Fargo

"There’s a fellow once, running for a train, and he’s carrying a pair of gloves, this man. He drops a glove on the platform, but he doesn’t notice. And then later on, inside the train, he’s sitting by the window and he realizes that he’s just got this one glove left. But the train’s already started pulling out of the station, right? So what does he do? He opens the window; he drops the other glove onto the platform. That way, whoever finds the first glove can just have the pair."

Fargo is not based on the Cohen Brothers film of the same name, so much as it is inspired by it. This TV series makes the same (spurious) claim to be based on real life events, and is set in Minnesota, in this case in the small town of Bemidji. It also matches some of the original's beats, but with a shift of emphasis and an entirely different cast of characters.

The core drama revolves around four individuals: Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) is a weak, put-upon man whose inability to take action or responsibility catalyses a cascade of death and destruction through his chance interaction with Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton), a whimsically malevolent hit man who is basically the Devil. On the side of the angels are Deputy Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman) and Gus Grimly (Colin Hanks).

The series blends dark humour with a disjointed, almost Zen-like sensibility. At least half of the questions that are asked by characters in the series are answered with a riddle in the manner of a Zen koan, most of which are never really explained. As much as it takes its beats from the film Fargo, it is also highly reminiscent of Twin Peaks, but with a tighter and more coherent plot.

The characters are the real strength of the series. Lester's transformation from cringing weaking to reptilian killer is impressively realised, and mirrored in Gus, who spends most of the series seeking to atone for letting fear dictate his actions. Molly is a sheer joy, a strong, principled and courageous character, and one of the most real looking women on television. And then there is Malvo, the star power of the series, a gleeful and apparently indestructible monster who slides away from detection with a combination of luck, brutal efficiency and ruthless intimidation.

Now, here's the thing that I think I love most about Fargo. Twenty years ago, you couldn't have made it. Eighteen years ago when the film was new (feel fear, dear readers), you probably couldn't have made it. Ten years ago, not a chance. I like Fargo not just because it was very good television, but because it is part of a wave of shows which take risks and do something a bit new. We live in an age where for every quirky cop procedural there's a Breaking Bad or a sumptuous HBO historical or fantasy epic, and while that produces its fair share of expensive codswallop, it means that shows like Fargo or True Detective are getting made.

So, Fargo; put it on your rental lists if you missed it.