The Disney+ Crime Thriller Series Is A TV Game-Changer

If you do happen to be a fan of the film that the series is very loosely based on, you will be pleased to know that the Fargo TV show has the blessing of the Coens. The show was created by Noah Hawley, someone perhaps best known to Marvel nerds as writer and executive producer for the often-overlooked television series Legion. Hawley’s a great writer, and it looks like the Coens agree: after they checked out his initial script, the two agreed to be named as executive producers on the Fargo series.

You may be thinking the film Fargo doesn’t really lend itself to a television adaptation because, creatively, there isn’t much left to do with the characters of that iconic 1995 film. It seems that Hawley agrees: while Fargo the show takes place in the same fictional town as Fargo the film, it features only the most tangential connections to the Coens’ original movie. Additionally, the anthology conceit behind the series helps the show distinguish itself from the earlier film.

Each season of Fargo features different characters (though eagle-eyed viewers will notice some occasional overlap), and that has proven to be a great excuse to bring in A-list actors who otherwise might not want to stick around for a long-running television show.

For example, the first season features Billie Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman while the second season features Kirsten Dunst and Patrick Wilson. Season three, meanwhile, features Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and the two clicked so much on set they later ended up getting married.

If you’re still on the fence about whether or not to check out this crime thriller, you should know that Fargo has continuously impressed critics and audiences alike. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an overall critical rating of 94 percent, making it one of the most highly-rated thrillers in all of television history. The show also has an 85 percent rating from audiences, which means this quirky series based on a quirkier film has proven to be a crowd-pleaser across the board.

With each season of Fargo featuring different characters, actors, and often different time periods, it’s fair to say that the series as a whole has a little something for everyone. If you already have a subscription to both Hulu and Disney+, then you can check the show out for yourself and see if it lives up to the hype. A word of warning, though: after you experience a series this captivating, you may want to throw most of the other crime thrillers available on streaming into the wood chipper.