First look: Fargo season 5

Our favourite Midwest comedy-drama is back: Fargo will return for its fifth season, following a three-year hiatus.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve seen the previous seasons or not, since each one follows a different story in a different timeline. And it’s not to be confused with the 1996 Coen Brothers film of the same name, either – Fargo features none of the movie’s characters or storylines, although it is set in the same Minnesota ‘universe’.

The show has been a hit with both critics and viewers alike, thanks to its complex criminal characters, plot twists and dark sense of humour. The following is everything we know about season 5 of Fargo.

What’s it all about?

Set in 2019, the 10-episode fifth season of Fargo follows Dorothy ‘Dot’ Lyon – a seemingly typical Midwestern housewife with a dark hidden past. When a series of unexpected events land Dot in trouble with the local authorities, it sets off a chain reaction that plunges her back into a life she thought she had left behind.

Dot had tried to forget where she came from, but North Dakota Sheriff Roy Tilman has never forgotten: he has been searching for Dot for a long time. And now that her actions have put her back on his radar, the consequences look to be lethal. But Dot has an uncanny knack for survival and – as her family and law enforcement are about to learn – she is not to be underestimated.

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Who’s in Fargo season 5?

As we’d expect from Fargo, the fifth season has a stellar cast. Juno Temple (Ted Lasso) stars as Dot Lyon, while Jon Hamm (Mad Men) plays North Dakota Sheriff Roy Tilman. Jennifer Jason Leigh (Atypical) also plays a lead role, as Dot’s reluctant mother-in-law.

There are plenty of familiar faces in the supporting cast, too. Joe Keery (Stranger Things) plays Hamm’s son, Gator; David Rysdahl (Oppenheimer) plays Temple’s clueless husband; New Girl’s Lamorne Morris and Never Have I Ever’s Richa Moorjani are both part of law enforcement. From the trailer alone, we can tell they will bring some comic relief to this dark comedy.

How to watch Fargo season 5 in the UK

The new season of Fargo will be available to stream on Prime in the UK from 22 November, 2023. This is just a day later than its release date in the US.

Should I watch the other seasons first?

Each season of Fargo is set in a different time period and focuses on its own standalone story. So, no, you don’t have to have watched the first four seasons to tune in to season 5.

That being said, we’d definitely recommend watching the first four seasons, which are available on Prime TV. We’ve summarised the plots for each below.

Season 1 is set in Minnesota, 2006. It stars Billy Bob Thornton as a hitman who leaves chaos in his wake, manipulating the characters he encounters – including a downtrodden Martin Freeman.

Season 2, set in 1979, sees Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons try to cover up a hit-and-run when they accidentally kill the youngest member of a crime family.

Season 3 sees Ewan McGregor attempt a deadly heist against his brother (also played by McGregor) in 2010, and the consequences of its failure.

Season 4 sees two crime families exchanging one family member each, to try and keep the peace in Missouri, 1950. But an untimely death threatens everything. Chris Rock and Jessie Buckley star.

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