Fargo season 4 UK release date: cast, plot and latest news

Nick Lee, Head of Acquisitions & International at Channel 4 said: "We are thrilled to bring back the biggest and most gripping Fargo yet, with some absolutely unmissable performances.

"Fargo explores a breadth of engaging and complex storylines and it’s a fantastic opportunity to bring this unique cinematic show to our audiences once again.”

Fargo season 3 of Noah Hawley's anthology series, based on the Coen brothers' film, aired on Channel 4 back in 2017, and starred starred Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

Here's all your essential information on Fargo season four.

Fargo season 4 UK release date

CONFIRMED: Fargo season four begins in the UK on Sunday 9th May at 10pm on Channel 4. The full series will be available to watch online on All 4, to stream or download for free, following transmission of the first episode.

Season four has already aired in the US, beginning on Sunday 27th September 2020 on FX.

The series had initially been intended to air back in April, but was not able to complete filming before the coronavirus pandemic demanded production be halted. Fargo season four finished production in Chicago in August.

Fargo season 4 plot

The fourth season of Fargo moves to the midwestern Kansas City. The plot this season revolves around an uneasy truce behind Cannon's organisation and their rival Italian gang, brokered by the exchange of each family's youngest son.

If previous years of Fargo are anything to go by, chaos will follow as unforeseen ramifications emerge and take the characters in surprising directions.

The cast also includes Jessie Buckley, Timothy Olyphant, Jack Huston and Ben Whishaw, the latter of whom is playing a Rabbi who appears to be connected to a memorable season two villain.

"It’s the biggest Fargo," Rock told Entertainment Weekly. "The scale is tremendous. Fargo normally tells little stories that get out of hand. They’re about ordinary people, something happens, and then we get to see how evil ordinary people can be. This is quite different. We start off gangsters, so we’re beginning with bad people, and then it escalates."

When is Fargo season 4 set?

Fargo season four is set in 1950, making it the earliest addition to the show's chronological timeline yet.

The first season was set in 2006, while the second travelled back to 1979 to tell a story about the original protagonist's father in his younger years.

Season three was generally less connected with the first two, taking us to a more contemporary setting between 2010 and 2011, with Ewan McGregor playing twins.

Season four may be separated from the others by a significant time period, but it isn't without ties to Noah Hawley's previous stories; Ben Whishaw's character is one that longtime viewers should keep a close eye on.

Fargo season four cast

American actor and comedian Chris Rock is in the lead role this time, playing crime boss Loy Cannon who finds himself in an unstable alliance with the Italian mob. The 11-episode cast includes Jason Schwartzman, Salvatore Esposito, Ben Whishaw, Jessie Buckley, Jack Huston, E’myri Crutchfield, Andrew Bird, Anji White, Gaetano Bruno, Sean Fortunato, Jeremie Harris, Corey Hendrix, Matthew Elam, James Vincent Meredith, Francesco Acquaroli, Karen Aldridge, Kelsey Asbille, Rodney Jones, Jameson Braccioforte, Tommaso Ragno, Glynn Turman and Timothy Olyphant.

As it announced the show's revised premiere date, FX released a brand new image of Rock to its official Twitter page, showing his crime lord standing in front of an eerie blurred figure in the background.

Rock told Entertainment Weekly (somewhat pessimistically): "This is the best part I’ve ever done and, honestly, probably the best part I’ll ever have. That’s how it works."

Also in the cast this time around are Italian actor Francesco Acquaroli (Suburra: Blood on Rome), Ben Whishaw, voice of Paddington bear and the Q to Daniel Craig's 007, and Timothy Olyphant (Justified).

Other actors boarding the series include Jack Huston (The Irishman), Jason Schwartzman (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Jessie Buckley (Wild Rose), Salvatore Esposito (Gomorrah), Jeremie Harris (Legion), Amber Midthunder (Legion) and musician Andrew Bird.

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Was Fargo season 4 delayed?

Filming on the new series was halted back in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, leaving two episodes unfinished and a premiere date uncertain.

Fortunately, the cast and crew were able to reunite in Chicago in the summertime, finally wrapping filming in early September and allowing FX to pencil it into their schedule.

FX Networks and FX Productions chairman John Landgraf spoke about how they accomplished the impressive feat of completing an ambitious drama under pandemic conditions (via Deadline).

He explained: "This involves repeated testing, contact tracing and isolation, sometimes quarantining for periods of time, and isolating as many segments of the crew from each other, so if there is some infection among the crew, it doesn’t spread.

"This involves putting certainly the actors, and everyone who comes in contact with them, inside a rigorously-controlled bubble as we possibly can. There’s also extensive use of social distancing and medical consultation."

Will there be another season of Fargo?

Showrunner Noah Hawley told Deadline he isn't ruling out a fifth season of the hit crime drama, but it relies entirely on him landing upon a strong enough idea.

Fargo season four trailer

Yes, the trailer for Fargo season four can be viewed below:

Fargo airs tonight at 9pm onChannel 4. The full series will be available to watch online on All 4, to stream or download for free, following transmission of the first episode. If you're looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide.