The Protectors
The Protectors is a British television series, an action thriller created by Gerry Anderson. It was Anderson's second TV series to exclusively use live actors as opposed to marionettes (following "UFO"), and his second to be firmly set in contemporary times (following "The Secret Service"). It was also the only Gerry Anderson-produced television series that was not of the fantasy or science fiction genres. It was produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment production company. Despite not featuring marionettes or any real science fiction elements, "The Protectors" became one of Anderson's most popular productions, easily winning a renewal for a second season. A third season was in the planning stages when the show's major sponsor, Brut, ended its funding and thus forced the series' cancellation.
The Castle (Fargo)
The UFO's appearance provoked discussion and controversy among critics and fans alike, some of whom criticized the moment as a "deus ex machina" and considered the literal inclusion of a science fiction device to be inappropriate for the series. Hawley elaborated on the scene in interviews and explained some of its influences, which included the Coen brothers' 2002 film "The Man Who Wasn't There" as well as the real-life 1979 Val Johnson incident in which a Minnesota deputy sheriff claimed to have encountered a UFO. Hawley stated that the idea of "accept[ing] the mystery," which he called a "staple of the Coen Bros. philosophy in their films," guided his decision to include a UFO in "Fargo". Additionally, he said that the UFO represents the series' false claim of being "based on a true story", which to Hawley offers a commentary on the nature of how history is retold: "It’s not just that truth is stranger than fiction, it’s that what we call truth is a small part of the historic picture. There are so many elements that usually get weeded out of the story so you can have a simpler narrative." In a later interview, Hawley named the original 1996 film as an inspiration for the UFO; namely, the scene with Mike Yanagita, which serves no purpose in the film's plot yet exists both as a character moment and as a representation of its apparent "realism."