Up To Date

'Fargo' Season Four Explores Organized Crime In Kansas City

By Steve Kraske,

Published December 2, 2020 at 3:26 PM CST

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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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Up To Date history television Kansas City History Mafia Kansas City Missouri (KCMO)Podcast crime Talk Show

Steve Kraske

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.

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Mackenzie Martin

As senior podcast producer for KCUR Studios and a host of A People’s History of Kansas City, I interview everyday people and dig through old newspaper articles to unearth stories of the visionaries and renegades who created this region. I focus on bringing the past to life, so we can all better understand the city we live in today. Email me at mackenzie@kcur.org.

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Chris Young

Chris Young is an Assistant Producer for KCUR’s Up To Date. Contact him at chrisy@kcur.org.

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