Based on the 1996 film of the same name, directed by the Coen Brothers, Fargo has been a real success story for FX/Hulu. The show started its run in 2014, and takes place in the same fictional universe as the movie, with the Coens being so impressed by the treatment that they came on board as executive producers. It would subvert expectations and expand its lore by adopting an anthology approach, introducing viewers to new characters and locations, but providing an overlap for fans, referencing other Coen movies, and taking cues from previous productions. The show’s narrative finds ways to link the series together, and one way of doing this was to create a world for the stories to happen in, so the location was always on the mind of the showrunners. After a detour to Kansas City in Season 4, if you’re wondering where (and when) Fargo Season 5 takes place, we’re here to help you out.
Where does Fargo Season 5 take place?
Fargo Season 5 is set in familiar territory, Minnesota and North Dakota. The main protagonist is Dorothy “Dot” Lyon (Juno Temple), a housewife who lives in Scandia, Minnesota, and who at first glance seems nothing out of the ordinary. But Dot is hiding a past that threatens to rear its head again, with Jon Hamm’s North Dakota Sheriff Roy Tillman hot on her trail.
In its early episodes, while all roads do seem to be converging on Minnesota, the show splits its time quite evenly between Scandia and the North Dakota county that Roy runs like his personal fiefdom.
Previous seasons of the show were also set in Minnesota, and North Dakota. Season 1 features Minnesota in 2006, Season 2 is similarly set in Minnesota, as well as North and South Dakota. Season 3 takes place across three towns in Minnesota, and oddly does not feature the titular Fargo in the story. Season 4 is set in Kansas City, Missouri.
What year is Fargo Season 5 set in?
The latest season of the show is set in 2019, making the show the closest so far to our timeline. The show’s time and place have always been integral to its drama, and many fans define the various seasons and characters by the hallmarks of their respective eras. Season 1 was set in 2006-2007, Season 2 was set in 1979, Season 3 was set in 2010-2011, and Season 4 went way back to 1950.
RELATED: Where was Fargo Season 5 filmed?
This makes the chronological order:
- Season 4
- Season 2
- Season 1
- Season 3
- Season 5
Who writes Fargo?
Noah Hawley | Image via Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
The show was created and is predominantly written by Noah Hawley. You might remember the short-lived superhero head trip Legion from 2017, also written by Hawley, and he also worked on TV shows such as Bones, The Unusuals, and My Generation.
Film-wise, Hawley wrote The Alibi in 2006 and was also the director of 2019’s Lucy in the Sky. A future project that Hawley has been associated with is the much-anticipated TV series based on the film franchise Alien.
Hawley has also written five novels, and one nonfiction book called Fargo: This is a True Story, published in 2019.
There has been no official announcement of a sixth season of Fargo, but it does seem as if Hawley is very much on board to continue with the show, but it depends on how well Season 5 performs.
