Ratings Advisory

Fargo Returns Strong With Third Installment Premiere

Premiere Telecast Delivers 3 Million Total Viewers, An +8% Gain Over Second Installment Premiere; Adults 18-49 Hold Steady

LOS ANGELES - April 24, 2017 - You Betcha! Fargo's back big time with a third installment premiere that significantly improved on the Year Two premiere and its season average ratings.

On a Live+3 basis, the premiere telecast (4/19/17, 10:00-11:30 PM) delivered 3 million total viewers, an +8% gain over the premiere of the second installment (2.78 million) and +9% over Year Two's season average ratings (3 million vs. 2.76 million). Adults 18-49 held steady as compared to the previous installment's premiere (-2%, 1.06 million vs. 1.08 million) and season average ratings (-2%, 1.06 million vs. 1.08 million).

For the night, the premiere was a Top 5 program in several key demos: #4 in Adults 25-54 and Total Viewers (3 million); and #5 in Adults 18-49 (1.06 million).

Fargo returns with this Wednesday at 10 PM ET/PT on FX with Episode 2: "The Principle of Restricted Choice" - Gloria deals with the aftermath of a crime, Varga makes a move, and Ray and Nikki move on to Plan B. Written by Noah Hawley; directed by Michael Uppendahl.

Set in 2010, the third installment of Fargo centers 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 follows 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. David Thewlis stars as "V.M. Vargas," a mysterious loner and true capitalist whose bosses plan to partner with Emmit, whether "The Parking Lot King" likes it or not.

Fargo hails from Peabody, Golden Globe(R) and Emmy(R) Award winning Executive Producers Noah Hawley (creator/showrunner/writer/director), Joel & Ethan Coen, Warren Littlefield and John Cameron. Fargo is produced by MGM Television and FX Productions, with MGM Television serving as the lead studio.

ABOUT FX

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable channel of FX Networks, a business unit of 21ST Century Fox. FX Networks is comprised of FX, FXM and FXX. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in 90 million homes. The diverse schedule features a growing roster of critically-acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series, including The Americans, The Strain, Taboo, Legion and the upcoming Snowfall; the critically-acclaimed limited series American Horror Story, Fargo, American Crime Story, FEUD: Bette and Joan and the upcoming Trust; and acclaimed hit comedy series including the award-winning Louie, Baskets, Better Things and Atlanta. In 2016, FX received a basic cable record 56 Emmy(R) Award nominations and a basic cable record 18 wins, including 9 for The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. FX is the former home of the critically-acclaimed and award-winning hit drama series The Shield, Nip/Tuck, Rescue Me, Damages, Sons of Anarchy and Justified. The network's library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network.