Fargo Continues to Make Excellent Casting Choices, Books Patrick Wilson, Ted Danson, Jean Smart, Nick Offerman, and More for Season 2

TV.com
Updated

Fargo has booked another round of big names for its sophomore season.

Patrick Wilson, Ted Danson, and Jean Smart have all signed on as series regulars for the second round of the FX drama, the network announced Thursday. They join previously announced Season 2 stars Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons.

In addition, Nick Offerman, Jeffrey Donovan, Brad Garrett, Kieran Culkin, Bokeem Woodbine, and Angus Sampson are among a number of actors who will recur as guest stars.

Wilson will star as Minnesota State patrolman Lou Solverson, who we of course knew in Season 1 as Molly Solverson's father, a retired cop and coffee-shop owner played by Keith Carradine. Fargo's second installment will be set in 1979—27 years prior to Season 1 and eight years before the original film—and follow a younger version of the character, who fought in the Navy during the Vietnam War and now lives with his wife and young daughter (Molly as a 4-year-old!). Season 2's story will see Solverson investigating a case involving a mob syndicate and a local crime gang.

Danson will play Lou's father-in-law, Hank Larsson, a World War II vet and the sheriff of Rock County, Minnesota.

Smart has been cast as Floyd Gerhardt, the matriarch of the Gerhardt crime family who finds herself in charge now that her husband of 40 years is at death's door.

Offerman will play Karl Weathers, a Korean War vet and the town lawyer in Luverne, Minnesota who's also a "flowery drunk."

Garrett will play Joe Bulo, who's spearheading the northern expansion of a Kansas City crime syndicate and is "bringing a Walmart mentality to small-town America." Woodbine will play Bulo's righthand man, Mike Milligan, who's part enforcer and part detective.

Donovan, Culkin, and Sampson will all play sons in the Gerhardt clan. The eldest is Dodd (Donovan), an "impatient hothead" who's waiting for both of his parents to die so that he can take over the mob business. Rye (Culkin) is the youngest and views himself as a big shot. Bear (Sampson), the middle son, is intimidating but also the most decent of the bunch.

What's your take on all this casting? Two quick thoughts:

1. LOL at Offerman playing a guy named Karl Weathers.

2. Fargo's Season 2 cast > True Detective's Season 2 cast.


Fargo Season 2 is expected to debut this fall.