Oh, Jeez. Why arentcha watchin' "Fargo"? Is it great? You betcha!

Okay, so sometimes I'm dumb, sometimes I'm stubborn, and sometimes I'm wrong. When it comes to the transcendent television series Fargo, originally on the FX Network and now streaming on Hulu, I was all three.

Friend and colleague Steve Lewis raved about the greatness of this show to me at least two years ago, but the title was an immediate turn-off. Fargo the movie is one of his favorites; I absolutely hated it, especially the stupid Minn-Ah-SOOOO-Tah "oh yah you betcha" accents throughout the film. I've never really understood all the praise for the movie, and for me, at least, the Coen Brothers are definitely hit-and-miss over the course of their career.

So I wasn't inclined to give a TV series of the same name much of a chance, even if the storyline was new and only slightly related to the original movie. But now, in the age of coronavirus and not-so-bottomless-after-all streaming content, I was in the market for something new, and at Steve's repeated urgings, I decided to give Fargo the series a chance.

To say that I was blown away is a gross understatement. The first season decimated me like a nuclear blast. I've never seen a first season of any series be this good at such an impossibly high level of excellence since perhaps Lost. It took Breaking Bad until season three to get this good.

First of all, the writing is some of the best dramatic script work that you'll ever see. Even when the dialogue seems mundane, seeds are being planted that will grow to fruition later on. This is a mystery that has more levels, more twists, more unseen connections than three seasons of Sherlock. This is a series that demands your attention and warrants it as well. Writer and producer Noah Hawley should be considered in the top echelon of screenwriters today.

Those flat, nasal, northern accents are back, too, but I found them all far less intrusive and irritating this time around, maybe because I felt far more invested in the characters the series creates. The acting performances are all astounding, but the star turns deserve individual praise.

Keith Carradine gives the best understated performance of the series as Lou Solverson, a retired state cop and local diner owner who says more with a silent stare than most actors can with a page of dialogue. His foil, performance-wise, is Colin Hanks (son of Tom), a well-meaning but inept police officer who talks and talks and talks because he's afraid to say what he really feels.

Next is Martin Freeman, so appealing as John Watson in Sherlock and so appalling as Lester Nygaard, a loser in every way until he becomes a murderer and finds his spine and his balls as a result. To see his transformation from pathetic wimp to a calculating manipulator is nothing short of astounding. His inherent weakness is the catalyst for the chaos that results.

Allison Tolman is the star as Molly Solverson, a police officer with the heart and mind of a true detective. She's an echo of the movie's Marge Gunderson, but watching her journey is like seeing Marge in her younger days learning the skills that served her so well in her own investigation. Molly is always five steps ahead of her bumbling boss, Bob Odenkirk (the star of Better Call Saul), and miles ahead of her fellow deputies. She is the emotional heart of the show.

The most amazing character, however, is the villainous Lorne Malvo, a killer for hire who sees himself as a predator, a wolf among sheep, and who I started to suspect was actually the devil himself and not a human being at all. Played with cold intensity and piercing intelligence by Billy Bob Thornton, his performance reminds us of just how good of an actor he is.

I've been assured by others that seasons two and three are just as good, and since I'm still doing my best to stay at home and avoid public contact with others, I'm certain to have enough time to view both of the subsequent seasons by the end of this month. Don't be dumb, stubborn, and wrong like I was. If you haven't already seen it, watch it now!