Game of Thrones fans are not the only ones who will have to endure a long wait for their favorite show to return. You can now add FX's Fargo to the list. The critically lauded crime drama cloaked in dark comedy is not going to be back for a new season anytime soon. It's news that should not particularly surprise diehard fans, who had to wait around two years after the second season ended for the third season to premiere. Fargo creator, Noah Hawley's, explanation for the delay is strikingly similar to the one given for the delay on Game of Thrones Season 7. Hint: It has to do with filming in winter.
I think realistically we will certainly be filming it next year. Mostly just because it's a winter show. You know, I have to write [the episodes], then we have to prep it, then we have to film it, which means it's either this coming winter or next winter. Given my schedule with making a movie and posting a movie this summer, and then gearing up to do more Legion, assuming we get a pickup. It seems like a long shot that I can launch Fargo [Season 4] this winter.
While filming in the appropriate seasonal setting certainly plays a role, Noah Hawley also explains that his vibrant career outside of Fargo is another factor playing into the delay. He told The Wrap that his directing duties and work on his other FX series, Legion, are keeping him busy. Hawley is set to direct the sci-fi drama Pale Blue Dot starring Natalie Portman and Jon Hamm. Portman stars as an astronaut, whose return home is haunted by a shift in her perception of reality. Hawley is also set to helm a standalone Doctor Doom film.
Suffice it to say; Noah Hawley has a lot going on. Let's get back to Fargo though. The series has not lacked for awards attention. Its latest installment, Season 3, received numerous Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. In contrast, its water cooler status has been a bit chilly, and the ratings may reflect why. Since the series premiere, they have steadily declined. There has been a consistent core audience that tunes in each season. The most-watched season premiere was Season 1's, which starred Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman, Allison Tolman, and Colin Hanks, in the leading roles.
As an anthology series, Fargo shakes things up every season with a new cast and central crime. In Season 3, Ewan McGregor starred in a dual role as twin brothers Emmit and Ray Stussy. Carrie Coon, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Goran Bogdan, and David Thewlis also starred. Season 1 and Season 3 both aired during the spring with Season 2 being the only exception. If Noah Hawley can get cameras rolling on Season 4 sooner rather than later, fans could probably expect it to air sometime in 2020, at the earliest.
Photo courtesy of FX Networks.
