10 Things You Need To Know About True Detective Season 2

2. It Won't Be As Dark

The perfect word to describe the first season of True Detective is dark. Most police procedural dramas have some darkness to them given the nature of the story, but True Detective went far beyond that and wallowed in the darkness. Heck, the tagline was "Touch darkness and darkness touches you back," and the tone reflected that. And of course there is McConaughey's Rust Cohle, who will probably go down as one of the most nihilistic characters in television history. Let's just say it isn't the most jovial of shows to watch, and that's part of why it's so compelling. With all that said, it may come as a surprise to hear that the next season won't be aiming for the same level of bleakness as its predecessor. At the Guardian International Television Festival this year, HBO programming president Michael Lombardo said, "It's still dark. Nic explores the darkness in people's souls. It's not as dark, but it's not a light ride." It would be easy to cry foul at this statement, but dark doesn't automatically equal better. All this does is confirm just how different the second season is probably going to be compared to the first one, especially given the Californian setting. While obviously still dealing with dark subject matter, the nature of this new story isn't going to quite reach the level of moroseness of the previous season, which is fine; it means they won't be repeating themselves. As long as it continues to explore mature and complex aspects of human nature, what makes the show special will remain.