True Detective (HBO 2014-Present)
True Detective may just be one of the greatest crime dramas ever created in the history of television. (Okay, let’s toss out the rushed, overly ambitious, and over-stuffed second season with Vince Vaughn and Rachel McAdams. That had its moments of greatness, but ultimately, and rightfully should be left to the sands of time.)
The first season starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, and the third season starring Mahershala Ali and Stephen Dorff, are works of art. Hang them in a museum, and let television writers for generations to come marvel at them.
True Detective’s brilliance lies within the writing room’s ability to create both a complex, engrossing mystery to be solved, and equally complex, engrossing humans (portrayed by actor’s giving once-in-a-lifetime performances) solving the mystery. There were legitimate white knuckle, gasp for breath episodes, and I will maintain that Season 1, Episode 4 ‘Who Goes There’ is one of the most technically brilliant episodes of television I’ve ever seen.
And while the episodes are great, it’s the characters and the performances that will always be remembered. Performances from Ali, Dorff, McConaughey, Harrelson, and Carmen Ejogo (in Season 3) are what made this series work. Their performances were devastating, infuriating, and compelling — sometimes all at the same time.
And if there’s one thing this series taught it’s this — “Time is a Flat Circle.”
-Bill Bodkin
