Fargo season 4 explained

Season Number:	4
Bgcolour:	3E613A
Starring:	Chris Rock Jessie Buckley Jason Schwartzman Ben Whishaw Jack Huston Salvatore Esposito E'myri Crutchfield Andrew Bird Anji White Jeremie Harris Matthew Elam Corey Hendrix James Vincent Meredith Francesco Acquaroli Gaetano Bruno Stephen Spencer Karen Aldridge
Num Episodes:	11
Network:	FX
Episode List:	List of Fargo episodes

The fourth season of Fargo, an American anthology black comedy crime drama television series created by Noah Hawley, premiered on September 27, 2020, on FX and concluded on November 29, 2020. It consisted of 11 episodes.^[1] Set in Kansas City, Missouri from November 1950 to early 1951, the season follows two crime syndicates as they vie for control of the underground. The cast is led by Chris Rock, who plays Loy Cannon, the head of a crime syndicate made up of black migrants fleeing the Jim Crow South who have a contentious relationship with the Italian Kansas City mafia. Other cast members include Jessie Buckley, Jason Schwartzman, Ben Whishaw, and Jack Huston.

As an anthology, each Fargo season possesses its own self-contained narrative, following a disparate set of characters in various settings and eras, albeit in a connected shared universe centered around Minnesota. The broader Midwestern United States features prominently and some connection to the titular city of Fargo, North Dakota runs through the series. The season was originally scheduled to premiere on April 19, 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[2]

Cast

Main

• Chris Rock as Loy Cannon, the leader of the African-American crime syndicate Cannon Limited, as well as a businessman trying to get his new idea, the credit card, off the ground.
• Jessie Buckley as Oraetta Mayflower, a deceptively cheerful nurse and angel of mercy.
• Jason Schwartzman as Josto Fadda, the physically unimposing and impulsive leader of the Sardinian Fadda family.
• Ben Whishaw as Patrick "Rabbi" Milligan, an Irish-American member of the Fadda family.
• Jack Huston as Odis Weff, a cop with many nervous tics who served in World War II and is secretly on the Faddas' payroll.
• Salvatore Esposito as Gaetano Fadda, Josto's younger but larger brother, a violent and unblinking former Blackshirt from Italy.
• E'myri Crutchfield as Ethelrida Pearl Smutny, an intelligent and rebellious African-American teen.
• Andrew Bird as Thurman Smutny, Ethelrida's father, the owner of a funeral home.
• Anji White as Dibrell Smutny, Ethelrida's stern, protective mother.
• Jeremie Harris as Leon Bittle, a young and ambitious member of the Cannon Limited.
• Matthew Elam as Lemuel Cannon, Loy's elder son.
• Corey Hendrix as Omie Sparkman, a former boxer and a member of the Cannon Limited.
• James Vincent Meredith as Opal Rackley, a member of the Cannon Limited.
• Francesco Acquaroli as Ebal Violante, consigliere of the Fadda family.
• as Constant Calamita, a hitman for the Fadda family.
• Stephen Spencer as Dr. David Harvard, the prejudiced head of a top private hospital in Kansas City.
• Karen Aldridge as Zelmare Roulette, Dibrell's sister, Ethelrida's maternal aunt, and a bank robber.

Guests

• Bokeem Woodbine and Brad Mann reprise their respective roles as Mike Milligan and Gale Kitchen in a cameo appearance in the season finale.

Episodes

See also: List of Fargo episodes.

Production

The fourth season was announced in August 2018 and it was confirmed that Chris Rock was cast in the lead role.^[3] In July 2019, 12 actors were announced to have been cast, including Francesco Acquaroli, Andrew Bird, Jessie Buckley, Salvatore Esposito, Jeremie Harris, Jack Huston, Amber Midthunder, Jason Schwartzman, and Ben Whishaw.^[4] Midthunder ultimately did not appear and her role was recast with Kelsey Asbille for undisclosed reasons. In September 2019, it was announced that Uzo Aduba had been cast in the role of Zelmare Roulette, however, Aduba had to drop out of the role due to "some personal family issues".^[5] The role was recast with Karen Aldridge in December.^[6]

Production began in October 2019 in Chicago, Illinois, with Hawley directing the first block of episodes.^[7] In March 2020, FX suspended production on the series for at least two weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[8] The original premiere date of April 19, 2020, was also pushed back due to production delays. The series completed production on eight of the eleven episodes before production shut down.^[9] Production resumed in August 2020 and was completed by September 8, 2020.^{[10] [11]}

Reception

Critical response

The fourth season has received generally positive reviews from critics, though less acclaimed than previous seasons. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an 84% approval rating based on 58 critics' reviews, with an average score of 7.3/10. The website's critical consensus is: "Though Fargos ambitious fourth season struggles to maintain momentum, fine performances and a change of scenery make for an engaging – if uneven – departure from the series' norm."^[12] On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100 based on 37 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[13]

Matt Zoller Seitz, writing for Vulture, gave the season a negative review. He criticized the writers' missed opportunity to link the season's unique premise of children swapping among gangs to its themes of immigration and culture, as well as their tendency to make subtext obvious through excessive monologues.^[14]

Accolades

For the 11th Critics' Choice Television Awards, Chris Rock received a nomination for Best Actor in a Limited Series and Glynn Turman received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series.^[15]

Notes and References

1. Web site: 'Fargo' Sets New Premiere Date For Chris Rock-Starring Season 4 As FX Series Heads Back To Production . . Nellie . Andreeva . August 10, 2020 . August 10, 2020.
2. Web site: Petski . Denise . January 9, 2020 . FX Sets Premiere Dates For 'Fargo', 'Mrs. America', 'Better Things', 'Devs', 'Archer' & More – TCA . January 9, 2020 . Deadline Hollywood.
3. Web site: Chris Rock to Star in 'Fargo' Season 4 at FX . Goldberg . Lesley . August 3, 2018 . The Hollywood Reporter. January 26, 2019.
4. Web site: Jack Huston, Jason Schwartzman, Ben Whishaw Among 12 Joining 'Fargo' Season 4 Cast . Thorne . Will . July 18, 2019 . Variety. July 18, 2019.
5. Web site: Ask Ausiello: Scoop on Grey's Anatomy, Homeland, Schitt's Creek, Sabrina, Supernatural, This Is Us, Evil and More . . Michael . Ausiell . January 15, 2020 . February 29, 2020.
6. Web site: 'Fargo': Karen Aldridge Joins Season 4 Of FX Series . . Denise . Petski . December 18, 2019 . December 27, 2019.
7. Web site: 'Fargo' Season 4: Noah Hawley Calls New Story "Twice the Size" of Previous Three . . Vinnie . Mancuso . September 27, 2019 . October 16, 2019.
8. Web site: FX Series 'Atlanta', 'Fargo', 'Snowfall' & 'Y' Shut Down Over Coronavirus Concerns . . Nellie . Andreeva . March 13, 2020 . March 14, 2020.
9. Web site: Fargo Season 4 Premiere Postponed, Won't Be Eligible for 2020 Emmys . . Dave . Nemetz . March 16, 2020 . March 17, 2020.
10. Web site: 'Fargo': Delayed Fourth Season Gets a Premiere Date on FX . . Rick . Porter . August 10, 2020 . August 10, 2020.
11. Web site: 'Fargo' Finishes Season 4 Production Amid Coronavirus Pandemic . Variety . Danielle . Turchiano . September 9, 2020 . September 9, 2020.
12. Web site: Fargo: Season 4. Rotten Tomatoes. October 2, 2020.
13. Web site: Fargo: Season 4. Metacritic. October 2, 2020.
14. Web site: Seitz. Matt Zoller. Matt Zoller Seitz. Fargo Disappears Into Its Own Navel. Vulture. Vox Media, LLC. November 6, 2020. September 24, 2020.
15. Web site: 'Ozark,' 'The Crown' and Netflix Lead 26th Annual Critics' Choice Awards TV Nominations . Schneider . Michael . January 18, 2021 . Variety . January 18, 2021.