At long last, Fargo Season 3 is finally starting to thaw out of that Minnesota cold. Not only do we have an impressive cast list, but also a spring premiere window, as cast and crew discuss the third year’s notably modern setting. Plus, what “kiss with the past” can we look forward to?

FX boss John Landgraf couldn’t deliver on an exact date for Fargo Season 3 at the TCA press tour (the cast had only begun shooting a few days earlier), though we’ve at least narrowed it down to either late April, or at worst, early May. The cast had no real footage to display, but rather presented a brief concept reel to journalists in the room.

Among the more interesting tidbits of the panel, however, executive producer Warren Littlefield spoke to a smaller cast allowing more “intimacy” than last season, while viewers might expect “a kiss with the past” in terms of cameos and connections:

It’s a big region. I think the important thing about year three is intimacy. We’re a smaller cast. And it allows us to go deeper with each of these characters. Noah does not want to repeat himself.

In the meantime, so reads the first synopsis, which includes our Season 3 stars:

Set in 2010, the next installment of Fargo will feature an all-new “true crime” tale centered on “Emmit” and his slightly younger brother “Ray Stussy” (Ewan McGregor). Emmit, the Parking Lot King of Minnesota, sees himself as an American success story, whereas Ray is more of a cautionary tale. Forever living in his more successful brother’s shadow, Ray is a balding and pot-bellied parole officer with a huge chip on his shoulder about the hand he’s been dealt – and he blames his brother. Their sibling rivalry leads to a twisted path that begins with petty theft but soon leads to murder, mobsters and cut-throat competitive bridge. Carrie Coon stars as “Gloria Burgle,” the steady chief of the local police department. A newly divorced mother, Gloria is trying to understand the new world around her, where people connect more intimately with their phones than with the people around them. Mary Elizabeth Winstead stars as Ray’s girlfriend, “Nikki Swango,” a crafty and alluring recent parolee with a passion for competitive bridge.

And a more detailed breakdown of the new additions:

David Thewlis (Harry Potter films, Wonder Woman) joins the cast as “V.M. Vargas,” a mysterious loner and true capitalist who delivers Emmit the bad news that the Parking Lot King of Minnesota has just become partners with his employers, whose business interests lay outside the law.

Michael Stuhlbarg (Boardwalk Empire) will play “Sy Feltz,” Emmit’s right hand man and consigliere.

Jim Gaffigan (The Bleeder) will play “Donny Mashman,” Gloria’s deputy at the local police department.

Rounding out the cast are Scoot McNairy (Halt & Catch Fire, 12 Years a Slave) as “Maurice LeFay,” a stoner with a criminal past, Shea Whigham as Meeker County Chief of Police “Moe Dammick,” and Karan Soni (Blunt Talk, Deadpool) as scientist “Dr. Homer Gilruth.” Fred Melamed (Casual, Lady Dynamite) will play “Howard Zimmerman,” a mover and a shaker, with a knack for spinning a yarn and making a profit, and Thomas Mann (Me, Earl and the Dying Girl) will play “Thaddeus Mobley,” an award-winning science fiction author.

We’ll hear more details in the coming weeks, but is April or May too long to wait for new Fargo?

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