Television

Fargo

• By AC Remler

Jon Hamm (Top Gun: Maverick), Juno Temple (Ted Lasso) and Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight) will all join the cast of Fargo as lead characters for its 5^th season premiering Nov. 21 on FX and streaming on Hulu.

This next 10-episode chapter of the hit anthology series is set in 2019 and focuses on two key themes: when is a kidnapping not a kidnapping, and what if your wife isn’t yours.

Hamm plays a character named Roy Tillman, a larger-than-life North Dakota sheriff who wears a belt buckle that reads, “A Hard Man for Hard Times”—which kind of sums him up. Temple is Dot Lyon, a weapon-toting housewife with a secret back story. Meanwhile Leigh portrays Lorraine Lyon, Dot’s mother-in-law, and an opinionated CEO of a $2 billion debt collection agency. The season follows murder investigations in midwestern towns with seemingly unrelated crimes, yet connected in some way, according to the network.

Fargo was created by Noah Hawley (The Unusuals) and based on the 1996 film of the same name by Joel and Ethan Coen (who also executive produce the show). The critically acclaimed series has a long pedigree of seasoned A-list actors featured in past seasons, including Chris Rock, Kirsten Dunst, Jean Smart, Billy Bob Thornton and Ewan McGregor.

The series, which was delayed amid Hollywood’s dual strikes, has garnered 55 Emmy nominations and six wins.

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The Crown

• By Samantha Colwell

It’s back. Season 6 of highly anticipated British political drama and historical fiction series The Crown drops on Netflix on November 16. This season centers heavily around Diana, beginning with her relationship with Dodi Fayed and even including an appearance of her “ghost” after her death. As always, the show will focus mainly on the direct line of succession to the throne, meaning Elizabeth, Charles, and William, and interestingly not touching too heavily on Harry, who has his own deal with Netflix but is reportedly staying out of Crown-related matters.

Of course, being historical fiction tightly based on one very real queen, we know to some extent how the plot is going to go. That’s not to say that the show has always followed the exact same path; creator Peter Morgan admitted in an interview that he has changed the show’s ending (which we’ll see this season) following the real-life death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022. This was the first season filmed with the knowledge that Elizabeth was no longer living, which no doubt colors the presentation of the character within the series. In fact, Morgan confirmed that though the series will end with the events of 2005, they did find a way to acknowledge the Queen’s death, keeping it “historical, not journalistic” by stopping before present-day events in hopes of remaining “dignified”.

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THE BUCCANEERS

• By RICH ANDREW

Writer Katherine Jakeways (Carol and Vinnie) delivers a happy ending to Edith Wharton’s unfinished novel as she takes the page to the screen. Set in the 1870s, this period drama follows average teenager Nan St. George and her group of friends, the nouveau riche of New York high society who’ve become tired of the city’s limited options in suitors. Until they meet Lord Richard Marable, who invites them all to join the debutante season in London. But the invite comes with an ulterior motive for certain impoverished aristocrats looking to snag a wealthy wife. The British governesses attempt to tame these buccaneers, but Nan’s American wiles capture the eyes of the dashing Guy Thwarte, a Lord who similarly snags her heart. As sparks fly, their whirlwind romance might be no match for the Duke of Tintagel, who as it turns out is Guy’s best friend. With an impossible decision before her, Nan must decide what is mere infatuation and what is true love. With an outstanding cast that includes Kristine Froseth (Snorkeling), Alisha Boe (Do Revenge), Josie Totah (Mr. Mayor), Aubri Ibrag (Dive Club), Imogen Waterhouse (The Outpost), Mia Threapleton (Firebrand), Christina Hendricks (Good Girls), Josh Dylan (Noughts + Crosses), Barney Fishwick (Living), Guy Remmers (Lessons), and Matthew Broome (And It Was The Same With My Son), The Buccaneers pulls all the right heartstrings.

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ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE

• By SAMANTHA COLWELL

Long-awaited dramatic miniseries All The Light We Cannot See premieres on November 2 on Netflix. The story centers around the lives of three seemingly unconnected people in the final days of France’s occupation during WWII. It stars Aria Mia Loberti in her acting debut as blind French teenager Marie-Laure, Louis Hofmann as German soldier Werner Pfenning, and Hugh Laurie as Etienne LeBlanc. Hofmann is known for roles like Jonas in the series Dark, and Laurie is most famous for his role as the titular character in long-running medical drama House. 

The novel that gives the series its basis and title was published in 2014 and quickly became a household name, winning both the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction in 2015. The author, Anthony Doerr, actually derived his inspiration from watching a fellow passenger on a train ride become frustrated when his call dropped; Doerr felt that the passenger was failing to appreciate the miraculous nature of long-distance communication, and felt called to write something emphasizing just how tenuous and vital that miracle can be.

Viewers who’ve read the book will notice some differences, but all changes to the story were made with approval by Doerr. The limited series will be just four episodes long, with the first one running 2 hours and 3 minutes in length.

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