Five installments, 10 years and 70 nominations into “Fargo” and creator Noah Hawley still knows that awards and critical recognition are never a given. That’s especially true in the modern television space where limited series dominate.
“I never take it for granted that we deserve nominations for the work. I’m honestly amazed that we still have the cultural relevance we do,” Hawley told TheWrap. “To the degree that I try to judge the quality of the work based on the feedback that I get, it’s very encouraging to think that we made something great, which is the only thing we ever want to do.”
Year 5 has been especially embraced by members of the Television Academy, which awarded the series 15 nominations on Wednesday. Those included nods for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series as well as Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress nominations for Jon Hamm and Juno Temple, respectively. This year’s crop of nominations is a return to form of sorts for the FX original. During its first two installments, “Fargo” secured 18 Primetime Emmys per season. That number dropped to 16 nominations for Year 3 and four for Year 4. That Year 5 is back to the double digits — especially during a time with so much competition in the limited series space — is notable.
These 15 nominations weren’t easy to achieve. “It wasn’t an easy winter up [in Calgary]. It wasn’t an easy year to make, for whatever reasons, so it’s extra rewarding for it to have paid off,” Hawley said. “I worked very hard this year to tell a very driven and streamlined story that was not indulgent. I didn’t make you watch a 65-minute episode, and I really gave you someone to root for and something to root for,” Hawley said.
That person to root for is Juno Temple’s Dot Lyon, a seemingly harmless housewife who takes matters into her own hands when her abusive former husband (Jon Hamm) tracks her down. Though “Fargo” has toyed with moral ambiguity in the past, that wasn’t the case as much in Year 5. That decision to pull away from a grayer message was a reflection of the current state of the world for Hawley.
“I don’t think people can handle bleak right now. There’s too much bleakness in our world. We need a solution. We need a way out. Dot Lyon always had a way out, she always found one, and I think that’s inspiring,” Hawley said.
“I’m wrestling with the same things that we’re all wrestling with and trying to figure out what’s on the other side of this moment and can we reach a place of forgiveness and reconciliation?” Hawley explained. “I think that’s also part of the appeal [of this season] to people. We didn’t end the season with one last act of violence. We ended up with an act of forgiveness.”
That act of forgiveness saw Dot welcoming the terrifying and mysterious Ole Munch (Sam Spruell) into her home. Instead of running from or fighting him, she welcomed him as part of her family, a decision that frees Ole Munch from literal centuries of sin. Spruell being part of this season-defining moment brings up a difficult conundrum for “Fargo.” When you’re talking about a cast of actors this varied and talented, who do you nominate? When asked which “Fargo” Emmy snubs hurt the most, Hawley had a long list.
“There’s a long list obviously of great actors who gave their all all for me. Certainly Jennifer Jason Leigh — I’ve never seen her better. Sam Spruell created an original character who went on such an emotional journey. But it’s hard to argue against Joe Kerry or David Rysdahl at all, either,” Hawley said. “It is an embarrassment of riches. When you have an ensemble cast and a lot of great supporting roles, they end up cancelling each other out on some level because you can’t nominate everybody.”
Speaking of the stellar cast of “Fargo,” two heavy hitters during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards took a turn on the FX limited series. Before she was racking up awards for “Hacks,” Jean Smart starred in Year 2 of “Fargo,” and Carrie Coon starred in Year 3 long before “The Gilded Age.”
Hawley said it’s been “very gratifying” to see “so many phenomenal actors” continue to gain critical and awards attention after working with him.
“I always find [Carrie Coon] to be such a revelation in that she makes something complicated look so effortless, and Jean [Smart] is similar with the turn she took for us,” Hawley said. “It was really a career redefining moment, and she’s capitalized on it, not by playing the same role we gave her but by continuing to innovate with what she can do. I’m always excited to see what’s next for these actors. And sometimes that means they get to work with me again, like Jon Hamm, whom I made ‘Lucy in the Sky with.’”
Speaking of what may lay in the future, Hawley is currently in post production for his upcoming “Alien” show on FX. And given the awards recognition Year 5 has received, he’s open to making a Year 6 of “Fargo.”
“I think [chances] are good. Certainly, this is an argument to make another one. It shows the appetite is still there, and people appreciate it,” Hawley said. “It’s hard to give a timeline for it. I’m lucky enough to have an even bigger show for FX that I’m doing, and it’s hard to know the timeline to get into a sixth year. But I feel like I can see a story that I want to tell, and I’m excited to do so when I can. That’s always been the great thing about making this with FX, because they’ve never pressured me to stick to a schedule or turn it around a dime, which is why we’ve made five seasons in 10 years.”
“Fargo” Year 5 is streaming now on Hulu.
