The Best Crime Series On Netflix Is Going Away

Fargo, the critically acclaimed FX crime drama from Noah Hawley, is leaving Netflix ahead of its upcoming next season.

By Matthew Creith | Published

When the dark dramedy Fargo debuted in 2014 on FX, it was seen by many at the time as a nostalgic grab from fans of the 1996 original film Fargo. Developed for television by Noah Hawley, the Coen Brothers adaptation saw high ratings in its first season (which starred Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman) as an anthology series that seems to have gotten better over the course of four seasons. After running on FX, Fargo premiered on other streaming service platforms, eventually leading to the first three seasons shown on Netflix. Now, it appears that Fargo will be leaving Netflix, making it nearly impossible for the most recent seasons to debut on the streamer.

According to What’s on Netflix, the first three seasons of Fargo will be leaving Netflix in many of the streaming platform’s international regions in the month of October 2022. The first three seasons starred an ensemble cast that includes Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Ewan McGregor, Patrick Wilson, Jean Smart, Cristin Milioti, Carrie Coon, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Ted Danson. The show’s popularity brought the series into a fourth season on FX that included appearances by comedian Chris Rock, Jason Schwartzman, and Jessie Buckley. The fourth season has yet to be streamed on Netflix, and there are no details currently about if that season will appear on the platform in the future.

Since the show premieres first-run episodes on FX, and the network is part of the Hulu and Disney family, it stands to reason that all episodes of Fargo may be available for streaming on Hulu rather than Netflix going forward. The series is known for presenting characters with some connection from season to season. However, many storylines and actors change between seasons to reflect a more established dark comedy anthology platform. Fargo was recently renewed for a fifth season which will take the concepts of the series to a new era, having characters set in the year 2019. The cast for the latest season includes Jon Hamm, Stranger Things star Joe Keery, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Ted Lasso standout Juno Temple. Noah Hawley is returning to the series as the showrunner, while a premiere date for the fifth season has yet to be confirmed.

Before Fargo made itself available for streaming on Netflix, the show had become one of the most well-regarded series in the modern era. This is a significant achievement, given the critical acclaim that the original film accumulated in the 1990s, but the television series Fargo has made great strides with critics and audiences over the past four seasons. To date, the show has been nominated for 55 Primetime Emmy Awards, with the first season winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. Billy Bob Thornton also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film in the first season. The show has often been a space where great actors can extend their craft into various performances, tending to lean towards darker personas and mysterious events. With the show leaving Netflix in October, audiences worldwide still have some time to catch up on a great series.