True Detective originally earned such acclaim through its originality; it was truly like no other crime drama before it, showcasing a depth and philosophical nature atypical of the genre. Season two simply can't live up to such a unique predecessor, already hamstrung by its setting and basic plot. So many aspects of season two have been seen many times before: friction between law enforcement departments; an undercurrent of potential sexual scandal and/or deprivation; shady mob kingpins with links to legitimate businesses - all have been explored and dissected in detail before. Even the characters reek of cliche. Colin Farrell is a morally ambiguous cop with potential ties to the criminal underworld, while Rachel McAdams is an ethically-obsessed by-the-book type. Hopefully True Detective proves this article wrong and knocks it out of the park over the next eight weeks, but all the signs seem to indicate that it won't.
