‘A Murder at the End of the World,’ ‘Fargo’ Season 5, ‘The Irrational,’ ‘The Spencer Sisters’

The writers’ strike slowed down production, but mystery fans wouldn’t know it this month, as we’re hit with FX/Hulu’s “A Murder at the End of the World” and “Fargo” Season 5. A month earlier, networks reliably unveiled procedurals such as “The Irrational” (NBC) and “The Spencer Sisters” (CW). Here’s a look at the first episodes of these four series:

“A Murder at the End of the World”

Many shows have striking settings, many others have good plotting; this series from “The OA’s” creators has both. It’s set no less than 10 years in the future – as one of the invitees to a retreat of tech leaders has been to the moon (Alice Braga’s Sian) – but its hook comes from real-world grounding.

Darby Hart (Emma Corrin) is a wunderkind, but creators/writers Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling (who also co-stars as the enigmatic Lee, wife of Clive Owen’s mogul Andy Ronson) show us how relatable she is in daily life.

---

---

Darby is awkward in social situations, and so into solving cold cases of disappeared women (via her hacking ability) that she’s on-again off-again with Bill (Harris Dickinson) even though they are Annie Lennox-loving soul mates. It’s hard to predict future stardom, but the striking-eyed Corrin is worth putting your money on as she projects Darby’s confidence at tech and lack of smoothness otherwise.

Opening on a drizzly New York street, “End of the World” brings hints of lights and neon signs out of the darkness, but not so much to make this an unrecognizable sci-fi future. Its real-world quality is such that when Andy speaks of climate-change predictions at the retreat’s opening dinner, it has true impact.

And what a retreat it is, at Andy’s new hotel in the wilds of Iceland (where it is shot). Stunning overhead views of the motorcade driving along the Icelandic highways illustrate the isolation, as does Darby’s and Bill’s walk and talk outside the hotel, with a huge wall of snowy mountain in the distance. “End of the World” will be driven by its murder mystery, but it will also be a wondrous experience of a place.

5 stars

“Fargo” Season 5

After three elite seasons, the period piece Season 4 stumbled, and now we’re back in contemporary Minnesota for Season 5. Watching “A Murder at the End of the World” right before “Fargo” illustrates the difference between a slow-burn that’s filled with information, and a slow-burn that’s holding stuff back.

By the end of this first episode (written and directed by show creator Noah Hawley), we know Dot (Juno Temple, “Ted Lasso”) is not merely a PTA mom but is skilled at fighting off home invasions. And she’s not a random target: The thugs kidnap her at an offscreen boss’ request. A wonderfully shot nighttime sequence finds Dot using her smarts in a convenience-store battle against Ole Munch (Sam Spruell), who could pass for a Terminator in size, abilities and inhuman confidence.

Other than that, the episode is slightly annoying in its familiar dark humor. Dot’s milquetoast husband (David Rysdahl) is the son of a rich and influential family (with Jennifer Jason Leigh’s Lorraine as the take-no-crap matriarch), the violence is blunt in a “Home Alone” way, and most characters speak in overly accented “Minnesotan.”

It’s unavoidable, but “Fargo” is not as cute as it used to be – especially since the writing team doesn’t care a lick about geographic specifics. The story is set in Scandia, near the Wisconsin border, and the thugs take Dot into North Dakota, yet she seems to walk back to Scandia that same night, barefoot in the snow. Jeez.

I don’t totally trust the writing team to make Dot’s backstory worthwhile, but I do like Temple, so I’ll likely stick with Season 5 for a bit.

3.5 stars

“The Irrational”

Cop procedurals are endlessly popular, but it’s nonetheless a good idea to try to stand out from the pack. “The Irrational” achieves this without being overly gimmicky, and it helps that cool “Law & Order” veteran Jesse L. Martin is the lead. He plays Alec Mercer, a behavioral psychology professor who helps law enforcement with crimes where the “whydunit” is important.

Showrunner Arika Mittman – drawing from Dan Ariely’s nonfiction book “Predictably Irrational” – taps into an underexplored problem with law enforcement: that the goal is to close cases more so than to find the truth. When a man confesses to a murder – even though evidence suggests he didn’t do it – the police are happy to close the case and move on.

It’s refreshing to have a hero who works against this ingrained approach. The pilot episode smoothly avoids contrived scenarios – something that might be a challenge going forward – so Mercer’s specific expertise becomes necessary to find out what really happened (the “why” leads to the “what,” so it’s not merely bonus information for the viewer).

The trope of “exes who still love each other” (Mercer and Maahra Hill’s Marisa) might get irksome, and the first episode comes to its conclusion in rushed fashion: The culprit’s motive is a rejection of a date proposal, calling to mind “Buffy’s” “The Prom,” except it’s not trying to be funny. And the ongoing mystery of who is responsible for the bombing that burned half of Mercer’s face is unengaging and unnecessary except that modern shows think they need a long-term hook.

But by and large, “The Irrational” approaches an old genre from a fresh angle.

3.5 stars

“The Spencer Sisters”

Alan McCullough’s debut series – borrowed from CTV amid the strike – is cute in premise, clunky in execution, as we follow bedraggled, makeup-eschewing rookie cop Darby (“Degrassi’s” Stacey Farber) and her glamorous mom, multiple Agatha Award-winning author Victoria (Lea Thompson).

The title joke is that they could be sisters, and perhaps they’ll have a sisterly bond as amateur detectives (Darby is jobless, having quit in annoyance at being much smarter than her lieutenant – so much smarter that I wonder if it’s played for comedy). The show wants to be like “Veronica Mars” as it engages in sunshine-noir cases in Toronto and the suburbs.

The first episode is more convoluted than it needs to be – even for a college-admissions scandal – and lacks the brisk pacing and patter that serve this genre well. The titular leads are naturally appealing, and their dysfunctional relationship is run-of-the-mill (Victoria says something critical, and Darby gets annoyed), assuring us this is harmless TV.

These sharp mystery-solving women make “Spencer Sisters” worth rooting for; unfortunately, the overall episode is not particularly sharp.

2.5 stars