True Detective: The Latest Television Obsession

If you didn’t watch True Detective, the brilliant HBO show featuring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, while the episodes were airing, it is well worth your while to check it out On Demand. The surprising cast, the engaging and mysterious story, the quirks and twists, and the overall fantastic acting will likely put this eight episode series in with serious competition at the next Emmy Awards.

It could be classified as a miniseries because of its brevity and the fact that it will be following the American Horror Story model of having a new story with new characters each season, but HBO knows that win would be too easy. They have placed True Detective squarely in the drama category where it will probably face off against Mad Men, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, House of Cards, Downton Abbey, and other heavy hitters. Can it hold its own?

Matthew McConaughey, he of the recently won Academy Award for Dallas Buyers Club, will be nominated for best lead actor. His competition will include at least Jon Hamm, Bryan Cranston and Kevin Spacey. Of course, formal nominations will not be announced until July, but right now, McConaughey is a standout.

I watched the series from the beginning and I freely admit that I was playing a game on the computer while I was trying to watch it. I was expecting the usual mystery/detective fodder. I had to close the computer and watch the first two episodes a second time because I realized that True Detective was anything but usual.

The story revolves around Louisiana Detectives Rust Cohle and Martin Hart. They are being questioned about a case they worked together in 1995 that included strange occult messages and obscure clues. Both men have changed since they solved the case, but watching their recollections in brilliant flashbacks emphasizes just how different… and the same… they are from the men who solved the ritualistic murders of young women.

Cohle is the thinker. He considers everything with deep meaning and dark views. He lives in a spare apartment, with no unnecessary furniture or decoration. Hart is the more stereotypical detective, following clues and skeptically listening to Cohle’s tenuous connections and seemingly far-fetched theories.

My description is vague, I know, but to tell you more might take away some of the intrigue. It’s all in the tiny details of the characters – both then and now – that sucks you into the story and keeps you hooked.

McConaughey is amazing as the complicated Cohle. He manages to make Cohle seem tortured by his own intellectualism. He gives the character enough quirks to make you wonder, but not take him overboard. Harrelson is excellent as the family man, Hart. He gives you the sense that Hart understands the political game and is willing to play it to keep their case moving forward.

Is it worth taking the time to watch? If you are looking for mind-numbing, easy watching, then no. If you are looking for a smart show that you actually WANT to pay attention to, then I suggest you start watching now.

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