Fargo TV show

This “Fargo” role feels like home

Jumping into the compelling “Fargo” characters, actors have tried different methods.
Some have tried speech coaches or studied tapes; David Rysdahl (shown here) had a quicker method.
“I called up my dad and listened to him,” he said. “I ended up calling my aunts and uncles, too.”
The result works wonderfully. In the newest “Fargo” mini-series – debuting at 10 p.m. Tuesday (Nov. 21) on FX – he’s Wayne Lyon, sweet-spirited and optimistic and not sure why people near his wife keep being killed or maimed. Read more…

After a delay, FX is ready to surge

As TV reaches a state of sheer excess, one key player has been fairly quiet … until now.
That’s FX, now preparing for a surge on its own channels and on the Hulu and Disney+ streamers. “Our output hasn’t progressed as quickly as we planned,” said John Landgraf, the FX chairman.
Now it’s ready to fly. Returning to FX are “Snowfall” (shown here) on Feb. 23, “Better Things” on Feb. 28, “Atlanta” on March 15 and “Mayans M.C” on April 19 … followed by three new series – the animated “Little Demon,” the non-fiction “Welcome to Wrexham” and, this summer, the long-delayed “The Old Man.”
Beyond that, Landgraf told the Television Critics Association about 17 other projects. A couple (“Dave” and “Fargo”) are returning shows from the cable networks (FX and FXX); most, however, will skip cable and go directly to the streamers. They range from an “Alien” prequel series to some large mini-series – one on Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations,” another a “Shogun” reboot he calls “in terms of scale and scope, the most ambitious production in the history of FX.” Read more…

“Fargo” is here — at last

The world seemed to conspire against there ever being another “Fargo” mini-series.
The first three – spread over four years – drew waves of praise. There were 53 Emmy nominations, a Peabody Award … and lots of Hollywood admirers. “I thought it was easily the best thing on television,” Chris Rock told the Television Critics Association.
But there was a three-year delay, while writer-producer Noah Hawley was busy making “Legion.” He finally started a fourth “Fargo,” to debut this April 19, with Rock (shown here) starring. Actors gushed, critics praised … and then, with three episodes left to shoot, there was the COVID shutdown. Read more…

FX prepares its big Hulu push

PASADENA, Cal. – John Landgraf will quickly admit there are too many TV shows.
As head of the FX cable networks, he has his staff count them. “There were 532 scripted (series and mini-series) last year,” he told the Television Critics Association. “That’s a 7 percent gain vs. 2018. And given that the streaming wars are now at hand, we expect (it) will increase.”
So what FX is doing now is … well, adding several new shows and a new streaming service.
Or, actually, a new hub on an existing streamer. “FX on Hulu” debuts March 2; it will soon have two mini-series (“Mrs. America,” shown here, and “Devs”) that are only on Hulu, plus shows on both FX and Hulu. Read more…