Fargo season 1

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 the psychopathic 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 serial 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 Limited or Anthology Series, along with Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Casting, as well as 15 other nominations. It was nominated for 5 Golden Globe Awards, winning Best Miniseries or Television Film and Best Actor – Miniseries or TV Film for Thornton.

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. It was later announced that adaptation would be a 10-episode limited series.

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. 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. Production began in fall 2013 with filming taking place in and around Calgary, Alberta.

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". 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."