Molly Solverson

Lore & Background

Molly Solverson is introduced as a deputy in the first season of Fargo, set in January 2006, and becomes a major figure in solving the case involving Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) and Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman). By the end of the season, she is promoted to Chief after Bill Oswalt (Bob Odenkirk) resigns following the deaths of both Malvo and Nygaard. In the second season, set in 1979, Solverson appears as a child in a supporting role, as the daughter of protagonist Lou Solverson. Tolman reprised her role (along with Colin Hanks, Joey King, and Keith Carradine) in a dream sequence by her mother, Betsy Solverson (Cristin Milioti). Noah Hawley created the character Vern and Ida Thurman and initially set it up to seem like Vern would be the protagonist, so that the audience would not compare Molly to Marge Gunderson from the original film. Hawley stated: 'I knew that if I started the show with "Molly" as the chief of police, everyone was going to make a direct comparison to Frances McDormand and no one could survive that... So, I snuck "Molly" in through the side door.'

In Their Own Story

In January 2006, Deputy Molly Solverson dedicates herself to bringing the perpetrator of a series of murders around Bemidji to justice. She is introduced as a sidekick to Vern, but after Vern is killed off, the audience realizes in Episode 2 that Molly is actually the star of the show. She works alongside other characters to solve the case involving Lorne Malvo and Lester Nygaard. By the end of the season, after Bill Oswalt resigns following the deaths of both Malvo and Nygaard, Molly is promoted to Chief. In the second season, set in 1979, a young Molly Solverson appears as the daughter of Lou Solverson, who is one of the major figures involved in solving the murder of Rye Gerhardt and the surrounding crime. Tolman reprised her role in a dream sequence by Betsy Solverson.

Reader's Guide

Molly Solverson is the female protagonist of the first season and appears as a child in a supporting role in the second season. In the first season, she is introduced as a deputy and is a major figure in the solving of the case involving Lorne Malvo and Lester Nygaard. By the end of the season, she is promoted to Chief after Bill Oswalt resigns. In the second season, set in 1979, she is the daughter of protagonist Lou Solverson. Allison Tolman beat over 600 women for the role of Solverson. Tolman, who mostly worked in Chicago theater, only had three credits on her resume when she auditioned. Casting director Rachel Tenner said: 'The only role we tested was Molly. We saw hundreds of girls trying to do Fargo accents... Alison felt so organic to this role. She found moments of humor and compassion where nobody else was.' For her performance in the first season, Tolman received widespread critical acclaim, with some critics calling her the 'breakout performance' of the show. Dan Fienberg of HitFix praised her performance, writing: 'Character acting gets no better than the performances by Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman, Oliver Platt, Adam Goldberg, Keith Carradine and a dozen other familiar faces, but it was unknown Chicago theater actress Allison Tolman who grounded this perfectly contained gem of a season.'

Did You Know?

• Allison Tolman beat over 600 women for the role of Molly Solverson.
• Tolman only had three credits on her resume when she auditioned for the role.
• Noah Hawley created the character Vern and set him up as a seeming protagonist so that audiences would not compare Molly to Marge Gunderson from the original film.
• Tolman was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, and won a Critics' Choice Television Award for her performance.
• Molly Solverson is promoted to Chief after Bill Oswalt resigns following the deaths of both Lorne Malvo and Lester Nygaard.