Aw, geez: ‘Fargo’ creator teases what’s in store for season two

SHARE Aw, geez: ‘Fargo’ creator teases what’s in store for season two

The good news is Molly Solverson will be back next season on “Fargo.”

The bad news is the Chicago actress who played her, Allison Tolman, will not. That’s because Molly will be 4 years old.

“I spoke to Allison Tolman this morning and told her that unless she could channel her 4-year-old self, we wouldn’t be able to have her in season two, which is a crime and a tragedy and you should all be very angry at us for doing that because I would like nothing more than to see the continuing adventures of Molly and Gus,” “Fargo” showrunner Noah Hawley said.

Hawley on Monday gave TV critics the first details about the 10-episode sophomore season of FX’s anthology series inspired by the Coen brothers’ 1996 movie by the same name. The TV series was nominated for 18 Emmy Awards — the most for any single program in the cable network’s history.

Here’s what we know:

Bye-bye Bemidji, hello Sioux Falls, S.D.

“If you were paying attention to season one, we made a lot of references to Sioux Falls and that was deliberate,” Hawley said. “What this next 10 hour movie is going to be is going to be the story of Sioux Falls.” We’ll also visit titular Fargo and the tiny town of Luverne, Minn.

Turn back the clock

Next season unfolds in 1979 and will follow Molly’s dad, Lou Solverson (Keith Carradine) as a 33-year-old soldier recently returned from the Vietnam War. He’ll be working as a state cop.

Molly’s mom

We’re going to meet her — and likely learn what happened to her. Her name is Betsy. “Her dad is the sheriff of Rock County, which is where Luverne, Minn., is. So [Lou’s} father-in-law is a character in this next go around. I don’t know if we see any other Solversons. I haven’t sort of gotten that far yet. But I am excited to spend some time with Molly’s mom. It’s not just her dad that gave her her spirit.”

Book it: Lt. Schmidt

“There was one other person in that rodeo who was Pete Breitmayer’s character, Ben Schmidt, the lieutenant, who will factor in there somewhere. And then, you know, there’s a lot of clues that are left in the first season about events and how they unfolded there, and we will do our best to hit those in unexpected ways.”

Some characters will be back, but not original cast

This isn’t “American Horror Story.” None of the initial actors will return, despite TV critics’ trying to strong arm Hawley into casting Tolman as her mother. “She should be in everything anybody ever makes as far as I’m concerned,” Hawley said about Tolman, praising her range as an actress. But the idea of bringing back former cast members in a show like this “seems a little gimmicky to me, I guess, and like cheating.”

Be patient

The next season isn’t likely to premiere until fall 2015. “We had such a crazy post [production] schedule [on season one] because we wrapped on April 4th and premiered on April 15th. We were just racing through. I would like not to do that again. I think we managed to make the best show that we could make, but it would be nice to have a little more time just to see it through.”

Bundle up, cast and crew

This season, like last, will film in the Calgary area. Production starts in January. “Last year we actually started shooting in November,” executive producer Warren Littlefield said. “But winter came very hard and very fast and December was pretty brutal up there. We should be shooting long enough where spring comes as well. So, hopefully, we’ll feel a transition.”

More Coen brothers’ influence

The sibling filmmakers were extremely hands off when it came to their involvement with the TV series, but their body of work — not just the film “Fargo” — impacted the final product. “If the three movies that influenced season one were “Fargo,” “No Country for Old Men,” and “A Serious Man,” this year we are in “Fargo,” “Miller’s Crossing” and “The Man Who Wasn’t There,” Hawley said. “So let the internet speculation begin.”

Title TBA

“The subtitle will be ‘Fargo: Backlash,'” Hawley joked. “And I look forward to all of your reviews.”

The “Fargo” session was just one of many for FX on a busy day the Television Critics Association meeting. Here are other stories that emerged Monday:

READ: Record-breaking TV marathon of “The Simpsons” is on the way, as is a comprehensive website and app that will make every episode available 24/7

READ: Fantasy football comedy “The League” looks to cast its next Chicago Bear

READ: “Louie” gets a fifth — but shorter — season

READ: “Married” star Nat Faxon has written a Chicago-set baseball movie he hopes to star in with Jim Rash

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