When the news came in that the Coen brothers’ classic 1996 crime caper Fargo was being made into a TV series, well, there was good reason to be sceptical. It was a pleasant surprise, then, to find that series creator Noah Hawley pulled it off, utilising the black comic tone, setting and philosophy of the original film to tell its own unique story.
Fargo has gone from strength to strength since its slow-burn first season aired back in 2014. While those initial episodes were set in Minnesota circa 2006, the second season expanded on the mythology by chronicling the events that led up to the “massacre at Sioux Falls” back in 1979. Season three will bring us closer to the present, once again following an all new set of characters, this time in 2010.
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This chapter centres on dual protagonists Emmit and Ray Stussy – both played by Ewan McGregor. Emmit is the Parking Lot King of Minnesota, a handsome self-made real estate mogul. His brother Ray, on the other hand, is a down-on-his-luck balding parole officer who blames Emmit for his misfortunes. This sibling rivalry leads to petty theft, the consequences of which spiral out of control.
Lining up alongside McGregor is an impressive supporting cast which includes Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Michael Stuhlbarg and Scoot McNairy. There’s also room for David Thewlis, who manages to be unbelievably creepy just in the short glimpse we see of him in this trailer. The way he savours the line “pitchfork peasants with murder in their eyes” is enough to make us want to check in for more Midwestern mayhem.
Fargo returns for its third season on 19 April.
