Baylor alum stars as ‘Fargo’ TV series debuts

A Baylor alum starring in the TV adaptation of Fargo? You betcha.

Allison Tolman, BFA ’04, plays the female lead in the televised version of “Fargo,” a 10-episode series premiering tonight at 9 p.m. CT on FX. Tolman plays a rookie deputy in the program, which is based on the 1996 movie that AFI named one of the top 100 films of the last 100 years.

You might not expect a proud Texas girl to master the accents of the North Dakota/Minnesota border, but Tolman, a Sugar Land native, said it wasn’t as hard as you might think. She had actually voiced similar accents as a sketch comic, just one aspect of the versatile career that led her to Fargo.

After graduation, Tolman helped launch Dallas’ Second Thought Theatre (alongside several other Baylor grads), then moved to the legendary Second City in Chicago. You may recognize her face from a number of commercials; she also appeared on the television show “Prison Break” and has starred on stages in both Dallas and Chicago. But doncha know, starring in a television show with Billy Bob Thornton, based on a movie by the Coen brothers, Ethan and Joel, is a huge step in her career.

Sic ’em, Allison!