All 5 Fargo Seasons & Movie, Ranked Worst To Best

Fargo is a 1996 movie and an FX TV show, so figuring out where every season of Fargo and the movie rank is tough. Both the movie and the TV series are critically acclaimed, with FX’s Fargo revitalizing interest in the already popular movie after its 2014 premiere. Each Fargo season and movie tells an entirely different story with fresh characters, meaning that there is much debate surrounding which season or movie is the best.

1996’s Fargo movie follows a kidnapping gone wrong as an accidental murder causes a police investigation to have to sort through a massive web of seemingly unrelated crimes. Fargo was a critical and financial success, putting the Coen brothers’ names on the maps as serious film directors. Since right after the film’s premiere, various creatives have been trying to make a spin-off show, with a canceled Fargo TV pilot being produced in 1997. However, FX’s Fargo TV show finally got off the ground in 2014, with the series currently having five seasons.

6 Fargo Season 4

A 50s Mobster Story That Didn’t Live Up To Previous Seasons

Even though Fargo season 4 is the worst, it is a sign ofhow good the series is. Fargo season 4 is far from a bad show; in fact, it’s really good. However, compared to the masterful movie and the other Fargo seasons, it’s a little weaker. Unlike previous seasons, Fargo season 4 is a period-piece mobster story, taking place in 1950s Kansas City, Missouri. The season follows two feuding crime families, one led by Chris Rock’s Loy Cannon and the other led by Jason Schwartzman’s Josto Fadda.

Fargo season 4 does have a good cast though they didn’t deliver at the level of its predecessors. Fargo season 4’s biggest strength is its ambition, with the new setting and tone making it a wild departure from the other Fargo stories. However, the mobster story does have some pacing issues, causing Fargo season 4 to drag at points. In an attempt to stand out from its predecessors, Fargo season 4 does lose a lot of its charm, with the story of two rival crime families feeling a little clichéd and unoriginal.

5 Fargo Season 3

Ewan McGregor And Mary Elizabeth Winstead Shine

2017’s Fargo season 3 comes in right above season 4, with the season telling a much more conventional Fargo story. FX’s Fargo season 3 takes place in the early 2010s, with the season following couple Ray Stussy and Nikki Swango who accidentally murder someone while robbing Ray’s brother. The cast of Fargo season 3 has some massive talent, including Ewan McGregor, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Carrie Coon, former Coen brothers collaborator Michael Stuhlbarg, and more.

Fargo season 3’s complicated crime web is incredibly engaging, with the tension never letting down. The season perfectly captures the tone of the original Fargo movies as well as the previous two seasons, making it perfectly fitting on the title even if Fargo, North Dakota doesn’t actually appear in the season.

Ewan McGregor has given great TV performances before, but hisdual role as Ray and Emmit Stussy carries Fargo season 3, showing off the actor’s capabilities and the season’s superb writing. Fargo season 3 is excellent, only falling under the other Fargo stories because of how fantastic they are.

4 Fargo Season 5

A Return To Form For Fargo

Fargo season 5 is the latest installment in the anthology series as of the writing of this article, and when it comes to the Fargo TV show, it’s in the middle of the road. Luckily, Fargo is synonymous with quality, meaning that being labeled the third-best Fargo season still makes ita fantastic batch of episodes. After the departure that was Fargo season 4, Fargo season 5 was a true return to form, bringing back the characters, comedy, and tone of the original films as well as the early seasons.

Fargo season 5 is set in 2019, taking place in both North Dakota and Minnesota, with the season exploring a kidnapping plot gone wrong, much like the original film. This storyline combined with Fargo season 5’s new cast of characters feels right at home alongside the best Fargo stories, which is why it’s high on the list.

3 Fargo Season 1

The Start Of A Great TV Series

Season 1 of FX’s Fargo was a fantastic way to kick off the series, breathing new life into the original film from decades prior. Fargo season 1 is very similar to the original film’s story, with the season telling a tale of hitmen, a disgruntled businessman, and a police officer playing a dangerous but humorous game of cat and mouse.

Fargo season 1 takes place in Bemidji, Minnesota from 2006 to 2007, perfectly recapturing the tone and feel of the original movie. In every way, Fargo season 1 is a fantastic follow-up to the Coen brother’s original film, and there are so many reasons to love it.

Fargo season 1’s mysterious storytelling and wonderful cinematography weave a narrative that is constantly asking and answering questions, engaging the audience throughout. The ensemble cast of Fargo season 1 may be the show’s best, with the season featuring Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman, Bob Odenkirk, Joey King, Julie Ann Emery, Glenn Howerton, Stephen Root, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, and more. Some of these beloved characters even return in future seasons, even though it’s an anthology. Fargo season 1 is a wild ride from beginning to end, with the season easily being one of the show’s strongest.

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2 Fargo Season 2

The Show At Its Best

Although every season of Fargo is great, Fargo season 2 feels like the series’ best. Fargo season 2 is a prequel to season 1, following Peggy Blumquist (played by Kirsten Dunst) and Ed Blumquist (played by Jesse Plemmons) as they attempt to cover up the hit-and-run and subsequent murder of Rye Gerhardt (played by Kieran Culkin). Fargo season 2 also has a really strong cast, featuring Patrick Wilson, Ted Danson, Nick Offerman, and several other talented actors in supporting roles.

The best part of Fargo season 2 is these characters, with each one being well-developed and backed up by stellar performances from their respective actors. Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemmons, who are now married in real life, have fantastic chemistry, making the entirety of Fargo season 2 a joy to watch. Fargo season 2 elevates all the humor and tension of the first season, acting as a masterclass in television storytelling.

1 Fargo (1996)

It’s Tough To Beat The Original

FX’s Fargo TV show is a great follow-up, but none of the show’s four seasons can quite match the original 1996 movie. Fargo is often considered the Coen brothers’ best film, with the film featuring so many fantastic moments, characters, and one-liners. Fargo is one of the best dark comedies ever, flipping from hilarious scenes to the horrifying iconic wood-chipper scene.

Though it wasn’t a huge hit upon its release, the movie has sincegone on to become a cult classic that is held up as one of the better releases from the 90s. Being a film, the Fargo movie is a fundamentally different experience from the TV show. However, Fargo tells an even better story in only a fraction of the time that each season does, making it the best piece of Fargo media ever.

Can Any Season Ever Live Up To The Movie?

Even with some of the seasons that have received more mixed responses, Fargo remains a highly acclaimed series. With season 5 earning some of the strongest reviews of the series, it is possible the show could continue to top itself going forward. However, none of the seasons of Fargo have been able to top the original movie and, likely, none of them will ever be able to.

The Fargo TV show has done a great job of establishing itself on its own, not just taking inspiration from the Coen Brothers’ work, but creating its own interesting universe with unique characters. However, even after five seasons, the dialogue, the types of characters, and the blend of dark humor and bleak violence feel like something that mimics the Coen Brothers but never fully succeeds in recreating it. The Coen Brothers have such a distinct style to their writing that is impossible to duplicate, making the show feel more forced when it leans into that.

However, the reason Fargo the series will never top the original movie is because the spinoff show can’t capture the freshness the movie had when it was first released. While the Coen Brothers were established filmmakers at the time and Quentin Tarantino had helped to popularize the movement of humor and extreme violence. Fargo was a truly unique movie that reminded people that there were no rules to what a film should be by making something weird and wild people had never seen before.

Fargo had characters with a very distinct way of speaking. It would go from silly comedy to grisly violence in one scene and the main character wasn’t introduced until the second act of the movie. All these strange choices made by the filmmakers left Fargo feeling like an exhilarating and new. By the simple construct of what the television show is, an homage to the movie, it cannot ever feel that new and fresh. It can still tell excellent stories, but it will always stand in the shadow of the boldness of the Fargo movie.

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What The Future Of The Fargo Franchise Looks Like

There were some concerns that Fargo season 5 would be the end of the show — and they weren’t unfounded worries, either, as this was initially the plan. However, creator Noah Hawley has revealed that things have changed following the success of the fifth season, and that he intends to continue Fargo until at least season 6. Speaking to THR in early 2024, Hawley revealed:

I have as many eyes as I can put on [
Alien
] right now, but when we had some time when the town shut down, my mind certainly wandered to
Fargo
again. But it’s not where I can put the front of my brain. I entered the fifth season thinking it would be the last one. Even telling FX that it was going to be the last one. But I got it up on its feet and thought: Who am I kidding? This is such a rewarding arena to be constantly reinventing under the auspices of that word,
Fargo
, to do just about anything as long as it has a couple of elements in it. There are no restrictions, other than there has to be crime, and there has to be decency. Other than that, the sky’s the limit. I don’t have an idea at this moment, but, they seem to come.

This is positive news for fans of Fargo, as while season 5 wasn’t the best in the franchise’s run, it was far from the worst, and still whetted their appetite for more. While it may be a little ways away as of the time of writing, and there have been no details revealed so far, Hawley’s comments seem to make it clear that Fargo season 6 is definitely still on the cards.

However, as his comments suggest, Hawley’s attention will not be on Fargo season 6 for quite some time. He is in the midst of bringing Alien: Earth to the small screen, a series that is set to release in 2025. While it might seem like Hawley could get to work on the new chapter in the Fargo story after that, if Alien: Earth is a blockbuster hit, he could be quickly set to working on the next season, further pushing back Fargo season 6.

Fargo

Fargo is a Black Comedy Crime Drama television series that is based on the film of the same name, which was originally created by the Coen Brothers. The TV adaptation was developed by Noah Hawley and follows an anthology format for each of its seasons, taking place in a different time period or location within the “Fargo” universe. So far, the series has seen big-name stars like Billy Bob Thornton, Ewan McGregor, Chris Rock, and Kirsten Dunst.

Cast

Billy Bob Thornton , Allison Tolman , Martin Freeman , Kirsten Dunst , Patrick Wilson , Jesse Plemons , Ewan McGregor , Carrie Coon , Chris Rock , Jessie Buckley , Jason Schwartzman , Juno Temple , Jon Hamm

Release Date

April 15, 2014

Seasons

5

Streaming Service(s)

Hulu

Franchise(s)

Fargo

Showrunner

Noah Hawley

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