The television adaptation of the Coen Brothers 1996 film is back and Fargo has an entirely new cast of actors. As much ad I'd love to see Martin Freeman don that comically large parka and even more comically large midwestern accent again, Fargo is an anthology series that isn't down to recycle stories or cast. Showrunner Noah Hawley told the press at FX's Television Critics Association panel (as reported by Entertainment Weekly) that Billy Bob Thornton won't be to this show what Jessica Lange is to American Horror Story. "It gets hard to look past the actors," he said. "I like the idea that the character comes first and hopefully the actor disappears into the role.” To that end, Season 2 of Fargo has a ton of guest stars, drawing names like Patrick Wilson, Kirsten Dunst, Ted Danson, and Jean Smart to leading roles, and the guest roles are just as stacked with talent. This means that fans can look forward to famous faces popping up in memorable and, knowing the Fargo formula, probably violent places.
Here are just a few of the guest stars audiences will be seeing in Fargo Season 2. I expect that more will be announced as the 10-episode season continues.
1. Nick Offerman
Missing Ron Swanson and his yen for brunettes and breakfast food? Nick Offerman will be ditching his impressive mustache to head over to Fargo as drunken small-town lawyer Karl Weathers. No word yet on his character's talent for woodworking.
2. Cristin Milioti
Ted Mosby's dream woman fulfilled one of the most anticipated castings in recent television history in the final season of How I Met Your Mother and is currently romancing Jeremy Reed on The Mindy Project. Now, she's also taking on Betsy Solverson, Lou's wife and (I assume) Molly's mother. Deadline describes her character as "a woman of the plains — pretty but firm — she can both jump start a car and make a casserole, clean a gun as well as the gutters."
3. Kieran Culkin
As Rye Gerhardt, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World star Kieran Culkin represents a generation of a powerful (but probably bumbling, because this is Fargo) crime family. I expect him to be covered in someone else's blood by about the second act of the first episode.
4. Brad Garrett
The towering comedian shows up in Season 2 of Fargo as Joe Bulo, who an FX press release describes as "the front man for the northern expansion of a Kansas City crime syndicate." And, it doesn't take a media expert to predict that Bulo and his crew will butt heads with the Gerhardts, probably racking up a decent body count.
5. Bruce Campbell
Hands down, the most inspired casting of this season of Fargo is that of Evil Dead icon Bruce Campbell as former president Ronald Reagan. Being a prequel of sorts to Season 1, this series of episodes is set in 1979 during the then-candidate's campaign. According to Entertainment Weekly, Reagan will make an scheduled appearance in the town and protagonist Lou Solverson will be a part of his local security team. There's huge potential here for Fargo's trademark quirkiness and recent American history to intersect; I can't wait to see what the show does with it.
Mark my words: the Fargo recurring star roster is just going to get longer and cooler in the next couple of weeks.
Images: Chris Large/FX; Giphy (5)
