A gangster story with elements of a fairy tale myth shot through with historic tragedy, "Fargo" (9 p.m. and 10:20 p.m. Sunday, FX, TV-MA) returns for a fourth season.
For reasons known only to writer Noah Hawley, who also directs tonight’s first two episodes, this season is set in Kansas City in 1950. It begins with a voice-over from precocious high school student Ethelrida Pearl Smutney (Emyri Crutchfield), who sees Kansas City’s gangster saga as a metaphor for America’s history of exclusion, racism and assimilation.
We see a largely Jewish gang family displaced by an Irish "concern," who are in turn rubbed out by an Italian family, who are in the process of being muscled by an African American mob as "Fargo" gets under way.
In a mythical touch, competing gangs attempt to patch over differences by surrendering their eldest male to the care of their rivals. It’s assumed that peace will prevail, since nobody will attack the home and family where an heir resides. The scheme works, until it doesn’t.
Look for Chris Rock as Loy Cannon, the visionary head of the African American mob. Early on, he sees "financial instruments" as a way to transcend the messier aspects of organized crime, proposing an interest-bearing credit card several decades before its time.
His Italian rivals have problems lifted from the Bible and Shakespeare. Aging don Donatello Fadda (Tommaso Ragno) makes peace with Cannon, but his impetuous son Josto (Jason Schwartzman) sees Cannon’s gang as "animals" that must be eliminated. He in turn is threatened by his physically imposing younger brother, Gaetano (Salvatore Esposito), recently returned from Italy. His threatening demeanor is a stark contrast to Josto’s nervous bravado.
Look for Irish actress Jessie Buckley as chatty nurse Oraetta Mayflower. A Minnesota native, she’s the season’s one true link to the accent and slang of "Fargo" proper. It wouldn’t be fair to reveal her actions and motivations, but I will reveal that she steals every scene she’s in.
While set in a city several states removed from the original, this "Fargo" is still deep in Coen brothers country. The notion of rival ethnic gangs was the heart of "Miller’s Crossing" some three decades back. And Cannon is known to use the word "rumpus" now and again.
Viewers who only know Chris Rock as a brash comic will be delighted to see the gravity he brings to his role. Schwartzman’s inability to play the heavy has never been put to better use.
Like every installment of "Fargo," the cinematography is stunning, artfully blending beauty and violence.
And one could write a whole column on its use of music. Each successive gang takeover described above is accompanied by a different moment from Duke Ellington’s "Caravan," each successively livelier, until Cannon’s gang arrives to the performance at its most dissonant and funky. Much of the original music was composed by Jeffrey Russo, a member of the band Tonic who has already won an Emmy for his work on "Fargo" scores.
A thoughtful reflection on the American history some people don’t want to be taught in schools, Season 4 of "Fargo" is perfectly suited to our moment. Both Cannon and teenage narrator Ethelrida offer insightful commentary on organized crime as the refuge of the excluded. In their succession, Jews, Irish, Italians and Blacks had to muscle up to get their due from a society that wouldn’t have them, or (as we see in Episode 1) accept their bleeding bodies in their hospitals. This new "Fargo" may be the first to reflect on numerous African American characters, but it’s actually a meditation on the shifting definition of "whiteness."
If you miss tonight’s premiere, "Fargo" will be streamed on FX on Hulu beginning Monday.
SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— Major League Baseball action (7 p.m., Fox).
— Miami hosts Florida State in college football action (7:30 p.m., ABC).
— Dallas and Tampa Bay meet in the Stanley Cup Finals (8 p.m., NBC).
— "Animal Babies" (8 p.m., BBC America, TV-PG) focuses on creatures raised in mountainous terrain.
— An obsessive sicko sets his sights on the pompom squad in the 2019 shocker "The Wrong Cheerleader" (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).
— Scientists use cutting-edge technology to examine a red tide on "What on Earth?" (8 p.m., Science, TV-PG).
— A couple’s DIY project turns into a time-consuming nightmare on "Help! I Wrecked My House!" (9 p.m., HGTV).
— Even a workaholic can find time for love in the 2020 romance "Falling for Look Lodge" (9 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
— The voices of Quinta Brunson, Ana Gasteyer, Claudia O’Doherty and John Reynolds animate the new cartoon series "Magical Girl Friendship Squad" (Midnight, Syfy, TV-MA).
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— Scheduled on "60 Minutes" (7 p.m., CBS): Voting rights in Florida; the collapsing wall on the border with Mexico; a conversation with David Attenborough.
— Mr. Burns becomes an undercover boss on the Season 32 premiere of "The Simpsons" (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG).
— Because there’s just not enough "news" to report, "20/20" (8 p.m., ABC) offers profiles of Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian West and Britney Spears in a special called "$ellebrity: The Go-To Girls."
— Ted arrives with two Kiwis on "Last Tango in Halifax" (8 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings).
— "The Walking Dead Universe Preview Special" (8 p.m., AMC) glances ahead.
— The Saints host the Packers in NFL action (8:20 p.m., NBC).
— Fashion-related social media can be murder on "Van der Valk" on "Masterpiece" (9 p.m., PBS, TV-PG, check local listings).
— The 2020 documentary "John Lewis: Good Trouble" (9 p.m., CNN) profiles the late Georgia congressman and his life of civil disobedience and public service.
— Jeff Daniels stars in the miniseries adaptation of James Comey’s memoirs "The Comey Rule" (9 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA). Brendan Gleeson portrays President Donald Trump.
— "How It Really Happened" (9 p.m., HLN) recalls the death of James Jordan.
— A defector reflects on "The Vow" (10 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
CULT CHOICE
In love with a young composer (Marius Goring), a ballet dancer (Moira Shearer) becomes the victim of a tyrannical choreographer (Anton Walbrook) in the 1948 Technicolor masterpiece "The Red Shoes" (8 p.m. Saturday, TCM, TV-G).
SATURDAY SERIES
An activist judge needs defending on "Bull" (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … Violence erupts in the boxing ring on "S.W.A.T." (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … Crime time in prime time on "48 Hours" (10 p.m., CBS).
SUNDAY SERIES
"Football Night in America" (7 p.m., NBC, TV-14) … "Big Brother" (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Ryan Seacrest hosts "iHeartRadio Music Festival Night 1" (8 p.m., CW, TV-14) … History repeats itself on "Bless the Harts" (8:30 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
"Love Island" (9 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … A hero’s quest on "Bob’s Burgers" (9 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … Stewie’s first word on "Family Guy" (9:30 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … Hits and myths on "NCIS: New Orleans" (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … "Card Sharks" (10 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG).
