Fargo Boss Promises You Don't Need to Know the Movie to Enjoy the Show

Viewers don't need to worry about watching the Coen brothers' Oscar-winning 1996 film Fargo before tuning in to FX's upcoming adaptation.

Executive-produced by Joel and Ethan Coen, the new take stars Martin Freeman as Lester Nygaard, who, after being bullied for most of his life, finally fights back after meeting a mysterious hit man named Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton). (The characters are similar to those of  William H. Macy's Jerry Lundegaard and Steve Buscemi's Carl Showalter, respectively, from the film.) But there won't be a faux-kidnapping. Though Fargo is also set in Minnesota, the 10-episode anthology series tells a brand new story that will wrap up by the end of the season.

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"When I pitched the show to FX, I pitched it as an anthology series because I felt like at the end of the movie what really made it so satisfying is when Marge [Frances McDormand] gets in bed at the end... we know that tomorrow she's going to wake up and it's going to be a normal day and that innocence and small town-ness is what makes us feel good as we go out of this movie," executive producer Noah Hawley told reporters at the Television Critics Association winter press tour on Tuesday.

With that in mind, Hawley explained that the film's plot would ultimately fit into the series as another true-crime tale since each season will tell a new story. However, Fargo may not follow the storytelling style of FX's signature anthology series. "It's not conceived as a show like American Horror Story where the same actors would play different characters, but I haven't thought that far ahead," Hawley said.

Fargo premieres on Tuesday, April 15 at 10/9c on FX. Will you be watching?