Legion debuts at 9 p.m. Wednesday on FX. This is the first television series based on Marvel's X-Men characters and should please fans of that nine-film (so far) franchise.
Created by Noah Hawley (Fargo), Legion, as Marvel fans well know, is the story of David Haller, a troubled young man who has been diagnosed most of his life as schizophrenic delusional, but that's not it at all.
David is played by 34-year-old Dan Stevens, best known for his role as Matthew Crawley in Downton Abbey. Fans of the PBS series will not recognize the thinner, more furrowed Stevens.
Much of the early exposition takes place in the chaotic, hallucinatory jumble of memories inside David's head. The viewer just needs to go with the flow. There's a payoff down the road.
In the two episodes I've seen, the first reward of this totally immersive series is a visual and cerebral one. Clues as to what is going on are doled out without seeming cohesion. This requires the viewer to pay careful attention.
That means this series is not for everyone, especially those who would prefer to let the story waft over them with simple linear progression. However, those who enjoy a good puzzle where the picture reveals itself gradually will appreciate the craft that went into Legion.
As the first episode unfolds, it is revealed that David has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals for years. Now in his early 30s, he has settled himself into the comfortably structured hospital regimen.
David spends most of his days sitting in silence, but that's made up for by his garrulous friend and fellow patient Lenny Busker (Aubrey Plaza, Parks and Recreation).
Despite a life-long drug and alcohol addiction, Lenny is boundlessly optimistic that her luck is always about to change.
That change begins with the arrival of troubled new patient Syd Barrett (Rachel Keller, Fargo). Syd is drawn to David, and there's a good reason.
As the FX commercials have revealed, it's because of Syd that David is forced to confront the possibility that the voices in his head are real and that he may not be crazy after all. He may just have extraordinary telekinetic powers that he has yet to understand.
Finally, David meets unconventional therapist Melanie Bird, played with cool understatement by the marvelous Jean Smart (Designing Women, Frasier, Fargo).
"We look back, we find your powers, we see what triggers them," Melanie tells David. "But most of all, we make you whole."
That won't be as easy as it sounds.
Melanie's team of specialists include Ptonomy Wallace (Jeremie Harris, Pariah), Kerry Loudermik (Amber Midthunder, Priceless) and Cary Loudermilk (Bill Irwin, CSI). Working together, they open David's eyes to reality -- a reality that may be more frightening than the unreality that was in his head.
Creator Hawley told Variety that he plans to use the world of X-Men as a foundation for the series, but not really adapt stories straight from the comic books.
"I'm going to tell you a story and it's going to feel like that world that you love and those comics that you love," he said. "Yet, because it's not based on material that you know, you don't know what's going to happen."
Legion should be well worth the trouble for those who appreciate this sort of adventure.
• More Kelly. The Los Angeles Times reports that NBC is dropping its third hour of Today in the fall to make room for a new talk show with former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly.
Unclear is exactly how this might affect the fourth hour of Today with Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford. One possibility is that duo could move up an hour, with Kelly wrapping things up each morning.
Kelly, 46, is still under contract to Fox News until July, but don't expect to see her on the channel lineup.
• More Middle. ABC has renewed The Middle for a ninth season. The comedy, starring Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn, Charlie McDermott, Eden Sher and Atticus Shaffer as Indiana's Heck family, airs at 7 p.m. today.
• More Librarians. TNT has renewed The Librarians for a fourth season. Having just finished Season 3, the fantasy adventure stars Rebecca Romijn, Christian Kane, Lindy Booth and John Harlan Kim as members of a secret organization protecting an unsuspecting world from the dangerous magic hidden all around.
John Larroquette (Night Court) plays the immortal caretaker Jenkins. Noah Wyle (ER) has a recurring role as Flynn Carsen, one of the longest surviving librarians.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:
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Style on 02/07/2017