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'Fargo' Season Four Explores Organized Crime In Kansas City

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Chris Rock, seated, plays a gangster in Fargo's fourth season, set in 1950's Kansas City.
Elizabeth Morris, FX
Chris Rock, seated, plays a gangster in Fargo's fourth season, set in 1950's Kansas City.

What a fact-check reveals about the latest season of the popular crime drama set in 1950's Kansas City.

Each episode of the series leads with the statement, "based on true events." While the season accurately captures the feel of mid-century Kansas City, the narrative is based mainly in fiction. "It's a true crime story that isn't true" according to mafia expert Terence O'Malley.

  • Michael Wells, Missouri Valley Special Collections librarian
  • Terence O'Malley, film director and author for “Black Hand Strawman: The History of Organized Crime in KC" and co-founder of the Kansas City Mafia Film Festival
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Chris Young is an Assistant Producer for KCUR’s Up To Date. Contact him at chrisy@kcur.org.
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