True Detective: 10 Reasons Season 1 Can’t Be Topped

8. The McConaissance

If there was one crucial element in getting an audience to sit down for another cop procedural, it would be the inclusion of a bonafide Hollywood star and, with True Detective€™s leading men, they arguably had two. With Harrelson and McConaughey€™s names on the contract, the prospect of Nic Pizzolatto€™s dream project became tantalising and was snapped up quickly by HBO. In Woody Harrelson, the show had an industry mainstay and someone who was well-known both to commercial and indie audiences. And with Marty Hart, Harrelson had the opportunity to play the straight man, the detective who would personify the opposite of the strange and dangerous world he would soon investigate. Harrelson, for intents and purposes, knocks it out of the park but, unfortunately, the combination of a monstrously well-written role, as well as perfect timing, gave his co-star the deserved push into the limelight. As Cohle, McConaughey played a cross between fighter and philosopher that rarely gets to take up television time. Unlike many 21st century protagonists, this is no immoral bad guy whose charm manages to win an audience over in the face of any deadly deeds. In fact, Rust Cohle is the opposite to all of the Walter Whites of the current TV landscape in that his demeanour often falls into pretention or callousness, making his ideology irrelevant to the parties he attempts to convince. What Cohle proves to be, however, is a character who is willing to put it all on the line for an opportunity at spiritual balance. Couple this with the fact that McConaughey was in the middle of a comeback that started in 2011 with Lincoln Lawyer, and True Detective becomes a current high point in what is now favourably discussed as the McConaissance.