| Season Number: | 1 |
| Bgcolour: |
|
| Image Upright: | 1.15 |
| Starring: | |
| Num Episodes: | 10 |
| Network: | FX |
| Next Season: | Season 2 |
| Episode List: | List of Fargo episodes |
The first season of the anthology black comedy–crime drama television series Fargo, premiered on April 15, 2014, on FX. Starring Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks, and Martin Freeman, the season consisted of ten episodes and concluded its initial airing on June 17, 2014.
Set from January 2006 to February 2007, the season follows hitman Lorne Malvo (Thornton) who stops at a hospital in Bemidji, Minnesota following a car accident and influences local mild-mannered insurance salesman Lester Nygaard (Freeman) with his violent and deceptive ways. Their meeting sets forth a series of murders throughout the city. Meanwhile, Deputy Molly Solverson (Tolman) of Bemidji and Officer Gus Grimly (Hanks) of Duluth attempt to solve several crimes across the state that they believe may be linked to Malvo and Nygaard.
Bob Odenkirk, Keith Carradine, Joey King, Glenn Howerton, Kate Walsh, Russell Harvard, Adam Goldberg, Oliver Platt, Keegan-Michael Key, and Jordan Peele all make recurring appearances.
Filming of the first season began in Calgary, Alberta, in late 2013 and concluded in 2014. The first season received acclaim from critics, praising its writing, directing and the performances of Thornton, Tolman, Hanks and Freeman. The season won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries, along with Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Casting, as well as fifteen other nominations. It was nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, winning Best Miniseries or Television Film and Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film for Thornton's performance as Malvo.
See also: List of Fargo episodes.
In 2012, it was announced that FX, with the Coen brothers as executive producers, was developing a new television series based on the 1996 Academy Award-winning film Fargo.[1] It was later announced that adaptation would be a 10-episode limited series.[2]
Series creator Noah Hawley served as the sole writer for all ten episodes of the season, while the task of directing was given to Adam Bernstein, Randall Einhorn, Colin Bucksey, Scott Winant and Matt Shakman. On August 2, 2013, it was announced that Billy Bob Thornton had signed on to star in the series.[3] On September 27, 2013, Martin Freeman also signed on to star. On October 3, 2013, it was announced that Colin Hanks was cast in the role of Duluth police officer Gus Grimly.[4] Production began in fall 2013 with filming taking place in and around Calgary, Alberta.[5]
The season featured many guest appearances, such as Bob Odenkirk, Adam Goldberg, Russell Harvard, Oliver Platt, Glenn Howerton, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Keith Carradine, Kate Walsh, Julie Ann Emery, Rachel Blanchard, Joshua Close, Susan Park, Gary Valentine, Stephen Root and Shawn Doyle.
The first season of Fargo received critical acclaim. It holds a Metacritic score of 85 out of 100 based on 40 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[6] On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 97% rating based on 140 reviews, with an average rating of 8.45/10. The site's summary says that "Fargo presents more quirky characters and a new storyline that is expertly executed with dark humor and odd twists."[7]
Robert Bianco of USA Today gave it a highly positive review, praising the performances of the cast and "the depth of its characterizations and the individuality of its approach."[8] Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com acclaimed the series and wrote, "With an amazing ensemble driven by great performances from top to bottom, an incredibly smart writers' room, brilliant callbacks to the original that feel more inspired than forced, and a filmmaking style that feels as cinematic as this grand Minnesotan tragedy deserves, Fargo is one of the most addictive new shows of the year."[9] However, Emily Nussbaum of The New Yorker criticized the series for its sexualized violence and its lack of ambiguity and pathos.[10]
See main article: List of awards and nominations received by Fargo (TV series).
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated artist/work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 15th American Film Institute Awards[11] | |||
| Television Program of the Year | Fargo | |||
| Crime Thriller Awards 2014[12] | ||||
| Best International TV Series | ||||
| Best Leading Actor | Martin Freeman | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Billy Bob Thornton | |||
| 4th Critics' Choice Television Awards[13] | ||||
| Best Miniseries | Fargo | |||
| Best Actor in a Movie or Miniseries | Martin Freeman | |||
| Billy Bob Thornton | ||||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries | Colin Hanks | |||
| Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or Miniseries | Allison Tolman | |||
| Gold Derby TV Awards 2014[14] | ||||
| Best Movie/Miniseries | Fargo | |||
| Best Movie/Mini Actor | Billy Bob Thornton | |||
| Martin Freeman | ||||
| Performer of the Year | ||||
| Best Movie/Mini Supporting Actor | Colin Hanks | |||
| Bob Odenkirk | ||||
| Best Movie/Mini Supporting Actress | Allison Tolman | |||
| Breakthrough Performer of the Year | ||||
| Joey Awards 2014[15] | ||||
| Young Actor – Age 12 or Younger in a TV Series Drama – Supporting/Recurring | Spencer Drever | |||
| 18th Online Film & TV Association Awards[16] | ||||
| Best Miniseries | Fargo | |||
| Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | ||||
| Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries | ||||
| Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries | ||||
| Best Music in a Non-Series | ||||
| Best Editing in a Non-Series | ||||
| Best Cinematography in a Non-Series | ||||
| Best Production Design in a Non-Series | ||||
| Best Sound in a Non-Series | ||||
| Best Visual Effects in a Non-Series | ||||
| Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Martin Freeman | |||
| Billy Bob Thornton | ||||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Colin Hanks | |||
| Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Allison Tolman | |||
| 66th Primetime Emmy Awards[17] | ||||
| Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series | Fargo | |||
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie | Martin Freeman | |||
| Billy Bob Thornton | ||||
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie | Colin Hanks | |||
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie | Allison Tolman | |||
| Outstanding Directing for a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie | Adam Bernstein ("The Crocodile's Dilemma") | |||
| Colin Bucksey ("Buridan's Ass") | ||||
| Outstanding Writing for a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie | Noah Hawley ("The Crocodile's Dilemma") | |||
| 66th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | ||||
| Outstanding Casting for a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie | Rachel Tenner, Jackie Lind, and Stephanie Gorin | |||
| Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie | Dana Gonzales ("Buridan's Ass") | |||
| Matt Lloyd ("The Crocodile's Dilemma") | ||||
| Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for Limited/Anthology Series or Movie | Regis Kimble ("Buridan's Ass") | |||
| Skip MacDonald ("The Crocodile's Dilemma") | ||||
| Bridget Durnford ("The Rooster Prince") | ||||
| Outstanding Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) | Gail Kennedy, Joanne Preece, Gunther Schetterer, and Keith Sayer | |||
| Outstanding Music Composition in a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie | Jeff Russo ("The Crocodile's Dilemma") | |||
| Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie | Frank Laratta, Kevin Buchholz, John Peccatiello, Skye Lewin, Jason Lawrence, Brent Planiden, Adam DeCoster, and Andrew Morgado ("The Crocodile's Dilemma") | |||
| Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie | Mike Playfair, David Raines, Mark Server, and Chris Philp ("The Crocodile's Dilemma") | |||
| 30th TCA Awards[18] | ||||
| Outstanding New Program | Fargo | |||
| Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries, and Specials | ||||
| 16th Women's Image Network Awards[19] | ||||
| Made-for-TV Movie/Mini-Series | ||||
| Actress Made-for-TV Movie/Miniseries | Allison Tolman | |||
| 2015 | 65th ACE Eddie Awards[20] | |||
| Best Edited Mini-Series or Motion Picture for Television | Regis Kimble ("Buridan's Ass") | |||
| 19th Art Directors Guild Awards[21] | ||||
| TV movie or Mini-Series | John Blackie and Warren Alan Young | |||
| 30th Artios Awards[22] | ||||
| TV movie or Mini-Series | Rachel Tenner, Jackie Lind, Stephanie Gorin, Charlene Lee | |||
| ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards 2015[23] | ||||
| Top Television Series | Jeff Russo | |||
| Banff Rockie Awards 2015[24] | ||||
| Serial Drama | Fargo | |||
| Camerimage 2015[25] | ||||
| Best Pilot | Matthew J. Lloyd | |||
| 51st CAS Awards[26] | ||||
| Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing – TV Movie or Mini-Series | Michael Playfair, CAS, David Raines, CAS, Mark Server, Andrew Morgado | |||
| 6th Dorian Awards[27] | ||||
| TV Drama of the Year | Fargo | |||
| 72nd Golden Globe Awards[28] | ||||
| Best Miniseries or Television Film | ||||
| Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film | Martin Freeman | |||
| Billy Bob Thornton | ||||
| Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film | Allison Tolman | |||
| Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Colin Hanks | |||
| International Film Music Critics Association Awards 2014[29] | ||||
| Best Original Score for a Television Series | Jeff Russo | |||
| Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards 2015[30] | ||||
| Mini-Series or TV Movie Contemporary Make-Up | Gail Kennedy and Joanne Preece | |||
| Mini-Series or TV Movie Period and/or Character Make-up | Chris Glimsdale and Keith Sayer | |||
| Mini-Series or TV Movie Special Make-up Effects | Gail Kennedy, David Trainor and Gunther Schetterer | |||
| Mini-Series or TV Movie Contemporary Hair Styling | Gail Kennedy and Joanne Preece | |||
| 62nd MPSE Golden Reel Awards[31] [32] | ||||
| TV Short Form Music Score | Skye Lewin, MPSE | |||
| TV Short Form – Effects/Foley | Frank Laratta, Kevin Buchholz, John Peccatiello, Andrew Morgado & Adam Decoster | |||
| 74th Peabody Awards[33] | ||||
| Peabody Award | Fargo | |||
| 26th Producers Guild of America Awards[34] | ||||
| Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television | Adam Bernstein, John Cameron, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Michael Frislev, Noah Hawley, Warren Littlefield, Chad Oakes and Kim Todd | |||
| Royal Television Society Programme Awards 2015[35] | ||||
| Best International TV Series | Fargo | |||
| 19th Satellite Awards[36] | ||||
| Best Television Series – Drama | ||||
| Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Martin Freeman | |||
| Billy Bob Thornton | ||||
| Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Allison Tolman | |||
| 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards[37] | ||||
| Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie | Billy Bob Thornton | |||
| Screenwriters Choice Awards 2014[38] | ||||
| Best Television Drama | Noah Hawley | |||
On October 14, 2014, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released the first season of Fargo on DVD and Blu-ray. In addition to all ten episodes, both DVD and Blu-ray disc formats include audio commentaries on three episodes by Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman and Noah Hawley, deleted scenes, three behind-the-scenes featurettes, and in select sets, an exclusive, collectible beanie.[39]