Patrick Wilson, Ted Danson, and Jean Smart have signed on for Season 2 of FX’s “Fargo.” The trio joins previously announced leads Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons.
Wilson stars as Lou Solverson, a clean-cut Minnesota State Patrolman, four years back from Vietnam, where he served in the Navy, according to a character description from the cable channel. It continued: A humble and competent man, Lou is a devoted husband to his wife Betsy (yet to be cast), and father to four-year-old Molly (yet to be cast).
Danson will play Hank Larsson, the Sheriff of Rock County, Minnesota. An unflappable WWII vet who embodies a certain cowboy poetry, Hank is Lou’s father-in-law.
Smart will play Floyd Gerhardt, the matriarch of the Gerhardt crime family. She’s stood by her husband’s side for 40 years, but now that he’s out of the picture she thinks it’s her turn to run things.
Here is FX’s official plot description:
The all new “true crime” case of Fargo’s new chapter travels back to 1979 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Luverne, Minnesota, where a young State Police Officer “Lou Solverson” (Wilson), recently back from Vietnam, investigates a case involving a local crime gang and a major Mob syndicate. Helping him piece things together is his father-in-law, “Sheriff Hank Larsson” (Danson). The investigation will lead them to a colorful cast of characters that includes “Karl Weathers” (Nick Offerman), the town lawyer of Luverne, Minnesota. A Korean War vet, Karl is a flowery drunk blessed with the gift of gab and the eloquence of a true con artist. Three-time Emmy winner Brad Garrett will play “Joe Bulo,” the front man for the northern expansion of a Kansas City crime syndicate. The new face of corporate crime, Joe’s bringing a Walmart mentality to small town America. His number two is “Mike Milligan” (Bokeem Woodbine). Part enforcer, part detective, Mike is always smiling – but the joke is usually on you. Bulo and his crew have their sights set on the Gerhardt crime family in Fargo, currently led by matriarch “Floyd Gerhardt” (Smart). With her husband at death’s door, Floyd takes over the family business, frustrating her eldest son, “Dodd Gerhardt” (Jeffrey Donovan). An impatient hothead with a cruel streak to match his ambitions, Dodd can’t wait for both his parents to die so he can take over and expand their business from kingdom to empire. “Bear Gerhardt” (Angus Sampson) is the middle son, an intimidatingly large man who, although inarticulate, is the most decent of his clan. “Rye Gerhardt” (Kieran Culkin), the youngest of the Gerhardt clan, views himself as a big shot, but in reality he’s just a small dog who barks big.
Production on Fargo will begin in Calgary on January 19. The 10-episode anthology miniseries is slated to premiere next fall.
Noah Hawley is back as showrunner and write; Joel and Ethan Coen, Warren Littlefield and John Cameron all return as executive producers for the second installment. “Fargo” is produced by MGM Television and FX Productions, with MGM Television serving as the lead studio.
CAA and Anonymous Content represent Wilson, WME and Industry Entertainment rep Danson and WME and Untitled Entertainment represents Smart.