The TV version of the Coen brothers' classic 1996 film made its debut on FX last night, largely impressing critics with its unique atmosphere and strong performances, though some were unimpressed by its central conceit. Here's what they had to say.  An atmospheric homage that quickly stands on its own nimble feet, FX's experiment in cinematic crossover does take some getting used to. Written by Noah Hawley (with the Coens' blessing) this Fargo is at once eerily similar and completely different. The first episode especially is a bit like being caught in a dream; everything's intensely familiar, yet several ticks off.  Hawley’s Fargo is a singularly odd piece of work. There’s nothing about Fargo, the series, that is poorly made or technically flawed. It’s a gorgeous series, and enjoyable, too. The cinematography of the snowfields of Minnesota is appropriately desolate; the performances are unexpectedly brilliant.  The last half-hour of the 90-minute pilot is the strongest section, because it develops a tone that could be described as Coen-esque, but does so organically, in a way that assures you that it will become its own thing. The next three episodes get incrementally weirder, stronger, and more original, to the point that you forget to measure this Fargo against its namesake, or against any of the Coens' masterworks, and simply enjoy the odd, sour, frightening, occasionally splendid thing in front of you.  In the ways that matter most, this Fargo does everything a TV show should do when it’s based on a movie — it makes you recall how much you loved it the first time around while advancing a new tale in the same snow-blown, upper-Midwestern milieu … Watching this new Fargo make expert use of the film’s deliberate and almost slack-jawed sense of pace, one is struck by how the show’s structure differs from the current crop of high-style TV crime dramas.  All of these characters and all of these stories frequently add up to something handsome, funny, and weird. But Fargo is missing the spark of originality that would make it great. If you’re going to remake something as concise and self-sufficient as Fargo, there should be a reason, and pointing out that unexpected evil lurks in the hearts of men is not a very good one.  Did you see Fargo? What did you think? Let us know below.
Critics praised the FX show's strange atmosphere and outstanding cast, but some were left cold by its heart of darkness