15 Best New TV Characters Of The Decade
6. Lorne Malvo - Fargo
Lorne Malvo’s high placing might belie Fargo’s quality and impact a little. A good show certainly, though possibly not a great one.
Like American Horror Story, it has an anthology approach, though one with more deliberate links. While Malvo does return for cameos, his placement here is down to his stunning performance in Season One. Martin Freeman and Allison Tollman did a great job too, but Billy Bob Thornton’s Malvo was the central reason for the show’s initial success.
With Thornton producing his best performance since 1996’s Sling Blade, Malvo was an intriguingly complex and charmingly ruthless villain. Having worked with the Coen Brothers previously, here he proves himself to be one of the best vehicles for their idiosyncratic dialogue.
A relentless killer who believes man is nothing more than a beast, Malvo doesn’t live by a concept of right and wrong. He thinks only in terms of benefits and consequences. Decorated with buckets of awards at the time, this performance surely won’t be soon forgotten.
Kirsten Dunst, Ewan McGregor and David Thewlis have also given great turns to Fargo, but no one really comes close to Malvo.