Returning: Fargo

Season Three of Fargo has finally been confirmed for a mid-May launch on SBS.

Although this is several weeks after the US return (tomorrow) the good news is we will play catch-up, with double episodes for the first three weeks, and then air within a week of the US broadcast.

SBS will also post the first episode online at SBS On Demand from May 10.

The third season, set in 2010, features Ewan McGregor in dual roles, plus Carrie Coon, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, David Thewlis and Jim Gaffigan.

Set in 2010, the third instalment of Fargo centres on “Emmit” (the legendary Ewan McGregor) and his slightly younger brother “Ray Stussy” (also played by an almost unrecognisable McGregor). Emmit, the Parking Lot King of Minnesota, sees himself as an American success story, whereas Ray is more of a cautionary tale. Forever living in his more successful brother’s shadow, Ray is a balding and pot-bellied parole officer with a huge chip on his shoulder about the hand he’s been dealt – and he blames his brother. Their sibling rivalry follows a twisted path that begins with petty theft but soon leads to murder, mobsters and cut-throat competitive bridge.

Carrie Coon (Gone Girl) stars as “Gloria Burgle”, the steady chief of the local police department. A newly divorced mother, Gloria is trying to understand the new world around her, where people connect more intimately with their phones than with the people around them. Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs The World) stars as Ray’s girlfriend, “Nikki Swango,” a crafty and alluring recent parolee with a passion for competitive bridge.

David Thewlis (the Harry Potter franchise) stars as “V.M. Varga”, a mysterious loner and true capitalist who delivers Emmit the bad news that the Parking Lot King of Minnesota has just become partners with his employers, whose business interests lay outside the law.

Fargo hails from Peabody, Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning Executive Producers Noah Hawley (also the program’s Creator/Showrunner/Writer/Director), Joel and Ethan Coen, Warren Littlefield and John Cameron, who all return for the latest instalment of the 10-episode limited series. Fargo is produced by MGM Television and FX Productions, with MGM Television serving as the lead studio. Fargo is internationally distributed by MGM. Aw heck!

8.30pm on Wednesday 17 May on SBS (SBS On Demand from Wednesday 10 May).