True Detective

Storyline

Conceived and written by Nic Pizzolatto and directed entirely by Cary Joji Fukunaga, the inaugural 2014 season of HBO's anthology series True Detective stands as one of the greatest single seasons of television drama ever produced. Set against the desolate, sun-bleached swamps and decaying petrochemical refineries of coastal Louisiana, the narrative alternates across three timelines (1995, 2002, and 2012) as two former Louisiana State Police homicide investigators are interrogated about the unsolved ritualistic murder of prostitute Dora Lange. Matthew McConaughey delivers an electrifying, career-best performance as Rustin 'Rust' Cohle, an aloof, philosophically pessimistic detective steeped in cosmic nihilism, partnered with Woody Harrelson's Martin 'Marty' Hart, an ostensibly normal family man struggling with hypocritical morality and explosive temper. As their 17-year pursuit of the shadowy 'Yellow King' and the sinister Tuttle family unspools, their fractured partnership is pushed to existential madness. Featuring an immortal, six-minute uninterrupted tracking shot through a violent housing project and profound meditations on human consciousness, True Detective redefined television auteurism.