Ah jeez, it’s good having ‘Fargo’ back

When they premiered in 2014, they were the freshman darlings of the awards circuit.

Now, HBO's "True Detective" and FX's "Fargo" are like cable TV's version of Goofus and Gallant. Seemingly every mistake "True Detective" made early on in its dumpster fire of a second season has been avoided in the second coming of "Fargo" (10 p.m. Monday).

For starters, despite having a new cast and a new era — this one takes place in 1979 — this installment of "Fargo" has nearly the exact same feel as the first as it takes a brutal, hilarious look at everything that can go wrong when dim people get involved in a crime.

In this case, the action spins out of control when Rye Gerhardt (Kieran Culkin), the youngest son of a feared, family-run crime syndicate, steps out on his own to try to corner the market on a new "miracle contraption": a typewriter.

But not just any typewriter. It's "a self-correcting IBM Selectric II electric typewriter with a patented high-speed typeball," he's told. "They're not just for women anymore."

And he can corner the market on them as the exclusive Midwest distributor, if he can just get his family to forgive a gambling debt, and he can convince a judge to free up some money from a case.

The resulting story is wildly original, the dialogue crackles, and Monday's premiere includes the most absurd couple of minutes of violence you'll have seen for a while.

Patrick Wilson stars as Lou Solverson, the younger version of the retired cop/diner owner/grandfather played by Keith Carradine. The character is the only holdover from season one.

The exceptional surrounding cast includes Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons ("Friday Night Lights," "Breaking Bad"), Jean Smart, Ted Danson, Cristin Milioti ("How I Met Your Mother"), Jeffrey Donovan ("Burn Notice"), Nick Offerman ("Parks and Recreation") and Brad Garrett. And, presenting five of the greatest words you could ever hope to hear: Bruce Campbell as Ronald Reagan.

Through the first two episodes, no one has leapt out as a malevolent force of nature like Billy Bob Thornton's Lorne Malvo. And Lester Nygaard's (Martin Freeman) transformation from season one will be difficult to top.

But, ah jeez, it's good having "Fargo" back.