There's a lot to get excited about with this True Detective season 2 teaser and a lot of the information that's been released about the show's second run something like 2000 words' worth. But at the same time, this brief glimpse at what Pizzolatto and his crew have in store for the next batch of eight episodes (which will premiere June 21) actually looked strikingly familiar in a lot of places. Louisiana, nihilism and cosmic horror was pretty out-there. But there's a lot of visual and thematic parallels to be drawn between True Detective season 2 and countless other crime fiction. At least, on the basis of this clip. Vince Vaughn's whole scheme and the use of California as a den of iniquity only sorta contained by the glitzy exterior is very, very Chinatown, with the Jack Nicholson role split between the three cop leads. There's definitely a bit of LA Confidential and James Ellroy in there, too, although that may just be virtue of seediness in Hollywood always smacking of Ellroy. The visual flair is less distinct without Fukunaga, too, with the rotating group of directors adopting a neon-flecked, bright-and-dark dichotomy that recalls Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive and Michael Mann's Every Michael Mann Film. Between that and all the nods to Rust and Marty, either True Detective will be more of the same, or this tease is just trying to appeal to old viewers whilst offering up something new. Hopefully the latter. Are you excited for True Detective season 2? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
