Production on the third season of FX’s Fargo is due to begin later this year, starring Ewan McGregor as twins Emmit and Ray Stussy. It’ll be yet another welcome return for the acclaimed TV show, loosely based on the Coen brothers’ 1996 film. Helmed by Noah Hawley, Fargo‘s first season was set in 2006 and starred Martin Freeman and Billy Bob Thornton. A critical and commercial success, the show was renewed for a second season, which aired in the latter half of 2015. With a new cast, including Jesse Plemons, Patrick Wilson, and Kirsten Dunst, Fargo season 2 changed its time frame to 1979 but once again delivered a heady mix of violence and black humor.
In keeping with the connected anthology theme of the show, Fargo‘s third season is understood to be set in a time much closer to the present than the previous seasons (around 2010), with Emmit being described as a good looking, self-assured ‘Parking Lot King of Minnesota’. Meanwhile, Ray is the younger brother; bitter with resentment and a huge chip on his shoulder, he works as a parole officer.
Though not much more is known about the show, gradually more casting is being revealed, including Carrie Coon (The Leftovers) as Gloria, chief of Eden Valley Police, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (BrainDead) as Nikki Swango, described as an alluring recent parolee with a penchant for competitive Bridge playing – a character who will presumably cross paths with Ray Stussy. The season is rumored to explore the selfie-obsessed culture in which we live.
Add to that another casting announcement (via TVLine), this time delivered by Hawley himself on the Emmys red carpet: Scoot McNairy, best known for his roles of Gordon Clark in Halt and Catch Fire, and Wallace Keefe in Batman V Superman. McNairy’s role in Fargo has yet to be revealed, but it’s another fantastic name added to an already great cast list who will hopefully all deliver another gripping season.
Surprisingly, despite a massive 18 Emmy nominations, Fargo came away empty handed from the televised Emmys 2016 ceremony, but it did pick up 2 Creative Arts Emmys earlier this month. Ultimately, though Fargo was trumped by American Crime Story in most of its nominated categories, Fargo still remains one of the best shows out there – and if Hawley’s past success with the show is anything to go by, the third season should be something that is not to be missed.
How the season will unfold is anyone’s guess right now. Unlike with the casting of Coon and Winstead, there was no official press release with the announcement of McNairy’s appointment so maybe there’s a chance something more will be announced soon – possibly to coincide with the start of production, or even tied into another casting announcement. Fargo season 3 is likely to be loosely related to the previous two seasons as well, so it’ll be interesting to join up all the dots when the show airs on FX in 2017.
Fargo season 3 will air sometime in 2017
