Peggy and Ed’s lives being uprooted as they are drawn deeper into the spiraling chain of events, to Solverson’s pure love for his daughter and cancer-ridden wife. Ultimately, Fargo is at its best when it is primarily focused on its characters, something which season two was immaculate at doing to be the best Fargo season released thus far.