Top three shows to watch during the spring season

As the spring season of television is upon us, the onslaught of well-written, well-shot and well-acted television seems to show no sign of stopping.

Fargo

Release Date: April 19

Viewers doubted that Fargo could live up to the Coen Brothers’
near-masterpiece 1996 film of the same name. And yet, Fargo took inspiration from the film’s idiosyncratic characters and dark murder stories to deliver an incredibly compelling and suspenseful Emmy Award-winning show. Each installment possesses its own unique narrative: The second season takes place 30 years prior to the events of the first, thinly connecting Fargo’s new and old characters.

Now, the third season will be set in 2010, but no further details yet on how its characters will connect to its earlier seasons. Fargo featured well-known actors in both its first and second seasons; with Ewan McGregor, Jim Gaffigan and Carrie Coon, its return appears promising.  From the released trailers, it appears that McGregor will star in dual lead roles as twin brothers caught up in a suspenseful murder case. Producer and writer Noah Hawley creates a tense sibling rivalry between McGregor’s two roles — twins Emmitt and Ray Stussy. In an interview with USA Today, Hawley acknowledges his goal to display the darker themes at the heart of Fargo present within the original 1996 Coen brothers’ film, as Emmitt and Ray clash over their differences in social strata, ambitions and money.

Carrie Coon will star as Gloria Burgie, the highly anticipated heroine lead, who is tied to investigating the murder case that involves the Stussy twins. The dynamic cast of characters and their backgrounds hint at the show’s darker twist. Fans should anticipate Fargo upholding its reputation as a top-notch black comedy-crime series.

Master of None

Release Date: May 12

The first season of the project Master of None, created by and starring Aziz Ansari, took the Netflix scene by storm in November 2015. It was praised for its realistic and quirky dialogue with each episode having its own unique storyline and message, and its writers, Ansari and Alan Yang, were recognized at the Emmys for “Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series.”

The trailer for season two places the protagonist, Dev, back in New York after his travels abroad in Italy. Dev continues his search for love, as the trailer showcases his shenanigans with friends, family and women he takes on dates. The minute-long trailer reveals the future roles of newcomers Bobby Cannavale and John Legend in the second season, alongside the familiar faces of Dev’s parents, played by Ansari’s real mother and father.

Although it may be hard to repeat the same magic from the debut season of Master of None, Ansari and Yang will surely surprise the audience with their heartfelt stories and further character developments in Dev’s quest for love.

House of Cards

Release Date: May 30

In the midst of a contentious political climate, House of Cards attempts to represent the tumultuous events taking place in Washington onscreen in its fifth season. Season four ended with Frank and Claire Underwood fully uniting to have equal power in the White House.

The teaser trailer, creatively released on Inauguration Day, only shows an upside-down American flag with children reading the Pledge of Allegiance. However, House of Cards is notorious for delivering tense plot development complete with shocking twists. The trailer was posted on Twitter with a simple caption, “We make the terror,” which draws reference to Frank’s conflict with the Islamic Caliphate Organization, a terrorist group seeking demands from the U.S. government.

There have been no major revelations about the plot of the fifth season, but considering the final, ominous note the fourth season  ended on, many viewers speculate Frank will be driven to directly combat ICO. Season five represents a shift in showrunners, as two senior writers are stepping up to the job. Considering that the show began filming months before the U.S. presidential election, it will be interesting to see how closely the new season will mirror reality.