The crime drama may be the single most played out genre on television;
there are more shows in this genre than I can count. From all the "Law and
Orders" and the "CSI's" and all the misc shows, the genre has
been so over saturated it no longer interests me. The last really great crime
show would be "The Wire" which ended back in 2008. Back in late 2012,
I heard that HBO was making another crime show; at first I rolled my eyes, but
then I really started looking into the show. It's a new mini-series that stars
two “A” list actors, Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson; plus an
interesting plot and the fact it is an HBO series, it peaked my interest.
"True Detective" is an anthology crime series taking place in multiple time frames (both during the mid 90's and in present day). Set in south Louisiana, the show follows homicide detectives Rustin "Rust" Cohle and Martin "Marty" Hart. During the 90's, a young woman is found murdered in a ritualistic fashion. Everyone starts pointing the fingers at the occult, so the guys in charge put all their resources into solving this murder. They decide to put Rust and Martin on the case in hopes of calming the public; but what they thought should have been an open and shut case unravels into the most twisted game they would ever have the misfortune to play.
"True Detective" may be the best new show of 2014, and possibly the best crime drama we've seen on TV since HBO's previous crime drama "The Wire." First off the most noticeably great aspect of the show would be Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson's performances; I see Emmy nominations in their future. Both of their characters are complex and intense, and are complemented perfectly by the actors. McConaughey's character Rust is easily one of the best characters on TV. Rust was a family man who's marriage was broken up after his two year old daughter was killed in a car accident, to cope he turned to drugs and lost himself in his work. He's one of the people who has been the smartest guy in the room since he was young, he's an atheist who is stationed in the backwoods of one of the most religious states in the country and constantly buts heads with the higher ups. Martin (played by Harrelson) is a straight edge cop with a wife and two children. He's by the book and is good at his job, but at the same time he has a vice for seeing younger women on the side. McConaughey and Harrelson are fantastic actors, and it’s not often we get to see such well renowned actors on a TV series. One thing you can always rely on when it comes to HBO programming, it’s always going to have some of the highest production values on TV. The cinematography is beautiful and the set pieces are top notch. Probably my favorite element of this show would be the writing; in short, it's great. Each episode's plot is well written and has some of the smartest dialog out there. Of all the complaints I've heard about the show, the most mentioned is that it's a slow burn. While it's always interesting, it takes a while to hit the real meat of the story; but each episode just adds a piece to a puzzle you can't wait to see completed. One thing that I need to mention is that this is a very dark and depressing show, and that alone may turn some people. "True Detective" is an amazing new program and one of the best shows I've seen in years. I'm not sure if this is going to be a long running series or a one time mini-series, either way it's amazing and worth every second of your time. This is one of those shows that manages to bridge the gap between TV and movies, a new generation of programming along the lines of "Sherlock" and "Game of Thrones." If you are looking for a great drama to watch, "True Detective" has my highest recommendations.
"True Detective" is an anthology crime series taking place in multiple time frames (both during the mid 90's and in present day). Set in south Louisiana, the show follows homicide detectives Rustin "Rust" Cohle and Martin "Marty" Hart. During the 90's, a young woman is found murdered in a ritualistic fashion. Everyone starts pointing the fingers at the occult, so the guys in charge put all their resources into solving this murder. They decide to put Rust and Martin on the case in hopes of calming the public; but what they thought should have been an open and shut case unravels into the most twisted game they would ever have the misfortune to play.
"True Detective" may be the best new show of 2014, and possibly the best crime drama we've seen on TV since HBO's previous crime drama "The Wire." First off the most noticeably great aspect of the show would be Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson's performances; I see Emmy nominations in their future. Both of their characters are complex and intense, and are complemented perfectly by the actors. McConaughey's character Rust is easily one of the best characters on TV. Rust was a family man who's marriage was broken up after his two year old daughter was killed in a car accident, to cope he turned to drugs and lost himself in his work. He's one of the people who has been the smartest guy in the room since he was young, he's an atheist who is stationed in the backwoods of one of the most religious states in the country and constantly buts heads with the higher ups. Martin (played by Harrelson) is a straight edge cop with a wife and two children. He's by the book and is good at his job, but at the same time he has a vice for seeing younger women on the side. McConaughey and Harrelson are fantastic actors, and it’s not often we get to see such well renowned actors on a TV series. One thing you can always rely on when it comes to HBO programming, it’s always going to have some of the highest production values on TV. The cinematography is beautiful and the set pieces are top notch. Probably my favorite element of this show would be the writing; in short, it's great. Each episode's plot is well written and has some of the smartest dialog out there. Of all the complaints I've heard about the show, the most mentioned is that it's a slow burn. While it's always interesting, it takes a while to hit the real meat of the story; but each episode just adds a piece to a puzzle you can't wait to see completed. One thing that I need to mention is that this is a very dark and depressing show, and that alone may turn some people. "True Detective" is an amazing new program and one of the best shows I've seen in years. I'm not sure if this is going to be a long running series or a one time mini-series, either way it's amazing and worth every second of your time. This is one of those shows that manages to bridge the gap between TV and movies, a new generation of programming along the lines of "Sherlock" and "Game of Thrones." If you are looking for a great drama to watch, "True Detective" has my highest recommendations.
Pros: Amazing performances from Matthew
McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, beautiful cinematography, extremely good
writing with smart dialog, great characters, topnotch production value, grabs
your attention and never lets go.
Cons: A slow burn, may be too dark and
depressing for some viewers.
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