Billy Bob Thornton To Star In ‘Fargo,’ ‘Louie’ Will Return In May, And More From FX’s TCA Panel

If FX wasn’t already the best network on TV, or at least the diverse in its quality (AMC has four good to great dramas, but that’s it), they certainly are after today’s TCA panel, in which CEO John Landgraf announced a bunch of new shows that almost excite me as much as knowing that Louie will be back in May 2014.

Oh yeah: Louie‘s coming back in May 2014, and Justified and Archer before that in January. Then there’s this:

Fargo will premiere in the spring. Billy Bob Thornton will apparently star. “There are no characters in the limited series Fargo that are derived from the characters in the film Fargo,” Landgraf says. So no, Billy Bob Thornton is not playing the William H. Macy character or the Steve Buscemi character or…anything. He says that the series is very true to the original movie. He says that there’s a female deputy in her 20s and that Noah Hawley wrote a script that the Coen Brothers approved of. He says the Coen Brothers wanted to do a rewrite on the pilot script, but instead just turned in a few notes because they liked the pilot so much. (Via)

Coen Brothers approved is the greatest compliment known to man. Other announcements during the panel:

The cable network has ordered to pilot How and Why from Oscar winner Charlie Kaufman and Chozen from Grant Dekernion, Danny McBride, and the team behind Eastbound & Down.

Additionally, the cabler put into development Mayflower, from Paul Giamatti; Grand Hotel, from Sam Mendes; Mad Dogs, based on the British series and adapted by Shawn Ryan; and Sutton, based on J.R. Moeringher’s novel and adapted by Alexander Payne.

How and Why is about a man who can “explain why a nuclear reactor works,” but is otherwise clueless, while the animated Chozen follows a recently imprisoned white rapper, with voice work from Bobby Moynihan, Michael Pena, Hannibal Buress, Kathryn Hahn, and Nick Swardson. As for Mad Dogs, considering FX’s history with Shawn Ryan shows named after dogs, it’s going to be brilliant and no one will watch it. Yay? One last note:

They know what they’re doing over there, even with all the FXX confusion.

(Via) (Via)

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