How Did Fargo Trounce True Detective at the Golden Globes?

In case you’re late to the party, True Detective took a beating last night at the 2015 Golden Globes. This was in spite of True Detective having relatively high chances at a win. But what series was responsible for giving True Detective such a trashing?

That’d be Fargo.

In categories in which the two were up against each other, Fargo beat out True Detective every time. It even went to so far as taking Best Actor for Billy Bob Thorton, winning over both Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson.

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But why did this happen? Even though Fargo’s first season was a standout in 2014, it was still surprising to see it overtake True Detective in every category. It does lead to some uncomfortable truths about True Detective.

Fargo’s first season was just better. The two series were both billed as anthology shows, so that means that both only have a single season to completely wrap whatever story they were trying to tell. This is something that Fargo did better than True Detective.

The ending of Fargo’s season was more fulfilling than that of True Detective’s; it knew what it was doing and it didn’t lose its way. In fact, Fargo’s entire first-run was more focused than True Detective’s. Whether or not you liked one more than the other is much more subjective and not necessarily reliant on this fact, but it is worthy of consideration.

By building upon an established universe and a built-in audience, Fargo had an easier time of it. But regardless of that, its footing never slipped. True Detective and Fargo have deftly avoided going head-to-head so far, and this win for Fargo speaks volumes.

Fargo is also more palatable. True Detective can be a hard pill to swallow for those that shy away from dark content, but Fargo presented similarly dark content with all the twists and quirks of the film, making it more accessible. It would be foolish to dismiss this fact — accessibility can play a huge role at award shows.

So there you have it. Fargo just presented a more pleasant, tighter, hour of television per week. It will be interesting to see what happens with True Detective at the PGA and SAG awards, but the Golden Globes belong to Fargo. At least True Detective was humble about it.

Agree? Disagree? Let us know.

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