News & Interviews for Fargo: Season 1

Critic Reviews for Fargo: Season 1

Audience Reviews for Fargo: Season 1

• Sep 02, 2021

  One of the best Seasons in TV-History.
  Streng G
• Jul 28, 2021

  I had to watch Fargo on Hulu with a great deal of advertisement breaks, so to make it through nine hours' worth of program speaks to the show's quality. I loved the film, and the show just about lives up to the predecessor. For me, the show can be split quite concretely into the brilliant, the solid, and the unfortunate. Billy Bob Thornton's performance and character belongs to the brilliant category. The same goes for Martin Freeman, who has easily the most interesting character in the series. Thornton relies more upon black humour and dark deeds to earn his screen time. I was less thrilled with Hanks and Tolman. Both are as dull as dishwater and simply there to offer nostalgia to Frances McDormand's turn as Marge back in the day, with only a few layers and nuances thrown in to obscure the fact. They have hardly any chemistry as a couple on the screen, and both suffer from a strange inability to be subtle. Every time that Tolman's character runs into Freeman's, the otherwise cheery and professional deputy becomes a scowling figure running through identical mannerisms and statements over and over again through almost every episode. This might be a writing issue, though. Other highlights include the duo of Key and Peele for a few laughs, the duo of Goldberg and Harvard, and Carradine's solid and likable supporting turn. The story starts well, retains its momentum through the middle and rather loses out in the conclusion, with a disappointingly bright, comfortable departure from the tone of every other episode. This disappointment only manifests due to the high standard of other areas of the show, and most of the humour lands throughout. Some of the deaths and action seemed cartoonish, and Hawley might have had a few too much fun with some of the dialogue, but this self-indulgence remains only a side-effect of the show's many successes. Overall, the original twists of Fargo and the stellar work
  Ethan T
• Jun 23, 2021

  Watched the first few episodes. Reminded me of Lupin and Killing Eve. No explanation of how things happen. Characters basically snap their fingers and it happens. Vaguely insulting!
  Michael D
• Jun 17, 2021

  Like everyone else, I loved the movie. I watched the first season the show and it has some interesting characters and great performances, with a stellar cast. Molly is very likeable and she is the glue that holds the show together. The show feels disjointed. Episode 5 is really unnecessarily bloody and violent. It's a disjointed plot that can't decide if it wants to be funny, cute, charming in homage to the film or more like a mashup between Law and Order and E.R. but set in Minnesota. The characters do things that defy logic and could never happen in real life. To me that's bad writing. If it can't happen, find a way it can and write that. Don't rely on magic. Again, it's very bloody and violent but doesn't earn that amount of carnage and gore. The story is depressing and it's not just the bad guys who die, it's innocent people too but for no good reason. Also, other than Molly, all the women are outright mean or devilish. The sad thing is there is a shell of a good idea here, it just doesn't quite come together.
  Marya D
• May 02, 2021

  If you loved the movie, you'll love season 1! The styling, pace, tone and acting pays homage to the film without trying to simply copy or recreate it. The officer is incredibly likable and you are rooting for her the entire time. A great TV continuation of a great film.
  Danny D
• Apr 06, 2021

  From stellar performances, to dark humor, to a twisted and well thought out plot, Fargo sends shockwaves and standards through this modern age of television.
  William P
• Mar 11, 2021

  Many subtle similarities to the terrific film, coupled with yet another eclectic collection of weird, wonderful and positively dangerous/deranged characters throughout. And everything is so understated including the many acts of violence - both on and off-screen. But the acting performances shine brightly, as does the engrossing script which is so utterly odd that it demands that you watch the season a second and a third time in order to understand the light twists and subtle one-liners that can turn a vague scene into a full colour masterpiece. That said I was a little underwhelmed by the ending. I was probably expecting fireworks but instead got some random sparklers! But then again perhaps that was the point given the subtle charm of the entire season - again, everything wrapped in understatement, as was the finale.
  Sonny J
• Feb 27, 2021

  It has a very realistic feel in some aspects for example in the sense that the vast majority of characters are not competent enough to deal with a totally emotionless killer. The cast is strong not only are the main characters well written and acted, but several minor characters have plenty to contribute.
  Lasse L
• Dec 30, 2020

  You watch the entire thing... spoiler alert... and the cop who's figured out everything down to some intriguing minutiae along the way, all amidst bumbling fools and without ever getting to apprehend anyone... and it is one of the bumbling fools who overcomes his white, middle-aged nerdom who gets the glory? While she just passively finds out in pregnant, in the kitchen. Hmm, wonder what the demographic of the writer is... to deny us the catharsis of her finally having real agency (not symbolic) in the lamest of predictable endings. Also, getting the audience to empathize with a wife killer for a long while was LAME. Oh I see, ALL directors were male as well. Traditional male brain gaze gets so old and predictable by 2020. So many great things which could have been sewn together creatively here:( Stellar performance by the female lead... but they left her to toil as the head of a feckless desk job. Boring.
  John C
• Dec 30, 2020

  Never thought that a movie will be managed to stretched into a series & will be as good and sometimes even better then the original. The gloom and dark laughs are all over this season & it's amazing
  Eitan D

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