Stephen King hails new Juno Temple series: ‘Never seen anything quite like it’

King picked out the performances of Temple and Jennifer Jason Leigh for particular praise

Stephen King has effusively praised the fifth season of anthology crime series Fargo, with the legendary horror writer saying he’s “never seen anything quite like it”.

The show, which aired its first season in 2014, was created by screenwriter Noah Hawley based on the Coen Brothers’ 1996 film of the same name.

The fifth season, which stars Juno Temple, Jon Hamm and Jennifer Jason Leigh, premiered on 21 November 2023 and concluded earlier this month.

Writing on X/Twitter, King wrote: “Who says peak TV is dead? This is amazing, offbeat, and riveting.

“Juno Temple and Jennifer Jason Leigh shine. Never seen anything quite like it.”

The season follows Temple’s character Dorothy "Dot" Lyon, a seemingly ordinary housewife from Scandia, Minnesota, whose past comes back to haunt her after she accidentally comes to the attention of the authorities when a middle school board meeting goes horribly wrong.

Leigh plays Lorraine Lyon, Dot’s wealthy and powerful mother-in-law, while Hamm appears as Sheriff Roy Tillman, a corrupt sheriff from North Dakota. The cast also includes Stranger Things’ Joe Keery and New Girl’s Lamorne Morris.

Stephen King (left) and ‘Fargo’ star Juno Temple (Getty)

King, known as the King of Horror for work including The Shining, It and Misery, has often been outspoken about his pop culture opinions.

Last November, the 76-year-old author stepped in to defend The Marvels from “very unpleasant” “fanboy hate”.

After the film suffered the worst opening weekend in Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) history, that unhappy milestone was celebrated by internet trolls.

Addressing the critics on X/Twitter, King wrote: “I don’t go to MCU movies, don’t care for them, but I find this barely masked gloating over the low box office for The Marvels very unpleasant.

“Why gloat over failure?” he asked, suggesting that “some of the rejection of The Marvels may be adolescent fanboy hate”.

King also recommended sci-fi horror film No One Will Save You as perfect Halloween viewing.

“Brilliant, daring, involving scary,” wrote King of the film. “You have to go back over 60 years, to a Twilight Zone episode called ‘The Invaders’ to find anything remotely like it.”

The horror expert went on to call the movie “truly unique”.

Released on Hulu last year, No One Will Save You stars Kaitlyn Dever as Brynn, a young recluse who finds solace within the walls of her childhood home until one night she is awakened by strange noises from unearthly intruders.