Warren Littlefield (‘Fargo’ executive producer): Puppets made him ‘scared to death’ and why an Emmy is ‘more important than ever’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
“Fargo lives in a place of tone,” states Warren Littlefield in our recent webchat, adding, “In ‘Fargo’ 5 we’re playing with a story of spousal abuse. Yet, in our own way, we are able to find humor along with that intense drama. That’s who we are.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
“Fargo” is the FX anthology series created by Noah Hawley, inspired by the 1996 Coen Brothers film. Each season takes a darkly comedic look at characters dealing with life and crime in the Midwest. Littlefield is executive producer on the series.
When Littlefield was head of NBC entertainment in the 1990s, he worked on developing a “Fargo” series that never came to be. During that process he was given a “Fargo” snow globe. The producer reveals, “12 years ago-ish I was looking at that snow globe and thought, ‘maybe it’s time.’ As we began the process with our partners at MGM and FX, they said not to think of it as a straight adaptation.’ As Noah and I spoke, we thought that ‘Fargo’ is a state of mind. Noah said to me, ‘I get to do all original characters, all original story and I’m still doing ‘Fargo.’’ That, as an artist, was very exciting for him.”
The series’ fifth installment tells the story of Dot, played by Juno Temple, whose normal life is disrupted when her abusive ex-husband discovers her whereabouts. Littlefied says, “We like to scare ourselves on ‘Fargo.’ We didn’t know if we could continue to juggle how dark that storyline could be and still keep our humor alive. We added to the threat by adding an episode with puppets. We were scared to death. We had to create a puppet unit and bring in puppeteers from various parts of the world. And it became so much the right way to approach that sensitive material. The surprise was the puppet episode worked.”
He also explains, “Dot in many ways could be considered a victim. Yet the character of Dot never allows herself to be thought of as a victim. I think that’s why you can watch that show and play in this story territory. Dot is fearless. That is the hope against all odds and the spirit that ultimately triumphs, with a little Bisquick thrown in.”
Littlefield heads ‘The Littlefield Company’ which produces prestige TV. He has won series Emmys for the first seasons on “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “Fargo.” The producer admits, “The Emmys were important for saying people need to take the time to see this. In the world there’s infinite choices across more platforms completing for your entertainment time. That award is a good housekeeping seal of approval. It says, ‘take your time, find this, you will be rewarded.’ I think it means everything. We love that love. It’s more important than it’s ever been in the history of the medium.”
While at NBC, Littlefield saw the Emmys help save lowly rated “Cheers” and “Hill Street Blues.” Both series went on to be considered all-time greats of the medium. He also oversaw the development of classics like “Seinfeld” and “Friends.” The producer reflects, “Your biggest upside I’ve always found ,with network and my company, is to cut against the grain. You can do something that other people are not doing. Try and find that.”
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