Season three of Fargo is set to debut in the US today - it comes to SBS on Wednesday 17 May at 8:30pm - and it’s shaping up to be one of the must-see shows of the year based on the first reviews.
Set in 2010, the third installment of Fargo, inspired by the Coen Brothers film of the same name, centres on Emmit (Ewan McGregor) and his slightly younger brother, Ray Stussy (McGregor in a dual role). Sibling rivalry between the two leads to a twisted story that begins with petty theft but soon leads to murder, mobsters and cutthroat competitive bridge.
Carrie Coon (Gone Girl, The Leftovers) stars as Gloria Burgle, the steady chief of the local police department. Mary Elizabeth Winstead (10 Cloverfield Land) plays Ray’s girlfriend, Nikki Swango, a crafty and alluring recent parolee with a passion for high-stakes card games.
The reviews
“Season 3 remains masterful Midwestern drama, but you’ll see it in a terrifying new light.”
“From its humble beginnings as a Coen Brothers tribute, Hawley's high-wire-act homage has grown into TV's most dizzyingly ambitious parable of American crime.”
“Mr. Hawley borrowed that voice from the Coens but made it his own. He’s also kept life in a seemingly unlikely project by recreating not the plot of the original movie, but its sensibility, mingled with that of other Coen films. Season 1 had some No Country for Old Men; Season 2, a strain of Miller’s Crossing. Season 3 runs closer to zany Coen: a splash of Raising Arizona, a dab of The Big Lebowski."
Julia Selinger from Slant says:
Winstead and Coon face off on different sides of the law. Source: SBS
“In some ways, this season of Fargo checks all of the boxes of its precedent seasons: the down-on-his-luck schlub with a surprise knack for crime; the sly yet intoxicating evil force; the righteous, morally sound cop; and the absurd, easily avoidable crime that sets everything into motion. What sets the season apart is its comparatively small cast of players, as opposed to the sprawling universes (aliens included) that made up past seasons.”
“Winstead and Coon might both be playing thwarted women, but they’re basically fire and ice. McGregor manages to carve out distinct personalities in his dual performance, though the brothers do share a sense of exasperation with the other. His interactions with himself flow better than you’d expect.”
An all-new season 4 Fargo story will premiere with two weeks of double episodes, beginning 8.30pm Thursday 8 October on SBS. Episodes will continue weekly at 9.30pm from Thursday 22 October. New episodes will be available at SBS On Demand each week on the same day as broadcast. Relive the first three standalone seasons of Fargo now at SBS On Demand.
Watch the season 4 trailer here:
Missed season three? Start with the first episode at SBS On Demand:
More on the Guide
Aw geez – Fargo is back – starring Ewan McGregor, doncha know!
