Fargo is an American dark comedy-crime drama television series created and primarily written by showrunner Noah Hawley. It is based on the 1996 film of the same name written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. The Coens, whose other films also heavily influenced the series, were originally uninvolved with the series, but joined as executive producers after being impressed by Hawley's script for the first season. The series premiered on April 15, 2014, on FX.