Fargo (FX 2015, Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman)

In the first season of Fargo it is 2006 and chaos begins to reign when assassin Lorne Malvo leaves his latest victim in the woods around the town of Bemidji, Minnesota. Having crashed his car and injured himself slightly he stops at the local hospital. He meets mild mannered Lester Nygaard, an insurance salesman who has had his nose broken by the bullying Sam Hess. Malvo suggests to Nygaard that he should murder Hess and when Nygaard doesn’t dismiss the idea Malvo makes Hess his next victim. Before you know it Nygaard has also murdered his wife and Malvo, in trying to clear up Lester’s mess, has shot Police Chief Vern Thurman.

It is left to deputy Molly Solverson and Deputy Gus Grimly from Duluth Police Department to navigate their way through a growing list of bodies as Nygaard attempts to cover up his crimes and Malvo continues to create havoc.

Fargo is superb, full of brilliant performances and even better scripts from Noah Hawley who takes the quirkiness and openess of the original Coen brothers movie and amplifies it.

Fargo II followed in 2015 and was a completely new story set in 1979 albeit a story that included lots of nods to the first season, not least in making the lead character Molly’s father.

production details
USA / FX – MGM – 26 Keys – Littlefield Company – Nomadic / 10×60 minute episodes / Broadcast 15 April – 17 June 2014

Writer: Noah Hawley / Based on the movie Fargo by Joel and Ethan Coen / Producers: Kim Todd, Chad Oakes, Michael Frislev / Executive Producers: Noah Hawley, Warren Littlefield, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Adam Bernstein, Geyer Kosinki

cast
Billy Bob Thornton as Lorne Malvo
Allison Tolman as Deputy Molly Solverson
Colin Hanks as Officer Gus Grimly
Martin Freeman as Lester Nygaard
Bob Odenkirk as Chief Bill Oswalt
Keith Carradine as Lou Solverson
Kate Walsh as Gina Hess
Josh Close as Chazz Nygaard
Joey King as Greta Grimly
Shawn Doyle as Vern Thurman
Brian Markinson as Bruce Gold
Kelly Holden Bashar as Pearl Nygaard
Tom Musgrave as Bo Munk
Julie Ann Emery as Ida Thurman
Rachel Blanchard as Kitty Nygaard
Atticus Mitchell as Mickey Hess
Liam Green as Moe Hess
Spencer Drever as Gordo Nygaard
Adam Goldberg as Mr. Numbers
Russell Harvard as Mr. Wrench
Glenn Howerton as Don Chumph
Peter Breitmayer as Ben Schmidt
Barry Flatman as Wally Semenchko
Oliver Platt as Stavros Milos
Susan Park as Linda Park
Gary Valentine as Deputy Knudsen
Keegan Michael Key as Special Agent Bill Budge
Jordan Peele as Special Agent Webb Pepper
Stephen Root as Burt Canton
Helena Mattsson as Jemma Stalone