Nick Offerman Could Score ‘Fargo’ Role Alongside Jeffrey Donovan


Nick Offerman fans, rejoice! Ron Swanson is bidding NBC farewell next year, but the actor who plays the beloved Pawnee resident might not be leaving TV for good — soon he could be chowing down on all the bacon and eggs at a diner in Sioux Falls.

According to the Wrap, Nick Offerman has been offered a role in Fargo, FX’s critically-acclaimed anthology series. It was also recently announced that Burn Notice actor Jeffrey Donovan is in negotiations to play a character named Dodd, and Rachel Keller has signed on to play a character named Simone.

Nick Offerman’s Ron Swanson is one of the most popular characters on Parks and Recreation, so he could bring some fresh eyes with him if he decides to head to Fargo. It’s definitely an offer worth considering — fans fell in love with last season’s incredible characters, played by the likes of Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman, Bob Odenkirk, Martin Freeman, Colin Hanks, and Keith Carradine. Fargo was an Emmy darling with 18 nominations, so an actor would be nuts to turn down an opportunity to star in its highly-anticipated second season.

As the Inquisitr previously reported, the second season of Fargo will be a prequel of sorts set in 1979, and part of it will take place in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. You might remember diner owner/retired police officer Lou Solverson (Keith Carradine) talking about the time he served on a task force that investigated a series of horrific murders that took place in Sioux Falls. The next installment of Fargo will center on a 33-year-old, Lou, and his efforts to bring down whoever was responsible for those animalistic killings.

Lou Solverson seems like the type of guy Ron Swanson would get along with — he’s a man’s man who owns a diner, and he isn’t afraid to speak his mind. However, Nick Offerman won’t be playing Lou. His character would be named Carl, and there’s no word on whether Carl will be a fan of whisky, woodworking, and playing guitar. Steve Buscemi’s character in the 1996 move Fargo was named Carl Showalter, but it seems unlikely that Offerman will be playing the same role.

It could be a real treat for Nick Offerman fans to see the funnyman playing a sadistic killer in the same vein of Billy Bob Thornton’s Lorne Malvo, but the Carl character might be a cop. Offerman starred as Deputy Chief Hardy in 21 Jump Street, so it’s possible that he’s up for the Carl role because he has experience playing one of the boys in blue.

There’s no word on which stars are being considered for the roles of young Lou Solverson and Lieutenant Ben Schmidt, a member of Lou’s task force. Ben would go on to become Gus Grimly’s boss at the Duluth Police Department. According to Vulture, the second season of Fargo will explore Ben and Lou’s relationship (Lou already hinted that the cops definitely weren’t BFFs). In addition to Fargo, the second iteration of the FX series will be inspired by two other Coen brothers movies: The Man Who Wasn’t There and Miller’s Crossing.

If Nick Offerman doesn’t sign on for Fargo, at least fans will get to see plenty of him on TV starting on January 13. As Time reports, NBC will be airing back-to-back episodes of Parks and Recreation until the series finale on February 24. Get your meat tornados and waffles ready.

If Nick Offerman does end up heading to Fargo, would you like to see him as a good cop, bad/bumbling cop, or a brutal baddie?

[Image credit: NBC]

Share this article: Nick Offerman Could Score ‘Fargo’ Role Alongside Jeffrey Donovan
More from Inquisitr