Noah Hawley, the showrunner of the FX crime drama Fargo, has provided an update on the possibility of a sixth season after the show received 15 nominations for the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. Hawley indicates that this amount of awards and recognition proves the popularity of the limited series, so chances for a follow-up after Season 5 are good.
Fargo is a crime drama anthology series inspired by the 1996 film of the same name by the Coen Bros. Each season tells a different story, but they all take place in the American Midwest. Hawley has also used the same “based on a true story” tagline in every episode, but none of the stories are actually true (Hawley has implied that this is a narrative device that doesn’t mean something specific). Also, every storyline has to do with a crime or criminal organization that has an effect on regular people after a particular event.
In an interview with The Wrap, Hawley explains that while his attention is on the next Alien TV series, there’s a chance for Fargo to have another season in the future. This update comes after the Emmy nominations announcement:
“Certainly, this is an argument to make another one. It shows the appetite is still there, and people appreciate it…It’s hard to give a timeline for it. I’m lucky enough to have an even bigger show for FX that I’m doing, and it’s hard to know the timeline to get into a sixth year. But I feel like I can see a story that I want to tell, and I’m excited to do so when I can.”
That’s always been the great thing about making this with FX, because they’ve never pressured me to stick to a schedule or turn it around a dime, which is why we’ve made five seasons in 10 years.
After Season 5 of Fargo, Hawley Faces a Challenge
Following up on the anthology format and the fake “based on a true story” tagline, the most recent season told the story of Dot (Juno Temple in a terrific performance), a harmless housewife who one day makes the mistake of getting in trouble with the authorities. After being released, her past comes back to haunt her: Dot used to be Nadine Tillman, the prisoner of a North Dakota Sheriff named Roy Tillman, who held her captive in an abusive relationship. When Tillman’s minions find Dot is living another life in Minnesota, they try their best to get her back. But Dot isn’t a talentless victim. She’s very handy, and she has some very peculiar allies.
Season 5 of Fargo was a return to basics. It is a character-driven drama thriller that went heavy on dark comedy and violence and had no issue with making Dot a capable hero with enough luck. One of the best female characters on recent television, Dot bravely faces the terror of her past, but Hawley doesn’t turn the script into a female John Wick fable. Instead, he relies on the mystery of her unbreakable drive. There’s no backstory about where she learned to fight or shoot. It’s just a matter of random survival when the real monsters show their faces.
Related
The 10 Best Performances in the Fargo TV Series
As season five of the hit show sets to premiere, here are the 10 best performances in the Fargo TV series… so far.
In the interview, Hawley also shares some details about Season 5, the design of compelling characters, and the toned-down ending:
“I worked very hard this year to tell a very driven and streamlined story that was not indulgent. I didn’t make you watch a 65-minute episode, and I really gave you someone to root for and something to root for… There’s too much bleakness in our world. We need a solution. We need a way out. Dot Lyon always had a way out, she always found one, and I think that’s inspiring.”
Hawley’s challenge is to make a better season after this one. With better characters and a better lead performer who will compel viewers to suspend their disbelief and navigate through the mysterious and fantastical universe of Fargo. Season 4 took a bit of a stumble with a historical drama approach that failed to connect with general audiences, but the crime noir element was brought back in Season 5, when Hawley decided to raise the stakes with a horrific and unpredictable villain performance from Jon Hamm.
Fargo
Season 5 is available to stream on Hulu.