Lamorne Morris Reckons ‘Fargo’ Should Be Set In Broome, Western Australia
I need to admit upfront that I’ve never watched Fargo, but I’ll now be binging all five seasons and the movie over the Christmas break after Lamorne Morris, who plays a state trooper in Season 5, said he’d love a version of the show in Broome, WA.
Please don’t come for me, or at least hear me out first. I’ve heard of Fargo. I know that it started off as critically acclaimed film in the 90s by the Coen Brothers, who then produced a TV series of the same name with an anthology format where every season takes place in a new setting with mostly new characters.
I know it’s really good, supposedly. And I do believe that. It’s just that I haven’t found myself particularly interested in the premise because, honestly, it sounds so uniquely American. I’ve heard that it’s brilliantly sharp, setting a dark crime thriller in the mundanity of the suburban Minnesota. But I was always concerned that for me to understand what made it so clever, I’d need to understand the intricacies of Midwestern culture.
Turns out, even some of the cast of Fargo Season 5 had the same concerns.
“I didn’t think that I was right for the role,” admitted Richa Moorjani, who plays Minnesota police deputy Indira Olmstead in the latest season.
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“I had actually never seen Fargo before and didn’t know what a Minnesota accent was. And it was just so different from anything I had obviously ever done before.”
Part of the charm of a show like Fargo is how obviously “Minnesota” it is. Luckily for me, someone who has precisely zero idea what that means, the writers of Fargo know how to make that quintessential Midwestern culture feel familiar, then pull out the rug out from under you. I’m told they do it damn well.
Lamorne Morris, who plays a North Dakota state trooper, agreed that the series really gets what it’s like to grow up in a Midwestern town.
“I’m from Chicago, so it’s a Midwestern town. Certain pockets of Chicago feel like certain pockets of Minnesota.
“Everyone helped everyone. That’s kind of what you did. We weren’t looking for any rescuer, any saviour, anything, you know what I mean? We look at the government as someone that helps put policy into place and that’s it.”
Image: FX
After getting a sense of what made the show so particular to its location, I had to ask Morris if he could imagine another quirky little place that would suit a series like Fargo.
“Australia. I love Australia. I’ve been there a bunch of times, and a lot of my friends are Australian, and they always tell me about these really small towns, these really tiny towns in Australia where people are… it is just funny.
“Someone was telling me about a town called Broome in Australia that’s in the middle of nowhere, and I’m very intrigued about that particular place. Apparently, there is nothing going on there and I’d be so anxious to see the other people there.”
Well, Coen Brothers, there you have it. After I finally watch the entire series, please reach out for opportunities to collab on a new spinoff set in Broome, Western Australia. Look forward to hearing from you.
The fifth instalment of Fargo is airs exclusively Wednesdays at 9:20pm on SBS and stream free on SBS On Demand.
Image: FX