'Alien: Earth' Creator's Genius 5-Part Crime Series Is Taking Over the World

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Jennifer Jason Leigh with her hand on her cheek in 'Fargo'

Published Mar 18, 2026, 10:25 AM EDT

In over three years at Collider, senior author Jake has now penned over 2500 articles covering a wide range of TV and film for the resources, lists, utilities, news, and interview teams. Alongside interviewing stars such as Selin Hizli, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Harlan Coben, and Chelsea Peretti, Jake was lucky enough to visit the set of Aardman and Netflix's Wallace and Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl in 2024, getting the chance to chat with four-time Academy Award winner Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. Jake has also worked for other publications, including Agents of Fandom.

At a time when reboots, remakes, and sequels are more popular than ever, it seems that no original idea is off-limits. However, that doesn't mean any suggestion of a remake comes without skepticism, which is exactly what FX faced when they first announced they were remaking the iconic Fargo. The 1996 neo-noir classic by Joel and Ethan Coen, which starred Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, and Steve Buscemi, won an impressive two Academy Awards and forged a legacy as one of the best crime thrillers ever put to film. So could this remake ever live up to the success of the original?

The answer was, thankfully, yes, with fans' worries immediately calmed when Fargo debuted in 2014 with one of the best TV pilots of this century. Helmed by Noah Hawley, who recently created the hugely successful sci-fi series Alien: Earth, the show neatly offered a companion tale to the original story rather than entirely ripping it off. Delivering a unique story each season with a fresh set of famous faces, Fargo debuted with the tale of insurance salesman Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman), who, after murdering his wife, enlists the help of hitman Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) to help cover his tracks.

When comparing the series to the original, the latter is arguably the more impressive, but that shouldn't take away from either's genius. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the pair are separated by the finest of margins, with the 1996 movie's 95% score almost matched by an average rating of 93% for the series. The consensus on the site for Season 1 reads, "Based on the film of the same name in atmosphere, style and location only, Fargo presents more quirky characters and a new storyline that is expertly executed with dark humor and odd twists."

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'Fargo' is a Global Hit

Martin Freeman as Lester Nygaard in Season 1 of 'Fargo'

At the time of writing, twelve years after it debuted, Fargo is one of the ten most-streamed shows on HBO Max worldwide. A big hit in Europe, the show has placed inside the top five in a range of countries, including Albania, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia. The series has placed inside the top ten for 13 days in March, and averages a 14th-place position this month. Across the past year, Fargo has been one of HBO Max's 50 most-streamed shows worldwide.

Fargo is streaming now. Stay tuned to Collider for the latest streaming stories.