True Detective

Before season one aired I had never seen anything so compelling in storytelling or filmmaking in my entire life. The following two seasons are watchable and well-made but nowhere near as phenomenal as season one. This is a paint-by-numbers example of how to do a gripping and unique story. There is nothing negative I can say about season one. Everything is top-notch. The acting, the story, the camera work, the music, the mood, everything.

We see through the relationship of the two main characters a complicated and sometimes volatile relationship. They aren't enemies but they aren't exactly friends either. The dialogues they share together are some of the most interesting filmmaking I've ever seen. They aren't good men or bad men either. They exist in the grey area. They are just good enough to not be bad but bad enough to not be good. They are stark contrasts of one another as well. The relationship Rust and Marty have evolves constantly throughout the series and is the highlight of the entire show. I cannot recommend this season enough.

Watch the show and make up your own mind. I've seen too many people regurgitating the same "SEASON 1 IS AMAZING, SEASON 2 IS THE WORST OF ALL TIME" junk, and it's simply not true.

Fact of the matter is this is an anthology series. Different people, different stories, different feels. If they wanted a show with 3 seasons of Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, they would have done that.

Some detective stories are eerie and disturbing. Some are broody and slow burning. Season 2 is the latter, and all the hate it gets for basically not being exactly like the first season detracts from the performances and character arcs within.

There are also a lot of complaints about Vince Vaughn? Aside from some stiff writing, I hardly see the issue. He's got some great scene-chewing moments as a brutal crime boss!

I honestly can't believe some publications labeled this as one of the worst seasons of television in 2015. Just goes to show that some people have no clue how to manage their expectations, and this site is no different. Look at what I've said, and now put it up against so many here...it's ridiculous.

Like I said: watch it and make up your own mind. I avoided it for 5 years because of this site and I regret it. Season 2 isn't season 1, just like season 3 isn't 1 or 2. If you want the same thing over and over again, watch CSI.

Season 1 True Detective, different actors, different story, different class....absolutely amazing.....the following seasons average in comparison.

Right when the opening credits start and you hear that morbidly beautiful song 'Far From Any Road' by 'The Handsome Family', you know that this isn't going to be your usual cop show. Now, if you're more into action films, avoid this at all costs - but if you like amazing performances and dark, brooding cinema peppered with some black humour and a slight psychedelic touch, you're going to love this. The atmosphere and the southern ambiance of this show are so rich and the cinematography is so beautiful, I can hardly think of anything in recent TV-history that compares to this. To make a musical analogy: if the crazy, creative energy of 'Breaking Bad' felt like 'Led Zeppelin', this feels more like 'The Doors'. The slow, bluesy, hypnotic pulse of this show draws you in and hooks you - and then it doesn't let go. By the way, the original music is also excellent (T-Bone Burnett) and fits the mood perfectly.

As far as the actors are concerned, there's nothing but great performances. Even the smaller parts are perfectly cast and the two leads: wow, just - wow! Harrelson (freshly returned from 'The Hunger Games'), plays the "normal", more down to earth character, while McConaughey (still marked by his own personal hunger games) nails the part of his slightly mad, highly intelligent but nihilistic and severely depressed partner. Watching them play off each other (again, after 'Edtv' and 'Surfer, Dude') while their conflicted - and conflicting - characters try to solve a ritual murder is so captivating (and so much fun) I honestly don't care that much if they are ever going to solve that crime.

So for the moment, I'm giving this 10 stars (I can still take back a few if it all goes downhill from here), because in my opinion, there wasn't a single note out of key so far. The writing is top notch, and if the creative team behind this can keep it up, this could turn out to be HBO's next 'Wire' in terms of quality. Cary Fukunaga ('Sin Nombre','Jane Eyre'), who will hopefully one day adapt Stephen King's 'It', proves once more that he's a very accomplished director and a talent to look out for in the future.

My verdict: if you like a well told, character driven story (that might lead you to some very dark places) and if you're not put off by a rather considerate pace, I can't recommend this show enough - this is some great television.

Favorite films: IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/

Lesser-Known Masterpieces: imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Favorite Low-Budget and B-Movies: imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

True Detective is an absolutely incredible crime series. I've had to come back and revise my original comment because they just released season 4 so I had to include that in my comment. Like most others here have already said, Season 1 was on a different level. It was so good, so original and so incredibly acted, written, directed, etc that it was hard for the other seasons to live up to that first season. Season 2, even though it had an amazing cast, was not very good at all and easily the weakest of them. Season 3 was better and absolutely worth watching. Now, season 4 just ended and it was fantastic. I couldn't stop watching, I waited to the end of the season before I started it so I can binge it and I'm glad I did because that's the best way to watch it. Every season is different with a different story and a different cast so you don't have to watch in order. I absolutely recommend you watch season 1 and 4 though. If you have the time you can watch season 3 without being disappointed but skip season 2 all together.