True Detective season 1 is arguably one of the greatest seasons of television of all time, and you can easily binge it in just 8 hours. The list of the greatest TV shows of all time is top-heavy with HBO originals. Its old tagline, “It’s not just TV”, was a great way to describe the elevated fare they’ve consistently offered.
Other streamers have started to catch up, though. Netflix, Hulu, even Apple TV; they’ve all proven they can produce series that are worth the price of admission. Still, HBO feels like it’s just a step ahead, and it’s shows like True Detective that come around to remind you what a true masterpiece looks like.
True Detective Season 1 Has Some Of The Best 8 Hours Of Television Of All Time
Matthew McConaughey & Woody Harrelson together in True Detective season 1
True Detective season 1 sort of came out of nowhere. Creator Nic Pizzolatto was a working novelist, but not one you would know by name, and he had written two episodes of The Killing, but that’s it. True Detective season 1 arrived with little fanfare and a somewhat unremarkable name, but from the jump, people knew it was something special.
The season stars Matthew McConaughey as Rustin “Rust” Cohle and Woody Harrelson as Martin “Marty” Hart, two detectives partnered in the South of Louisiana in the mid-’90s. Rust is a nihilistic, misanthropic genius, while Marty is the good-ol-boy type, whose immaturity festers into selfishness and self-hatred. The pair dislikes one another, but are assigned the case of their lifetimes.
A murder in the swamps appears to be linked with a cult, and Rust and Marty manage to figure out who was responsible and save two more children in the nick of time. That happens in episode 5. As flashforward to the present, and the remaining three episodes explain, Rust and Marty closed their case too quickly.
True Detective season 1 blends together events from the past and those 17 years later so seamlessly that you won’t even realize they’re on a collision course. The storytelling in True Detective season 1 could be some of the best in TV history, gripping you from start to finish as it thrusts you through a powerful, unbelievable mystery.
True Detective’s Anthology Structure Means You Don’t Have To Watch The Other Seasons
Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson in the car in True Detective season 1
True Detective season 1 also gets some bonus points as one of the great TV shows because the anthology structure of the series means that after you finish the eight episodes of season 1, you can stop watching and not miss a thing. Save for a few nods here and there, every season of the series is separate.
The tone and style of each season is similar, so you always know you are watching a True Detective show, but the detectives, the locations, and the crimes change every season, giving each a unique flavor. Still, the characters stay grim, the stories are lurid, and the settings are places you would never want to go.
Season 2 premiered in 2015 and stars Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch, and Vince Vaughn. It’s set in a Los Angeles-like location and follows a criminal conspiracy between local gangs and the corrupt politicians of the city. Season 3 arrived in 2019 with Mahershala Ali and Stephen Dorff as the lead detectives.
Set across three time periods in the Ozarks, Dorff and Ali’s characters investigate a case of two missing children. Season 4, True Detective: Night Country, has Issa López as showrunner and stars Jodie Foster and Kali Reis as detectives in Alaska, investigating a macabre case of frozen scientists.
Why You Should Still Give True Detective’s Other Seasons A Chance After Season 1
Kali Reis looking serious as Navarro in True Detective: Night Country
True Detective season 1 is such an incredible feat of TV making that the other three seasons tend to be forgotten, or overly criticized whenever the topic comes up. They are like the three younger siblings of the beloved eldest son who can do no wrong, winning championships and getting scholarships.
True Detective Rotten Tomatoes Scores
Season
Critics’ Score
Audience Score
1
92
92
2
47
31
3
84
59
4
93
55
However, those three seasons are not vestigial. They are each excellent in one way or another. While none come close to the heights of season 1, that’s more a testament to the strengths of that original season. Season 2 fully dives into the noir elements of the show, and has great romantic storylines that the other seasons don’t.
Season 3 is headed by Ali and Dorff doing some of their best work, and there’s a colorfulness and mystical nature that feels unique even among the slight fantasy elements of the other seasons. Season 4 feels the most unique in terms of setting and characters, offering something different, but worthy, of what came before.
Even if True Detective continues, it’s unlikely that any season will be as celebrated as season 1, just like it’s unlikely any gangster TV show will ever be as good as The Sopranos. True Detective season 1 is without equal in its own anthology, but it’s still worth it to make time for every season of the series.
Release Date
January 12, 2014
Network
HBO Max
Showrunner
Nic Pizzolatto