Lamorne Morris unfailingly brings the laughs to acclaimed TV series (“New Girl,” “Woke” ) and movies (“Barbershop: The Next Cut”). The Second City-trained Chicagoan is up for his first Emmy, though, as the straightest shooter in the wackazoid cast of “Fargo’s” fifth season: North Dakota state trooper Witt Farr. A rare decent man on showrunner Noah Hawley’s vast Northern Plains, Witt is wounded while trying to help protagonist-with-a-past Dot (Juno Temple) escape ruthless kidnappers sent by her deranged Christian Nationalist ex, Sheriff Roy Tillman (Jon Hamm).
She ends up saving him, and Witt spends the rest of the season — often on crutches and up against an array of violent lunatics — determined to repay his debt to Dot. Morris is everywhere these days: substitute hosting for Jimmy Kimmel, in episodes of “Ghosts” and “Unstable,” co-anchoring the “New Girl” recap podcast “The Mess Around” and celebrity chat pod “The Lamorning After.” He’ll be seen this fall as Garrett Morris (no relation) in the “SNL” docudrama “Saturday Night.
” And now the actor is in preproduction for Prime Video’s “Spider-Noir” series, in which he’ll play journalist Robbie Robertson to Nicolas Cage’s 1930s-era Spider-Man. As may be expected, Morris, 41, is excited about the new directions his career is taking. The wintry Canadian location of “Fargo” was a key leg on that journey.
How does it feel to be recognized for this role? It’s weir.