This series has its roots in the 1996 Academy Award winning Coen Brothers' movie of the same name. While Joel and Ethan Coen are not the writers and directors of this series, they do serve as Executive Producers, so you know that the series will not stray far from the quirky roots of the movie.
The story takes place in 2006 in Bemidji, Minnesota (not Brainard), so you still get the snow, the cold weather, and the funny accents. Instead of Steve Buscemi, you have Billy Bob Thornton as Lorne Malvo, a mysterious drifter who is up to no good at the behest of, well, some mysterious person or syndicate in Fargo. Instead of William H. Macy as the beleaguered, put-upon businessman, we have Martin Freeman as Lester Nygaard, a henpecked, beleaguered, put-upon businessman.
More importantly, Frances McDormand is not back in her Oscar winning role of Deputy Sheriff Marge Gunderson. Instead we have an actress, heretofore unknown to me, named Allison Tolman....
....playing Deputy Sheriff Molly Solverson....
I think that Molly, who is obviously the smartest person in the Bemidji Police Department, will become my favorite character on the show.
Also receiving star billing in the show is actor Colin Hanks, the son of Tom Hanks, as Gus Grimley, a police officer in a neighboring town. Hanks has appeared only briefly in each episode thus far, so we will await to see how his role will develop.
As I said, the show, like the movie, is very quirky, which makes it entertaining. It is also quite violent. Episode One alone featured four shockingly violent murders, one of which was quite surprising and upsetting. However, these crimes set the stage for all that is to follow.
As I said, I am planning on sticking with it through the show's ten episode run. If you liked the movie, you might want to give it a shot. You can no doubt catch up with it On Demand.
Oh, and there has been no wood chipper. Yet.
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