'Fargo' among TV's all-time great seasons

The grand experiment that is FX's "Fargo," an adaptation of the Coen brothers' classic film, is on the verge of producing one of the all-time great television seasons.

Set in 1979's frozen landscapes of Minnesota and South Dakota, the second season of "Fargo" improves upon the first and may even top the beloved film.

There's no Marge Gunderson, Frances McDormand's pregnant cop from the movie. Her television counterpart from Season 1, Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman), is only a child in this prequel of sorts. But what "Fargo" Season 2 does have is showrunner Noah Hawley's confident, exhilarating filmmaking that could feel showy and insincere if we didn't buy into his characters.

Last week, Jean Smart and Ted Danson impressed as the matriarch of a Midwestern crime family and an evenhanded sheriff. The week before, "Parks and Recreation" goofball Nick Offerman took the reins as Luverne, Minnesota's town drunk - who also happens to be the town's best lawyer. Throughout the season, Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst have gotten big laughs as a married couple caught up in the most gosh-darned of circumstances. Above the fray is Patrick Wilson, a winning actor who has finally found the screen role he deserves as quietly tough Minnesota State Trooper Lou Solverson.

"Fargo" Season 2's 10 episodes tell a self-contained story that doesn't require you to have seen Season 1, and it moves faster than a Golden Gophers running back. If there's one show you need to catch up on, this is it.

There are two episodes left, and unless Hawley and Co. fumble in the red zone, "Fargo" will take its place alongside these other memorable modern TV seasons:

• "Breaking Bad," Season 5, Part 2 - The final eight episodes of AMC's crime saga were as exciting as TV gets, culminating in Walter White's (Bryan Cranston) violent confrontation with his family and his note-perfect day of reckoning.

• "The Simpsons," Season 5 - One look at the episode titles tells you that 1993-1994 was the golden age for a show that I think is now in Season 538. (I might be off a bit.) "Oh wow, that one! And the one where Mr. Burns misses his teddy bear. And the 'Cape Fear' parody!"

• "Game of Thrones," Season 4 - Season 3 had the Red Wedding. Last season had the incredible zombie battle and Khaleesi (Emilia Clarke) taking flight. But Season 4, featuring Pedro Pascal as lovable rogue Oberyn Martell, was the HBO megahit's most consistent - and one major character's death was actually cheered by the audience for a change!

• "Doctor Who," Series 5 - In America, BBC's reboot of its long-running sci-fi show went from cult favorite to nerd phenomenon when young, frantic Matt Smith inherited the lead role and found the perfect companion in Amy Pond (Karen Gillan).

"Fargo" airs at 9 p.m. Mondays on FX. Previous Season 2 episodes are available at FXnetworks.com.

• Sean Stangland is a Daily Herald multiplatform editor, and he knows fans of "The Sopranos" and "The Wire" are very perturbed right now. You can follow him on Twitter at @SeanStanglandDH.