Critic Reviews

With an amazing ensemble driven by great performances from top to bottom, an incredibly smart writers’ room, brilliant callbacks to the original that feel more inspired than forced, and a filmmaking style that feels as cinematic as this grand Minnesotan tragedy deserves, Fargo is one of the most addictive new shows of the year.

Given how much is right about Fargo, the real reason to watch and keep watching is the storytelling, with more surprises per hour than you can count.

A perfectly mixed cocktail equally parts menacing and suspenseful, washed down with surprising notes of hilarious satire and pulpy violence, FX’s version of Fargo is most certainly not a pale imitation of the gruesome dark comedy.

A larger, wholly engrossing story about crime syndicates and hit men. [21 Apr 2014, p.43]

The casting on Fargo is superb, but none more so than Thornton, who is absolutely magnetic as the calm killer with a penchant for wry observation.... The four episodes that FX sent are a testament to Hawley’s bold belief that he could tackle such an original piece of cinema and make it work on the small screen.

The new Fargo bobs, weaves and occasionally unravels a bit. Still, it’s never less than entrancing, with the recurring panoramic shots of an unforgiving deep freeze serving as stolid supporting characters.

The pilot is a trip, with Thornton’s character leaving four bodies in his wake--three of whom he dispatched himself. Each meets his end in an unusual, dramatic and somewhat humorous fashion. It’s just the kind of thing you’d expect from a Coen brothers' product.

For fans of the original movie, there are a number of callbacks to savor.... We're looking forward plenty of long, cold winters.

What separates Fargo is the depth of its characterizations and the individuality of its approach.

Neither prequel, sequel or remake, this Fargo is instead a tonal accompaniment, a little more than kin, a little less than kind and a whole new breed of television.