'Fargo' has solid opening on FX

"Minnesota nice" plays well on TV.

FX's Fargo, which mixes that stereotypical politeness with a fair amount of mayhem, opened strongly Tuesday, attracting 2.65 million viewers for its series premiere. That includes just over 1 million in the advertiser-prized, young-adult demographic.

Two later broadcasts of the first episode brought the evening's viewer total on the cable network to 4.15 million.

The critically praised, 10-part limited series, which is inspired by Joel and Ethan Coen's Oscar-winning film of the same name, stars Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman.

"We are incredibly proud of the towering creative achievement by (series creator) Noah Hawley and everyone involved with Fargo," FX chief John Landgraf said in a statement. "The performances by Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks and the entire stellar cast are nothing short of extraordinary. This is truly one of the best shows we've ever had on the network."