“You spent your whole life thinking there are rules. There aren’t,” hit man Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) tells Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) while sitting in a cafe booth. This sensibility is at the heart of not only Malvo’s character but the entire premiere of FX’s “Fargo.” The premiere takes us through Nygaard’s life as an insurance salesman, his marital troubles and his never-ending failures. His wife and his former high school bully emasculate him until he can’t take it anymore. Thornton’s character is the agent of change; he sets off the series of events that take the viewer through the thrilling premiere.

“Fargo” was adapted from the Joel and Ethan Coens’ movie of the same name, and their style is all over the premiere. Written by Noah Hawley, the episode builds slowly to the punch line, letting the audience question the show’s intentions and direction. The Coens’ subdued and dark sense of humor makes its way into the show as well. For example, there’s the first-grade classroom-style inspirational poster picturing a school of fish and the quote: “What if you’re right and they’re wrong?” which is the backdrop for the episode’s most surprising scene. The show also provides humor through the idiosyncrasies of small-town Northern life. The innocent Midwestern accents hide horrible truths. But there’s goofiness, too, like Bob Odenkirk’s guest performance as the queasy cop who can’t look at murder victims.

The TV version of “Fargo” shares many elements with its movie counterpart: it is based on a true story and features a struggling salesman, a hit man and police officers trying to solve a murder. For the first half of the episode, it is easy to lump Lester Nygaard in with his movie parallel Jerome Lundegaard or even Walter White from Season 1 of “Breaking Bad.” He is submissive and struggling for respect. Freeman seems to underplay Nygaard, but hopefully future episodes will see him fill out the role more completely. His shining moment comes in the episode’s climax, which makes it clear that “Fargo” has the potential to be just as out of control as the movie, if not more so. The episode delights in surprising its viewers, with character motivations creeping below the surface until the final acts.

It is still unclear whether the show wants to be an ensemble of equal characters or a focused examination of Lester Nygaard. While it is Nygaard’s issues that drive the story, the other characters tend to steal the scenes. Vern and Ida Thurman (Shawn Doyle and Julie Ann Emery, respectively) provide the episode’s heart and sentimentality amid the darkness. Allison Tollman is fantastic as Officer Molly Solverson. Billy Bob Thornton, however, is the standout. He is fascinating to watch as he plays Lorne Molvo, the agent of pure chaos. Molvo revels in watching others literally tear each other apart, whether it’s a hotel manager and her employee or two childish, privileged teenagers. His most memorable scene comes when he persuades Deputy Gus Grimly (Colin Hanks) to simply walk away from his duties as a police officer.

The premiere provides plenty of reasons to keep watching. Nygaard is deep in trouble by the end of the episode and the scope of action promises to expand beyond the small town of Bemidji, Minn., and into the world of organized crime. Future guest stars include great comic actors like Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key of “Key and Peele,” as well as Glenn Howerton from FX’s “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” And if future episodes provide us with as much chaos as the premiere did, Fargo promises to be a dark, disturbing and enjoyable series.