If Netflix can bring David Letterman back to TV, you can bet they’d have a good shot at landing the Coen brothers. The revered directing pair have officially joined Netflix as the home of new western anthology series The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, set for a 2018 premiere.
Here’s a new theory I’ve been testing out as of late: the more inscrutable a TV episode’s plot summary is, the better it will ultimately be. It first dawned on me during the glory days of Mad Men’s run, when viewers were regularly given no more to work off of than some variation on “Next week, Don does a thing, and is sad.” The current airing of Twin Peaks’ revival season doubled down on the concept, almost taunting viewers with how little salient information the summaries provide. (A recent highlight merely read, “Don’t die!” which is actually pretty solid advice when you’re watching Twin Peaks.)
The prospect of a TV Fargo may not have been enough to lure the Coen brothers to TV, but one of their unexplored projects just might. Reports claim the iconic directing pair will write and helm a new western miniseries, perhaps taking a TV/film hybrid approach for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.