Billy Bob Thornton
Allison Tolman
Colin Hanks
Martin Freeman

Created by:
Noah Hawley

2014-
Crime, Drama, Thriller
FX
TV-MA

“Fargo” is FX’s television adaptation of the Coen brothers’ 1996 film of the same name. The Coen brothers serve as executive producers this time around. While the film and this show share the same name and location, the plots are completely different. The genre’s still the same, though.

The first 30 minutes of the first episode are somewhat interesting, but nothing’s amusing … not to me. The characters played by Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman are introduced effectively, but the material just doesn’t seem that humorous. During Freeman’s scenes, especially, I felt sorry for him … too sorry for him; I felt awkward watching it.

But, then, those 30 minutes are up, and things start to click into place. The 30-minute setup starts to payoff: I started to laugh at some of the moments. The introduction of more characters helps, as well. Thornton’s character reminds me of Chigurh from the Coens’ film adaptation of “No Country for Old Men”: He’s an unsettling and quirky hitman (that’s where the similarity lies) who likes to stir things up just by asking questions and by providing his take on situations that have nothing to do with him. I think that his character will take this show to unexpected places.

For now, “Fargo” is an intriguing show. It’s good, but not great; well, not yet, at least. …

The second episode of “Fargo” doesn’t do much to change my opinion of it. I like the moments with Thornton’s character and with Allison Tolman’s police-officer character the best. As I mentioned before, Thornton’s character is like Chigurh; but he’s not as interesting or novel. (How could he be?) And Tolman’s character doesn’t get much screen time. She needs to, because she’s the voice of plain-spoken, pleasant reason here, as is McDormand’s character in the film.

“Fargo” is just OK, so far. I want to like it much more than I actually do. …

After the third episode, I believe that “Fargo” is in a holding pattern. It is what it is. It’s solid, but not compelling. It will appeal to an audience that can relate to its setting, but it won’t draw others in. I’d much rather watch the film. …

After the fourth episode, I’ve realized that, while “Fargo” has a few good moments, it’s just not compelling enough overall. A couple examples of that: (1) The addition of two brothers, Mr. Numbers (played by Adam Goldberg) and the deaf Mr. Wrench (played by Russell Harvard), adds a bit of spice to the show; but not enough. (2) Thornton’s Malvo also provides a bit of spice via his secret extortion of grocery store owner Milos. Malvo releases seeming Biblical plagues on Milos, who’s played by Oliver Platt, and on Milos’s store, Phoenix Farms. But, again, it’s not enough to make this worth watching for people who don’t have an obvious inclination towards this kind of a project (i.e., Coen brothers’ fans, people who think that the film is one of the best things they’ve ever seen, and the like).

I simply don’t care about the characters (well, not really), and I’m not that interested. This is a problem, especially because of this show’s deliberate pace. But every now and then, they provide a glimpse of inspired storytelling that keeps me from giving up on watching it. For example, in the fifth episode, they present the parable of the rich man who gave everything away. It’s unexpected and intriguing. If only this show would do that kind of thing consistently. Ugh. I just don’t know how long I’ll be able to stick with this. …

The sixth episode of “Fargo” finally shows some consistency. It has more of a punch. This is where they should have started. Uh, hello? Furthermore, thankfully, the remainder of the first season remains on the level of that episode. Why did it take them so long to get here?

So, while “Fargo” is a solid show, it’s nowhere near great. I like it best when it’s being serious, instead of trying to elicit a laugh. In contrast, the film does a much better job of delivering a mixture of suspense, drama, and comedy. (On a positive note: The writers wisely give Tolman’s character more time onscreen during the second half of the season.)

Bottom line: “Fargo” never sucked me in, and it didn’t blow me away. … It’s fine.

Verdict: Somewhat Good

About: (Source: fargotv)

An original adaptation of the Academy Award®-winning feature film, Fargo features an all-new “true crime” story and follows a new case and new characters, all entrenched in the trademark humor, murder and “Minnesota nice” that made the film an enduring classic. Oscar® winner Billy Bob Thornton stars as “Lorne Malvo,” a rootless, manipulative man who meets and forever changes the life of small town insurance salesman “Lester Nygaard,” played by BAFTA Award® winner and Emmy®-nominated Martin Freeman. Colin Hanks plays Duluth Police Deputy “Gus Grimly,” a single dad who must choose between his own personal safety and his duty as a policeman when he comes face-to-face with a killer. Allison Tolman also stars as “Molly Solverson,” an ambitious Bemidji deputy.

Rounding out Fargo’s colorful cast of recurring characters will be Emmy winner Bob Odenkirk as “Deputy Bill Oswalt,” Golden Globe™ and Emmy-nominated Oliver Platt as “Stavros Milos,” Screen Actors Guild Award® winner Kate Walsh as “Gina Hess,” Glenn Howerton (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) as “Don Chumph,” Joey King as “Greta Grimly,” Peter Breitmayer as “Lieutenant Schmidt,” Tom Musgrave as “Bo Munk,” Josh Close as “Chazz Nygaard,” Russell Harvard as “Mr. Wrench,” Adam Goldberg as “Mr. Numbers,” Keegan-Michael Key as “Bill Budge” and Jordan Peele as “Webb Pepper.”

A 10-episode limited series, Fargo is written by Noah Hawley. Emmy Award-winning director Adam Bernstein directed the premiere hour. Hawley, Warren Littlefield, Joel & Ethan Coen and Geyer Kosinski serve as executive producers. Fargo is produced by MGM Television and FX Productions.