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[Cornballer]

Fargo premieres Tuesday, April 15th on FX. The show is a loose adaptation of the Coen Brothers' classic film but features new characters and a new story. Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman head the all-star cast that includes Oliver Platt, Glenn Howerton, Bob Odenkirk, and Key & Peele. The Coen Brothers are not involved in the project aside from their role as exectutive producers, but they did read the original script and said they liked it. The first season consists of 10 episodes. Since this is an anthology series, if the show is renewed it'll a new story with a new cast in Season 2. Reviews are looking very positive so far, and it sounds like FX might have another good show on their hands.

An original adaptation of the Academy Award®-winning feature film, Fargo features an all-new “true crime” story and follows a new case and new characters, all entrenched in the trademark humor, murder and “Minnesota nice” that made the film an enduring classic. Oscar® winner Billy Bob Thornton stars as “Lorne Malvo,” a rootless, manipulative man who meets and forever changes the life of small town insurance salesman “Lester Nygaard,” played by BAFTA Award® winner and Emmy®-nominated Martin Freeman. Colin Hanks plays Duluth Police Deputy “Gus Grimly,” a single dad who must choose between his own personal safety and his duty as a policeman when he comes face-to-face with a killer. Allison Tolman also stars as “Molly Solverson,” an ambitious Bemidji deputy.

Rounding out Fargo’s colorful cast of recurring characters will be Emmy winner Bob Odenkirk as “Deputy Bill Oswalt,” Golden Globe™ and Emmy-nominated Oliver Platt as “Stavros Milos,” Screen Actors Guild Award® winner Kate Walsh as “Gina Hess,” Glenn Howerton (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) as “Don Chumph,” Joey King as “Greta Grimly,” Peter Breitmayer as “Lieutenant Schmidt,” Tom Musgrave as “Bo Munk,” Josh Close as “Chazz Nygaard,” Russell Harvard as “Mr. Wrench,” Adam Goldberg as “Mr. Numbers,” Keegan-Michael Key as “Bill Budge” and Jordan Peele as “Webb Pepper.”

A 10-episode limited series, Fargo is written by Noah Hawley. Emmy Award-winning director Adam Bernstein directed the premiere hour. Hawley, Warren Littlefield, Joel & Ethan Coen and Geyer Kosinski serve as executive producers. Fargo is produced by MGM Television and FX Productions.

Cast:

• Billy Bob Thornton as Lorne Malvo
• Allison Tolman as Molly Solverson
• Martin Freeman as Lester Nygaard
• Colin Hanks as Deputy Gus Grimly
• Bob Odenkirk as Bill Olson
• Kate Walsh as Gina Hess
• Adam Goldberg as Mr. Numbers
• Russell Harvard as Mr. Wrench
• Oliver Platt as Stavros Milos
• Glenn Howerton as Don Chumph
• Jordan Peele as Webb Pepper
• Keegan-Michael Key as Bill Budge
• Joey King as Greta Grimly
• Julie Ann Emery as Ida Thurman
• Tom Musgrave as Bo Munk

Videos

• "Story" Full Trailer
• "Cast" Trailer
• "Philosophy" Trailer
• First Look Feature (Cast and Crew Discuss the Series
• Welcome To Fargo Feature
• The first seven minutes of the premiere (please spoiler tag discussion until this airs)
• Roadside Teaser
• Fishermen Teaser
• Shopping Cart Teaser
• Enchanted Highway Teaser
• Carcass Teaser
• Trunk Teaser
• Runner Teaser
• Steak Teaser
• Roads Teaser
• Dryer Teaser
• Scrape Teaser
• "Desk Duty" teaser
• Inside Fargo: Minnekota Nice
• Inside Fargo: Life in Fargo
• "Lester, Where Are You?" Teaser
• "Buckets" teaser
• Inside Fargo: Fargo 5-O
• "Reviews Are In" trailer

Links

• FX Official Site
• IMDB
• Wikipedia

Promo Pics

Season premiere on April 15th:

The Crocodile’s Dilemma

Spoiler

A rootless, manipulative man meets a small town insurance salesman and sets him on a path of destruction.

Poster:

Reviews

• Telegraph: Fargo, first look, review: 'dark and funny'

  From the moment Billy Bob Thornton’s sinister hitman Lorne Malvo enters the action, Fargo the TV series is an utterly absorbing pleasure, with the same intoxicating mix of murder and black comedy that marked out the movie. 4 out of 5 stars

• Forbes: FX's 'Fargo' Is More Than Just A Namesake Cash Grab

  There’s no denying the series was green-lit because it was an opportunity to carry the Fargo name, but that didn’t stop Noah Hawley from delivering on the best series he possibly could. Not to mention, the acting is stellar. Thornton and Freeman along with Colin Hanks, Adam Goldberg and Kate Walsh work double-time to bring these characters to life and infuse them with a major dose of personality.

• Detroit News: 'Fargo' loves the common man as much as the uncommon

  In a novel spin, “Fargo” the TV show echoes the mood and approach of the Coen brothers’ Oscar-winning film of the same name but offers up a different, more sprawling story. Part of the suddenly popular “limited series” movement in TV, it, too, follows a true crime that takes place in Minnesota but branches out in other directions. And, as with the original, it offers humor both black and broad, characters silly and strong, and bursts of sudden, often surprising violence. Grade: B+

 

[mre]

Both the wife and I are eagerly looking forward to this.

 

[Niraj]

Nice work on the OP as usual. Looking forward to this.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

Nice OP. Looking forward to this.

 

[Ekdrm2d1]

I'll be watching. See you guys there!

Edit: It's like all the Justified crew is here.

 

[ymmv]

Is there a (teaser) trailer for this show?

 

[Wiktor]

Who would have thought that we would live to see a day when classic movies get adapted to TV and they actually end up being great.

Can't wait. Incredible cast.

 

[Cornballer]

Is there a (teaser) trailer for this show?

Videos

• "Story" Full Trailer
• "Cast" Trailer
• "Philosophy" Trailer
• First Look Feature (Cast and Crew Discuss the Series)
• Welcome To Fargo Feature
• The first seven minutes of the premiere (please spoiler tag discussion until this airs)
• Roadside Teaser
• Fishermen Teaser
• Shopping Cart Teaser
• Enchanted Highway Teaser
• Carcass Teaser
• Trunk Teaser
• Runner Teaser
• Steak Teaser
• Roads Teaser
• Dryer Teaser
• Scrape Teaser
• "Desk Duty" teaser
• Inside Fargo: Minnekota Nice
• Inside Fargo: Life in Fargo
• "Lester, Where Are You?" Teaser
• "Buckets" teaser
• Inside Fargo: Fargo 5-O
• "Reviews Are In" trailer

The first one is a good start to get a feel for the show.

 

[Lionel Mandrake]

When I first heard the idea for this, I thought there was no way it would be any good, but I'm now really excited. Hope it doesn't disappoint.

 

[SyNapSe]

When I first saw/heard of the idea I thought eh.. but the latest previews during Justified have seemed very tempting.

I didn't realize it's a 10 episode anthology. New story, new cast but set in the same location?

 

[Ruze789]

I'm pretty excited to check this show out, especially since I've since roughly one billion spots for it during Archer, Justified, The Americans, and all the Marvel Studios flicks I've been watching on FX.

 

[Tucah]

Definitely looking forward to this. Great cast and FX has rarely led me astray.

 

[Cornballer]

I didn't realize it's a 10 episode anthology. New story, new cast but set in the same location?

A couple notes from FX President Landgraf:

Landgraf also touted the new season of Louie as being “amazing” and upcoming limited series Fargo as being “so good, I can’t close the door” on another installment. “If it comes back, it will once again be located in North Dakota or Minnesota but telling a different story with different characters.” However, “the bar is high, it has to be an extraordinarily good story.” Event series like Fargo will remain on flagship channel FX for the foreseeable future, at least for the next two years.

 

[Intheflorsh]

I hope it's a great show in spite of Colin Hanks.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

Airs April 20th, 9pm on Channel 4 in the UK. Can't wait, looks really good.

 

[Ourobolus]

I am liking the cast - hope it turns out well.

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

So I assume Collin Hanks is Tom Hanks son?

 

[Cornballer]

I hope it's a great show in spite of Colin Hanks.

Is this Dexter related? The only things I've seen him on are Band of Brothers & Mad Men. He was fine as a straight-laced guy in both of them.

So I assume Collin Hanks is Tom Hanks son?

Yes

 

[Intheflorsh]

Is this Dexter related? The only things I've seen him on are Band of Brothers & Mad Men. He was fine as a straight-laced guy in both of them.

I've only seen him in The Great Buck Howard and The Good Guys. In both instances he was about as engaging and entertaining as a dead cat.

 

[Cornballer]

- NY Times: A TV Version of ‘Fargo’ Has Parallels to the Film (Hawley interview, relations to the film)

“I was hired to create something that fits a feeling you get from watching their work,” said Mr. Hawley, whose writing credits include “Bones” and “The Unusuals.” “But I was given no guidelines and no limitations, and I got excited about the idea that under the auspices of making a Coen brothers movie, I could do a lot of things that you can’t normally get away with in television. You can add in moments of magical realism, you can have a character-driven show with a crime at the heart of it that isn’t about that crime all the time.”

Noting the wide tonal range of the Coens’ films, from the farce of “Raising Arizona” to the dark comedy of “Fargo” to the stern brutality of “No Country for Old Men,” he said: “I feel like I exist somewhere in the middle. I like to say we’re making ‘No Country for Old Fargo.’ ”

 

[TheOddOne]

Subbed!

Great OT as ever, Cornballer.

 

[styl3s]

I hope it's a great show in spite of Colin Hanks.

Colin was great in The Good Guys and did a good job in Roswell, Band of Brothers and did the best anyone could do with such a shitty fucking script in that Dexter season.

I will never understand the hate for Colin, he's not Tom Hanks level good but he's not a bad actor by any means.

I've only seen him in The Great Buck Howard and The Good Guys. In both instances he was about as engaging and entertaining as a dead cat.

He was highly entertaining in The Good Guys.

I guess we have a different sense of humor.

 

[Slacker]

Subbed!

Great OT as ever, Cornballer.

Cornballer is red hot!

I'm another who was hesitant, but now really excited. Looks awesome.

 

[Firehead]

Holy shit, why am I only just now finding out about this!? That's one HELL of a cast.
And well done on the OP!

 

[FUBAR McDangles]

I'm pretty darn excited to see how well/badly they portray the area I grew up and continue to live in.

The accents in the trailers are terrible already but I'll see how it goes.

 

[D4Danger]

I thought this was going to be terrible when I first heard about it but the cast and production look great. I can't wait.

 

[Alpende]

Looking forward to it! Glad this is a weekly type of deal on Netflix in some countries.

 

[Linius]

FX Drama, Fargo, cast. I'm in.

Thanks for the OP, looking good Cornballer.

 

[huxley00]

Really, I am for any show that isn't set or filmed in New York or California, definitely interested.

 

[Vico]

I'm in.

 

[Niraj]

I'll be watching. See you guys there!

Edit: It's like all the Justified crew is here.

I'll never leave you guys <3

Is this Dexter related? The only things I've seen him on are Band of Brothers & Mad Men. He was fine as a straight-laced guy in both of them.
Yes

Wow, totally forgot he was on Mad Men. I agree with you, he was fine on both of those. Dexter season 6 had bigger problems than him.

 

[AlexMogil]

I'm really hoping they stay a little grounded and not just do "Murder in Wackvyille" featuring "Wow Isn't That Hilariously Quaint."

I just don't want the entire cast to be skewed doofuses except for Thorton. The movie was not like that. The people were nice, not weird.

 

[Linius]

Edit: It's like all the Justified crew is here.

Let's recruit some people to be on time for the final season.

IWow, totally forgot he was on Mad Men. I agree with you, he was fine on both of those. Dexter season 6 had bigger problems than him.

I had to look him up and now I know again. It's incredible how forgettable some characters can be despite not being bad at all

 

[RatskyWatsky]

I'm not a huge fan of the movie, so I hope I like this.

 

[backflip10019]

Really hope this does the license good.

 

[triplestation]

Imagine Bryan Cranston makes a cameo

 

[Enduin]

Cautiously optimistic about this. Everything seems to be right, but you never know if it will all work out.

 

[Mendoza]

I don't understand the point of this show.
The whole reason Fargo worked was because it was a super small town that collided with a brutal intricate crime; something that the audience assumes never happens.
It was awesome seeing Margie, a pregnant, female, 40-year old small town police chief unravel the whole case practically by herself, and watch the criminal plan crumble bit by bit.

This show is a case of, "Here we go again!", and it boggles my fucking mind to why it's even being made.

(The cast is good though.)

 

[Frost_Ace]

Bob Odenkirk with a moustache

 

[SteveWinwood]

Malvo?

Solverson and Nygaard are good minnesotan scandanavian names though.

 

[Speevy]

I'm sorry. I love this movie too much to give this TV show a chance. You just...don't touch it.

 

[TylerD]

I'm sorry. I love this movie too much to give this TV show a chance. You just...don't touch it.

What are they touching? Different characters, different story. Locale is similar...

Fargo is in my top 5 favorite films and I am very excited to see this.

 

[Discotheque]

Martin Freeman was the best thing about Sherlock series 3 this year. Really excited for this show as well as his performance

 

[The Artful Dodger]

That Minnesota accent is hard for American actors to hit. It's pretty incredible to hear Freeman nail it.

 

[SteveWinwood]

That fargo police video is just so strange to see. I recognize that cop. They show my old bosses house. That flock of turkeys is the same one that wonder near my work.

 

[Norwegian Rudo]

Malvo?

Solverson and Nygaard are good minnesotan scandanavian names though.

Solverson might be a Minnesota name, but in no way is it Scandinavian.

 

[Gozer the Gozerian]

I hope this good

 

[metsallica]

In FX we trust, redeem that Justified time slot!

 

[mattiewheels]

Cornballer, do you write about TV anywhere? You have the market cornered here with all your hard work and dedication to the show threads on GAF.

 

[SteveWinwood]

Solverson might be a Minnesota name, but in no way is it Scandinavian.

How so? By your username it sounds like you know more than me, but the 'son' is my first pick up and then the fact that I know a few Danes with similar names up here (Salveson) and my own Norwegian name, it just screams scandanavian to me.