It’s hard for me to stay neutral when talking about this new season of Fargo because I was just able to spend some time on the set in Calgary, Canada. And guys, we should be excited. If you’ve followed my coverage of Fargo over the years you’ll know that I wasn’t particularly taken with Season 1 (and actively hated it at times), but then did a 180 and absolutely adored Season 2 (we’ll call it a “Reverse True Detective“). So when Season 3 was announced I was a little wary. Would be draw more from the first season or the second?

One thing that is always consistent is that every year Fargo puts together an exceptional cast. Season 3, though, might be its best, especially with the twist that Ewan McGregor will be playing two brothers who are not twins. On set we spoke at length to McGregor and the hair, makeup, and costume departments about creating distinct looks and personalities for the brothers, the successful Emmitt and the “loser” Ray, which was fascinating. All of that will be coming your way soon (I’m not allowed to talk about it yet), but it got me pretty excited about the ambition of this season in terms of character (including David Thewlis‘ enigmatic villain V.M. Vargas) as well as thematically. Plus, there’s that whole competitive bridge thing.

For now, though, I can share these new images FX has released that feature both Ray and Emmitt, as well as Carrie Coon‘s staid policewoman Gloria Burgle (who has a very interesting concept around her character’s creation). We also see Vargas along with his henchmen Yuri (Goran Bogdan, who led the great miniseries The Last Panthers) and Memo (Andy Yu), plus Mary Elizabeth Winstead‘s fiercely loyal Nikki Swango (who is Ray’s girlfriend and brings him into the world of competitive bridge). While Ray has Winstead’s Nikki in his corner, Emmitt has the great Michael Stuhlbarg (as Sy) who, as the lead in A Serious Man, brings another Coen connection to the series.

Fargo Season 3 premieres April 19th on FX, and in the week leading up to it be on the lookout for all of my coverage from Calgary, including interviews with the cast and much more. Here’s a bonus tease for the new season: