#1. Fargo
(Season 2)
I don’t want to say this came out of nowhere - ‘Fargo’’s first season was awesome -, but I hardly could have prepared myself for the glory of season two. With the story of the Coen Brothers’ original film having been told in the first go-round, showrunner Noah Hawley was free to spread his own creative wings and really soar. This season followed the unfortunate (for them) entanglements of the Kansas City mob, the Gerhardt crime family, a content butcher, a star-gazing beautician, a cop, his roots-y father-in-law, his dying wife, and a UFO full of aliens. Everything about the plot screamed disaster, and would have been in anyone else’s hands. Thankfully, Hawley and is excellent cast (which includes Kristen Dunst, Patrick Wilson, Jesse Plemmons, Jean Smart, Ted Danson, Jeffery Donovan, Brad Garrett, Nick Offerman, Cristin Milioti, and Bokeem Woodbine, all giving stellar performances) and crew attack the material with the perfect blend of seriousness and whimsy. ‘Fargo’ is ambitious without being heady. It’s zany without feeling too caffeinated. It’s reflection without the usual dour results. It’s a throwback that doesn’t feel too nostalgic. It’s a split-screen, double-barrel shot of television that will get you high on storytelling.
(Season 2)
I don’t want to say this came out of nowhere - ‘Fargo’’s first season was awesome -, but I hardly could have prepared myself for the glory of season two. With the story of the Coen Brothers’ original film having been told in the first go-round, showrunner Noah Hawley was free to spread his own creative wings and really soar. This season followed the unfortunate (for them) entanglements of the Kansas City mob, the Gerhardt crime family, a content butcher, a star-gazing beautician, a cop, his roots-y father-in-law, his dying wife, and a UFO full of aliens. Everything about the plot screamed disaster, and would have been in anyone else’s hands. Thankfully, Hawley and is excellent cast (which includes Kristen Dunst, Patrick Wilson, Jesse Plemmons, Jean Smart, Ted Danson, Jeffery Donovan, Brad Garrett, Nick Offerman, Cristin Milioti, and Bokeem Woodbine, all giving stellar performances) and crew attack the material with the perfect blend of seriousness and whimsy. ‘Fargo’ is ambitious without being heady. It’s zany without feeling too caffeinated. It’s reflection without the usual dour results. It’s a throwback that doesn’t feel too nostalgic. It’s a split-screen, double-barrel shot of television that will get you high on storytelling.