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After a long wait of nearly three years, FX’s hit anthology seriesFargo(2014-)is set to return with an all-new fifth season sometime this year. Although the season’s actual release date is yet to be announced, it’s hard not to get excited about the much-awaited new season of this deliciously dark award-winning series that promises a stellar cast and another chapter full of intrigue, deceit, crime, and thrill in the frozen hinterlands. While many tend to see it as a sequel or reboot of some kind ofJoelandEthan Coen’s eponymous Academy Award-winning black comedy crime film, the series, in fact, is a homage to the Coen Brothers’ film and their filmmaking genius by television writer-producerNoah Hawley. From its narrative and tone to the characterizations and camera work, the show is heavily influenced by the Coen Brothers’ work and uses various references from their films throughout. Four successful seasons and 41 episodes later, this crime noir has become one of the best in the genre.
Set in the same fictional universe as the film,Fargoexplores the lives and crimes of various characters in different decades, but with all events taking place in and around the hinterlands, eventually leading some way or the other to the town of Fargo, North Dakota. That’s also the case with the upcoming Season 5, which is also set in the Upper Midwest, but this time around, murder/s might become secondary since the plot focuses on a kidnapping. As revealed, the new season will be the first in the show to have the story closer to our present day, thus adding a new dimension to the storytelling. After having premiered in 2014 on FX,Fargoquickly became popular among crime thriller fans. Since its pilot, it has become a massive success and is widely acclaimed, with each season topping the charts and building a massive following. Acrossall four seasons,Fargoearned 228 nominations at various awards and won 51, including six Emmies (Primetime and Creative) and three Golden Globes. And now with the show’s highly-anticipated fifth season on its way, we can only hope that this streak will continue. Meanwhile, check out all the details about what you can expect fromFargoSeason 5.
Various chronicles of deception, intrigue, and murder in and around frozen Minnesota. All of these tales mysteriously lead back one way or another to Fargo, North Dakota.
When and Where Is ‘Fargo’ Season 5 Coming Out?
After a long wait, we finally have an official release date forFargoSeason 5, with the new season set to premiere its first two episodes on FX onNovember 21, 2023, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. With theongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, it initially looked like Season 5 could get delayed to 2024, which would have made it the longest hiatus between seasons of this series.FargoSeason 5 will be airing weekly on FX, with new episodes becoming available for streaming on Hulu the next day. An FX original series,Fargostarted streaming on Hulu in 2015. If you are yet to catch up on the previous stories, you can watch all four seasons of the anthology exclusively on Hulu. Alternatively, Seasons 1 through 4 are also available to buy on Apple TV, Google Play, Amazon, and Vudu.
Watch on Hulu
How Many Episodes Are There in ‘Fargo’ Season 5?
There is no official update on the number of episodes thatFargoSeason 5 will have. However,IMDblists 10 episodes for the fifth season. The first three seasons had 10 episodes each, while the fourth season had 11. So, it’s most likely that the fifth would also be aiming for a standard 10-episode season.
Is There a ‘Fargo’ Season 5 Trailer?
Yes, we finally have thefirst official teaser forFargoSeason 5. The teaser serves as a brief introduction to the new central character played byJuno Temple, starting off light and colorful before taking a dark turn. We also have someimages fromFargoSeason 5that were released via Entertainment Weekly on September 12. On September 26, we got asecond teaser forFargoSeason 5. The footage spotlightsJon Hamm’s new character, described as the “New Cowboy in Town”.
On October 2, we also gotanother new teaser, this time focusing onJoe Keery’s character, Gator. See the 30-second teaser right here:
Yetanother teaser, this one also focusing on Joe Keery, was released on October 10. It’s an extremely brief clip, which you’re able to see in the player below.
On October 23, we got aHalloween-themed teaser forFargoSeason 5, which was followed by theofficialFargoSeason 5 traileron October 25. See both below and stay tuned for more!
When and Where Did ‘Fargo’ Season 5 Film?
The production forFargoSeason 5 began soon after the renewal announcement, in Calgary, Alberta,in October 2022. The filming later continued across various locations in Calgary.
Who’s In the ‘Fargo’ Season 5 Cast?
Besides some shared characters,one of the most interesting aspects ofFargois its brilliant rotating cast. Each season features a new ensemble of top talent in film and television, all of whom collectively deliver excellence season after season. So, it’s no surprise that Hawley and his team have put together yet another impressive cast list for the upcoming fifth season. Soon after Season 5’s renewal, Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Juno Temple (Ted Lasso), andJenniferJason Leigh(The Hateful Eight) were cast as key characters in June 2022. Later,Stranger Things’ Joe Keery,Never Have I Ever’sRicha Moorjani, andNew Girl’sLamorne Morriswere also added in other significant roles. In November 2022,Young Sheldon’sDave Foleywas added as a series regular, along withOppenheimer’sDavid Rysdahl,Doctor Who’sSam Spruell,Pee-wee’s Big Holiday’sJessica PohlyandShe-Hulk’sNick Gomezin various supporting roles.
Jon Hamm stars as Sheriff Roy Tillman, who plays the part of a small-town detective in the fifth season. Although the finer details of his character are still under wraps, we can expect it to be as gritty as the other sheriffs we’ve seen on the show, likePatrick Wilson’s Lou Solverson or his daughter,Allison Tolman’s Molly Solverson. The show’s fifth season marks Hamm’s third television project of 2023. He will next be appearing in the upcoming FOX animated sitcomGrimsburgand the third season ofThe Morning Show. Jennifer Jason Leigh stars as billionaire Lorraine Lyon, while Temple plays the role of Dorothy “Dot” Lyon, who is Lorraine’s daughter-in-law and the criminal Sheriff Tillman is trying to catch.AtypicalandWeedsstar Leigh recently appeared in the second season ofHuntersand will be next seen inChris Pine’s directorial debut film,Poolman. After 2022’sThe Offer, Juno Temple will be returning to television withFargoSeason 5 and be next seen in the upcomingVenomsequel. Dave Foley stars as Danish Graves, an advisor to Lorraine, in his biggest major television role since ABC’sDr. Ken. In other prominent and supporting roles, Keery stars as Gator Tillman, Morris as Witt Farr, Moorjani as Indira Olmstead, Gage as Lars Olmstead, Rysdahl as Wayne Lyon, Spruell as Ole Munch, Pohly as Agent Meyer, and Gomez as Agent Joaquin.
Who’s Making ‘Fargo’ Season 5?
Fargois the brainchild of director, producer, and writer, Noah Hawley, which he based on the Coen Brothers' eponymous 1996 crime film. This series marks his television directorial debut and his most prominent project to date, and that’s in a career filled with acclaimed work. Apart from this black comedy anthology, Hawley has written for the hit FOX procedural,Bones, as well as created, written, and produced select episodes ofThe UnusualsandMy Generation, andcreated the superhero seriesLegion. He made his feature directorial debut with the 2019 psychological thrillerLucy in the Sky, which he also wrote and produced. Hawley also serves as one of the executive producers forFargo. Although Joel and Ethan Coen are not involved in creating the series, they serve as executive producers. In the previous seasons,Warren Littlefield,Adam Bernstein,Geyer Kosinski,John Cameron, andLeslie Cowanexecutive produced, whileKim Todd,Chad Oakes,Michael Frislev, andErik Holmbergserved as producers. Emmy winning cinematographerDana Gonzales(Legion) can be credited for the stunning camera work that has become distinctive to this series, while the music is composed byJeff Russo(Star Trek: Picard).
Do You Need to Watch ‘Fargo’ Seasons 1 - 4 before ‘Fargo’ Season 5?
Technically, no. Being an anthology series, each season ofFargoexplores a new plot with new characters. So, you may directly watch Season 5 without any background. However, at the same time, the showrunners have pleasantly surprised us season after season with little Easter eggs that might not seem influential on the specific season’s story but hints thatit’s all one connected universeafter all. Some of the characters from the first season make guest appearances as their older and/or younger selves to support their origins/backstories. For instance, Season 1’s Molly Solverson is the daughter of Sheriff Lou Solverson from the second season’s story and appears in both her younger and older selves. Similarly, Mike Milligan (Bokeem Woodbine) from the second season is actually Michael “Satchel” Cannon, son of mob boss Loy Cannon from Season 4, who grows up to become a mobster after he witnesses his father’s murder. This interconnectedness of the show’s characters and their backstories mostly serves to recontextualize their arcs and add perspectives. While each season has its own story, these subtle and clever cross-references make it a more complete tapestry of people and their histories.
‘Fargo’ Season 3: How Noah Hawley’s Unique Vision Becomes a Reality
“How we visually tell our story … there’s a similarity, but each year has its own distinction.”
What Is ‘Fargo’ Season 5 About?
Here’s the official synopsis of the fifth season ofFargo:
“Fargo has traveled through decades, cities and families, and the fifth installment will be no different: Set in 2019, when is a kidnapping, not a kidnapping, and what if your wife isn’t yours?”
Apart from this, the rest of the plot details were kept under wraps for a while, but we now have a basic idea of what the plot will be. The season is expected to primarily follow Jon Hamm’s Roy Tillman, who’s trying to catch the seemingly ordinary housewife Dorothy “Dot” Lyon (Juno Temple). While Tillman is no doubt excited about the prospect of catching a perpetrator, he also has to deal with his relationship with his son Gator (Joe Keery), who both looks up to Roy and constantly fails to match up to his father’s expectations. The Sheriff also develops a friendship with a drifter called “Ole Munch” (Sam Spruell). Meanwhile, Dot tries to keep her family from finding out about her past but her husband Wayne (David Rysdahl) loves her too much to stay away and enlists the help of his mother, Lorraine Lyon (Jennifer Jason Leigh), the CEO of the country’s most revered Debt Collection Agency. With nowhere else to turn and more law enforcement closing in on her, Dot accepts her mother-in-law’s help and she in turn puts her advisor (Dave Foley) on the case. While the story seems to be focused on a wanted woman going on the lam, that doesn’t necessarily rule out the possibility of murder (or murders) since it has been a key component in almost all the previous seasons. But there’s definitely a promise of the show’s signature elements of complex characters, twisted plotlines, and dark humor wrapped in a contemporary Western-like narrative.
