True Detective

:

Season 2
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Jan 12, 2014
Season #: 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
6.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 837 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 479 out of 837
  2. Mixed: 192 out of 837
  3. Negative: 166 out of 837
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  1. NavyBean
    Jul 7, 2015
    3
    Characters are not likable and there are too many of them. Rachel McAdams trying to act tough is laughable. Pizzolatto read too many of his reviews for season 1 and it's all coming undone. Pretentious and slow with characters we've seen before saying things that are neither profound nor interesting. Zzzz.
  2. jlplatten
    Jul 7, 2015
    4
    Season 1 was perfection. Season 2 is boring. After three episodes, I figured out why I don't care about this story. It's because the murder victim is a dirty old corrupt politician. I don't feel bad for him, so I don't even care if these detectives solve the crime. On top of that, we have really boring characters, and too many of them. The first season kept it simple. Two detectives tryingSeason 1 was perfection. Season 2 is boring. After three episodes, I figured out why I don't care about this story. It's because the murder victim is a dirty old corrupt politician. I don't feel bad for him, so I don't even care if these detectives solve the crime. On top of that, we have really boring characters, and too many of them. The first season kept it simple. Two detectives trying to find a murderer killing innocent girls. Yes, the detectives had demons of their own, but we could over look that and still cheer for them because the killer in the show was way more heinous. We wanted justice while also watching two amazing characters (and actors) clash in the process. The second season is way more complex. We have three detectives, each with their own group behind them trying to push their agendas. Too much. I would say the only interesting story in this show is the piece where the crime lord is trying to figure out who screwed him out of his multi-million dollar deal, causing him to abandon his white-collar criminal approach and return to his gangster roots to find some answers. The acting is mediocre, and the dialogue is flat. This season is probably a lost cause, and hopefully the showmakers will learn from their mistakes and go back to what works when it comes to story telling.… Expand
  3. Raven25
    Jun 21, 2015
    4
    Let me start out by saying I had high hopes for this after season 1. I really was a fan. But season 2 is a let down. Pure and simple. Nothing terrible, just not interesting or entertaining, and simply not worth the time and effort to follow.

    The story is not particularly cohesive, the acting is truly down a notch (or several). There don't really appear to be many themes, and the ones    Let me start out by saying I had high hopes for this after season 1. I really was a fan. But season 2 is a let down. Pure and simple. Nothing terrible, just not interesting or entertaining, and simply not worth the time and effort to follow.

    The story is not particularly cohesive, the acting is truly down a notch (or several). There don't really appear to be many themes, and the ones that exist aren't particularly interesting. I think that the series has turned away from being character driven to being plot driven. This is a mistake.

    A significant part of the series seems to have been a response to feminist criticism of what was a brilliant first season. I guess this is the difference between a TV series that unashamedly wants to create something brilliant and a TV series that is so scared of critics that it panders to them at the expense of engaging with anything interesting.

    All I can say to the writers is: challenge me with something, don't give me a bunch of people with problems circling each other. To the directors: bring back the eerie suspense of season 1 and the darkness that all characters go through, the appeal of season 1 was that both lead characters went through a very dark shared experience and their worldviews determined what they got out of it as well as what they shared with each other. Don't give me a bunch of alcoholics with anger problems and daddy issues.    … Expand
  4. TravisFinn
    Aug 11, 2015
    0
    I remember seeing the first episode of the season and laughing my ass off at how embarrassingly bad the writing, story and casting seemed already. But I decided to give it time because Season 1 was a masterpiece of southern gothic and noir themes mixing into a great crime drama.

    What a waste of time though. Nic Pizzolatto originally wanted to create Season 1 as a novel but luckily    I remember seeing the first episode of the season and laughing my ass off at how embarrassingly bad the writing, story and casting seemed already. But I decided to give it time because Season 1 was a masterpiece of southern gothic and noir themes mixing into a great crime drama.

    What a waste of time though.

    Nic Pizzolatto originally wanted to create Season 1 as a novel but luckily got the chance to transform it into a TV series because what he wrote was better than some penny novel you might pick up at an airport shop if you're bored. The producers and him knew that story was special. Along the way however, the idea of making it an anthology show also gave it reason to become a TV series instead of a film.

    Needless to say he was pretty arrogant thinking he could strike gold twice. Season 2 feels like the most rushed piece of petty crime crap you can find on public cable. It's like a goddamn Law & Order special with a bigger budget.

    The cast in this season is irredeemable; not only can they not function and work off each other in meaningful and interesting ways, but alone, they almost fail as characters themselves. Colin Farrell, Rachael Adams and Taylor Kitsch play **** up cops and Vince Vaugn plays the dumbest looking and weakest punk-ass gangster I've ever seen. His presence as a 'power-player' in this series is a joke. The character development in this story is so sloppy and unfavorably depressive. What ultimately kills it however as I just said, they do not work off each other. Each is the same as the last, corrupt to the tooth and too sad-sack for anyone to give a **** about them.

    The story is confusing, muddled, and ultimately unsatisfactory. We know off-the-bat that the city is run by corrupt police and officials. So who did the crime? Take a goddamn guess anyone who seriously thought this was going anywhere. No secret societies, no hint of maybe-supernaturals going on, and no references to anything we can research on and discuss. The story is cut and dry, you get whats explained if you follow the mumble-jumble spouted by each character when something needs explaining.

    No mystery.

    For anyone who might disagree for my references to season 1 because it somehow shouldn't have any bearing on why I was hyped for a second season, well you're just stupid. And that argument is stupid.

    The fact of the matter is that I set high precedents for this show because it was so good. That should be expected by everyone. Unfortunately, it is all too clear Mr. Pizzolatto isn't as great as a writer as I thought he is.

    Nothing intrigued me in this show. The days of searching Carcosa on the web and hunting down details of literary and iconic references blind to McConaughey and Harrelson are gone. Instead, a standard police drama was made, and oh boy, its as dry and unpleasant as an old unmarinated steak cooked on an unwahsed grill.

    If THIS is what a true detective does and is what to be expected from now on, than I guess Mr. Pizzolatto should save his manuscript for a season 3 and stick it on the dusty shelf located in the very back of the book store, never to be read or picked for **** HBO of all channels ever again.

    Maybe thats too harsh I guess. I think The CW could take it in perhaps, maybe even TNT if he's lucky.    … Expand
  5. M3R1D1U5
    Jun 21, 2015
    9
    Slow, but full of power, True Detective 2 maintains the tension and drama within the first season, with the omnipresence of a supernatural factor moving around every corner. Just give it some time, and prepare yourself to enter a new level of entertainment.

    A band apart is the photography, cinematography and cast. It may not be a Matthew McCounaghey tri-force, but its still soon to judge.
  6. albacromby
    Jun 25, 2015
    10
    Come on! You know it's going to get good! We have Crazy dad, Crazy sister and Tiger Woods. Nothing simple can come out of this. I'm excited to see how the players fit and how they become True Detectives.
  7. AContext
    Aug 9, 2015
    2
    I stayed until the end; through all 10 mumbling, convoluted, glacier-paced, dark, Twin Peaks stealing, too convenient episodes. Can I get these 10-and-a-half hours of my life back? Sadly, no. This was an intentionally confusing piece of pulp fiction, but without the wink and a nod that says, "Hey, we're really just playin' around here." This was supposed to be serious drama. It wasn't. II stayed until the end; through all 10 mumbling, convoluted, glacier-paced, dark, Twin Peaks stealing, too convenient episodes. Can I get these 10-and-a-half hours of my life back? Sadly, no. This was an intentionally confusing piece of pulp fiction, but without the wink and a nod that says, "Hey, we're really just playin' around here." This was supposed to be serious drama. It wasn't. I almost gave it up after episode 8, the party piece where - in a 40-room mansion - Taylor Kitsch manages to end up outside the very room where the bad guys are discussing their dirty deeds. And the cop arrives just in time to hear the bad guys talk about exactly what's taking place, what the critical information is and who's involved. Puh-leeze, Did Pizzolatto realize in episode 8 that he had too much story yet to tell and only two episodes left in which to accomplish that feat? I was expecting so much more after the McConaughey/Harrelson tour de force....but noooooo!!… Expand
  8. ryanbrad10
    Aug 11, 2015
    3
    What a massive shame. The first season was certainly one of the best shows in dramatic TV history. In season 2, the plot was convoluted, a complete mess; there were too many characters, and most of them were pretty hammy and terribly acted. Scenes with Vince Vaughn and Kelly Reilly were just so cringeworthy, an am-dram interpretation of Bacall and Bogart. However, Colin Farrell redeemedWhat a massive shame. The first season was certainly one of the best shows in dramatic TV history. In season 2, the plot was convoluted, a complete mess; there were too many characters, and most of them were pretty hammy and terribly acted. Scenes with Vince Vaughn and Kelly Reilly were just so cringeworthy, an am-dram interpretation of Bacall and Bogart. However, Colin Farrell redeemed himself with some credible moments.… Expand
  9. yrogerg123
    Aug 17, 2015
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Reviewing the second season of True Detective is delicate because criticizing it is the trendy thing to do. But honestly, I think the criticism is fair and well-deserved. As far as I'm concerned the first season was nearly flawless, and that has to be the starting point of any review of the second. The dynamic between McConaughey and Harrelson was as interesting a relationship as I've seen on television, and the way their characters trended in different directions while interacting the whole time more or less carried the audience through what could have been considered flaws in the story. It set the standard for what the writers could do with good actors, and make no mistake, the cast of season 2 is very good. Any plot holes in season one weren't as noticeable because it was enjoyable to watch.

    The second season just didn't produce the enjoyment as the first. It's hard to state simply why, because it's a complicated and ambitious show, and fell short in a number of different ways. And honestly, it's not that the second season is terrible. It's just not nearly as good as the first season, and feels the way sequels often do. The first was remarkably good, but I don't think the writers knew exactly why it was so good, so instead of searching for the chemistry between the main characters, they decided that McConaughey's one liners made the first season great. But that was just a piece of the whole. And without the chemistry, and the story, the world in which it was set, and the richness of McConaughey's character, the things he said would have been awkward and out of place. I know that because many characters in season two speak the way McConaughey did, and when they do, it feels awkward and out of place.

    One of the bigger flaws in my opinion is that the three detectives meet each other for the first time at the end of the first episode, by coincidence, based solely on a jurisdictional disagreement among departments. Each department wants a piece of this murder for different reasons, so these three people are thrown together without ever having met. The characters are all similar personalities: aloof and self-involved. None of them really let other people in and none of them particularly like to talk. They don't have much chemistry with each other and don't even appear to particularly like each other. Contrast this with McConaughey who, despite his aloofness, has a pathological need to speak his mind and be heard.

    This is all problematic because they don't actually build a relationship with each other that the audience can see. When it comes time for them to take huge risks because they supposedly care about each other, it doesn't seem like they would have any reason to. In the absence of explosive action, there is nothing of interest that these people do when they're together. They drive in cars and talk to witnesses, but the dialogue is always flat, always impersonal, and always monotone. It often feels like they share their thoughts in awkward one liners because it would be too weird to have TV characters that don't speak at all.

    But they don't come off as human, they come off as depressed automatons, and it makes for a show that is not all that enjoyable to watch. Even when Farrell and McAdams sleep together, it's after a truly awkward exchange where they each share their own personal trauma, and then afterwards they sit on the opposite end of the room, not talking, while the camera switches from one to the other over the course of hours. Maybe it's true to the characters but it's not good TV.

    My biggest problem with the show is the dialogue. They all try to talk the way McConaughey did in season one, but none of them are that interesting, or frankly, well-written, so instead they drop these depressing one liners in lieu of dialogue. McConaughey was a character with a truly unique worldview. He didn't see the world the way others did, and it made him a great detective but a miserable human being. But the three detectives in this season? They're just depressed people who experienced serious trauma, awish they could escape but know they can't. That could be interesting, but they all try to talk the way McConaughey did even though it makes no sense for them to be talking that way. They don't see more deeply, they're just depressed. They're vulnerable in a way he wasn't, but not pathological in their need to solve the murder, or even to understand the universe. McConaughey was searching for truth, but he knew who he was. These people just want to escape their own lives. I think the writers asked "what would happen if three McConaughey's crashed into each other?" but instead found out what would happen if three people who shouldn't be anything like him decided to act just like him for no discernible reason. The result is awkward, disjointed and underwhelming.

    The most disappointing thing is how much acting talent there was to work with, but how little there was to show for it in the end product.    … Expand
  10. moonjo
    Aug 6, 2015
    4
    Too many protagonists - not enough time for them to develop, harder for viewers to be interested in them.
    Weak plot - it's just weak. Never once have I felt intrigued about the 'big reveal'. In first 3 episodes, I was curious about the masked man. But he just disappeared and I really don't care anymore.
    Season 1 - season 1 was a masterpiece. And it has raised the bar way too high. This    Too many protagonists - not enough time for them to develop, harder for viewers to be interested in them.
    Weak plot - it's just weak. Never once have I felt intrigued about the 'big reveal'. In first 3 episodes, I was curious about the masked man. But he just disappeared and I really don't care anymore.
    Season 1 - season 1 was a masterpiece. And it has raised the bar way too high. This happens a lot for all the sequels. I remember watching the Pacific and being disappointed because Band of Brothers was so epic.
    Bottom line - if you haven't started watching season 2, don't bother until you really don't have anything better to do.    … Expand
  11. TheApplegnome
    Sep 17, 2015
    5
    The second continuation failed to deliver almost everything that the first one became famous for. It’s not as unique, inventive or artistic. But it's still stylish, and of course beautifully shot. But it’s not even close to the first entry.

    One of the greatest aspects with the first season was the incredible characters. I was so obsessed and attached to them. The story was also a major    The second continuation failed to deliver almost everything that the first one became famous for. It’s not as unique, inventive or artistic. But it's still stylish, and of course beautifully shot. But it’s not even close to the first entry.

    One of the greatest aspects with the first season was the incredible characters. I was so obsessed and attached to them. The story was also a major aspect; so beautiful, deep and full of metamorphic storylines. This second season is much less ‘True Detective’, it’s more like a classic, clichéish tv-show that doesn't stand out in any way. It still got its style but it’s much less entertaining. It’s in fact a major letdown due to much boring dialogs and an overall less interesting plot. But it’s still a bit artistic, even though I might not enjoy it as much as season one. It’s still very well written and there’s nothing really bad about it, it’s just too slow sometimes. It’s still very flawless, just as the first season, but it’s too slow for me.

    Slow and very boring, but still critically great.

    Personal rating: 5.5/10
    Critical rating: 7/10    … Expand
  12. Striper
    Jul 28, 2015
    1
    Season 2 so bad that it's hard to define. The plot is jumbled and hard to follow and the acting is pretty bad. Leave it to Hollywood to throw the glamorous but trouble female into the mix.
    It's so bad that I now watch Ray Donovan and record TD for watching when I need help getting to sleep.
  13. EL-Kaza
    Jul 28, 2015
    1
    Of course, it should not be compared with season 1, since they opt to have a totally different style, and we accept and are glad for hat. However, the story is not coherent. It feels like we are going around and did not pass the overture. The dialogue has a lot of dead meat, banal, and not engaging. The acting, except for Ray, is not convincing and cliche. They try to be intellectual andOf course, it should not be compared with season 1, since they opt to have a totally different style, and we accept and are glad for hat. However, the story is not coherent. It feels like we are going around and did not pass the overture. The dialogue has a lot of dead meat, banal, and not engaging. The acting, except for Ray, is not convincing and cliche. They try to be intellectual and engaged but sorry it did not work.… Expand
  14. maxor92
    Aug 6, 2015
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After hearing that they would use a new cast for the second season, I was sceptical that the second season would live up to the first. Cast seemed and seems decent enough (except for Vince Vaughn), but after 6 episode the plot is not interesting and one doesn't even know what this season is supposed to be about. The characters are all f***** up in some way. I can't wait to write a review anymore.

    Plot: Boring, not catching, all over the place and not interesting. Especially since this show airs every week, every time I tune in to watch the show I really need to think about what happened in the previous episode. Ultimately not a lot happens each episodes in terms of the overall storyline. There are a few scenes that are supposed to add a "shock" value, but they do seem out of place. I enjoy shocking scenes if it elevates the stakes, but these just seem to be randomly placed in an episode to at least deliver some kind of entertainment.

    Characters: Colin Farrell's character is pretty cliche, Rachel McAdam's character is not very convincing, Taylor Kitsch's character actually has a lot of potential (he is pretty badass), but you can't figure out what the character is about. These characters are all ok, but Vince Vaughn's character... From the moment I saw that he was cast in this TV show, I was worried. Vince Vaughn can only act in one way and has a very monotone voice, that ultimately only fits into comedy. Cutting it short - he isn't a very good bad guy. His scenes are painful to watch.    … Expand
  15. gerald-n-piggie
    Aug 6, 2015
    5
    I loved Season 1 and promised myself to judge Season 2 alone without making unfair comparisons. That being said, Season 2 is just missing the mark for me.

    Pros - the episodes have been getting better through the season. Cons - Too many characters and overly complex storyline within a 8 week format. If this exact storyline was stretched over a couple of seasons it would give you more    I loved Season 1 and promised myself to judge Season 2 alone without making unfair comparisons. That being said, Season 2 is just missing the mark for me.

    Pros - the episodes have been getting better through the season.

    Cons - Too many characters and overly complex storyline within a 8 week format. If this exact storyline was stretched over a couple of seasons it would give you more time to develop the characters and for the audience to follow along. I don't feel any strong emotional connection to the characters or the crime.

    Also, I 1000% understand that this is fiction and supposed to a type of film noir/pulp saga, but I can't get over how completely improbable the plot is. I just flat out don't believe most of it. I keep thinking - at the first whiff of THIS level of corruption the Feds would be brought in - they leave something this large and important to 4 policemen originally.

    People are being murdered and everyone keeps quiet. Most corruption in the US government is about money sometimes sex. The minute people start ending up dead (Caspere, the security guard, Tasha), the average politician is going to peace out. I'm also laughing at ridiculous scenes such as Vince Vaughn's mobster character just walking right into the Mayor's office to discuss their illegal dealings right there in the open, or the scene at the orgy where the bad guys loudly explain what they're doing illegally tapping the documents and leaving them on the table in the open. Again, I know this is fiction, and if stylistically it was set to be more like a graphic or pulp novel (think the movie Sin City), then I wouldn't bat an eye, but that's not the overall style so it seems off.    … Expand
  16. BlackFox81
    Aug 9, 2015
    6
    This season felt overwhelming too many main characters and story lines intersected, not sure why the chp guy turned out to closet homo and I'm not sure was his issues in Iraq when he was military or was he working with a pmc black mountain. Dunno I liked Vince vaughen But I just can't see him as a gangster. Sooo overall this season is okay not great like season 1 but alright.
  17. MiamiLopez
    Aug 10, 2015
    6
    Acting was decent by the main characters.
    The story was not clear and hard to follow.
    There was not true conclusion. The story has a beginning middle and no end. Story should have started in 1992 riots with the actual murders of two business owners. The conclusion should have played itself out to show viewers someone going to jail or dead. It was a BIG letdown after season 1 which    Acting was decent by the main characters.
    The story was not clear and hard to follow.
    There was not true conclusion. The story has a beginning middle and no end.
    Story should have started in 1992 riots with the actual murders of two business owners.
    The conclusion should have played itself out to show viewers someone going to jail or dead.
    It was a BIG letdown after season 1 which was a complete story line that traveled well through a bona-fide conclusion. Can someone say the Sopranos meets Jeopardy? I am still wondering who Stan was.    … Expand
  18. Mantis
    Aug 20, 2015
    5
    I would skip this season. It's interesting enough but may be confusing or downright I don't give a f*ck. Spend your time on other series instead! I loved season 1 but this is disappointing.
  19. Danil
    Sep 1, 2015
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It all starts within the first few minutes of the first episode. Velcoro is given a photo of a presumed rapist. It doesn't occur to him that when a dark haired latino man rapes a dark haired woman it is fairly unlikely the rape child is going to be ginger. True detective my ass.

    Everyone seems to be upset with acting. But the acting is actually fine, just a bit unconventional.

    The problem is with all the discrepancies and holes in the story, that they seemed to try to cover by overwhelming viewers with **** of irrelevant information and names.    … Expand
  20. MightyThor
    Oct 21, 2015
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Judged on its own season 2 of True Detective isn't that awful. It did keep my attention and I watched the whole thing in three days. It had exciting moments. But there are a couple gigantic flaws with it.

    First Vince Vaughn's acting sucks. He is the exact same character as he is in every movie, old school, wedding crashers, swingers. The way he delivers his dialogue could be right out of one of those movies, I just can't take him seriously. Like that inside is solid gold speech to Stan's kid, it sounded like he'd go you're a winner Mikey! at any moment, exact same delivery, just doesn't sound genuine. Same thing when he was conceding the club to Osip at the end, how Osip fell for that I have no idea cus it wasn't even close to genuine.

    Secondly the plot was stupid. It tried too hard when really it was just a boring government corruption plot with a tiny twist of the two orphan's thrown in.

    The end was entirely predictable, and really just one of those bummer endings for bummer ending's sake. I thought a more clever ending where everyone ends up ok would have been harder to do but worth it. It felt like a cop out. And way too sterotypical, bad cop falls in love with his partner in the end, yeah saw that coming too.

    The characters themselves were interesting but they were horrible detectives. I mean they sucked at seeing the obvious. This shouldn't have taken this many episodes to figure out the conspiracy.

    Things I did like, Rachel Mcadam's and Colin Ferral's acting was superb even if they were hamstrung by their limited dialogue at times. Mcadam's character was too one dimensional as well, but her acting made the character feel genuine. Taylor Kitsch was also amazing in his role.

    It's not an awful show but just pales in comparison to the original and really tries way too hard to be something it wasn't. This is basically an 8 episode version of a Michel Mann action flick like heat or something, not a psychological thriller like the first season. An example, when Ani is at the sex party the music goes all classical on us for the flashbacks. It was confusing, didn't fit any other parts of the show. I think they just threw it in to be artsy and edgy and it did not work at all.    … Expand
  21. NotoriousFraud
    Oct 8, 2015
    5
    It's always hard to live up to expectations, especially after the lightning in a bottle which was the first season. But what really bugs me is that there is little to no cohesiveness in this seasons plot, don't get me wrong there are some really terrific performances here even though there is twice the amount of desired main characters there should be, but it's also at the service of weakIt's always hard to live up to expectations, especially after the lightning in a bottle which was the first season. But what really bugs me is that there is little to no cohesiveness in this seasons plot, don't get me wrong there are some really terrific performances here even though there is twice the amount of desired main characters there should be, but it's also at the service of weak as hell writing thanks to a rushed script. Listen, i'm not one to be quick to says it's hands down the worst premium television season this year, but that won't exactly make up for slack pacing and the 'what the hell was that ?' brain fart of a season finale. The final verdict, well Mr. Pizzolatto, 'That little detail, maybe, way down the line, breaks the case.'… Expand
  22. urnotmymother
    Aug 19, 2015
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Whilst the visuals were quite nice and consistent throughout the entire season, and Vince Vaughn managed to really step up his game from his usual Hollywood trash, season 2 was quite the disappointment. Apart from the depressing humming of a solo guitarist at the bar, most of that sinister country vibe that I felt so strongly in season 1 was entirely missing in season 2's urban setting. The true detectives were this time a pathetic trio of losers wallowing in self pity. Sure i guess they looked real cool most of the time with their constant nihilism, but to me they were just watered down copies of McCounaghey's character which worked so well in season 1. Rachel McAdam played an unconvincing role of being what she perceived a strong detective with commitment issues and a real i don't give a **** about anything, boyish attitude (while still maintaining an expensive and complex girly brown to blonde ombre haircut which probably cost her money and many girly trips to the salon). Colin Farrell was quite convincing in his role as detective Ray, who's life was spinning out of control. Although I find it difficult to believe that he and Rachel McAdam's character would fall madly in love in the last two episodes (why the hell did that happen, how the hell did that happen?) Taylor Kitsch played PTSD closet homosexual detective number 3, but man, he was dead before i could see his character develop, or maybe he was just a boring guy? That was it, there was no depth in their characters, no striking insight in what they said. I feel like they were bad cops in general, turning detective work into a boohoo support group. Not exactly the kind of people you would want to liven your birthday party, but even in a cop drama, they were difficult to like and watch.… Expand
  23. Arcon
    Aug 10, 2015
    5
    Meh, just meh. Story is extremely overcomplicated and told via hard to hear and understand dialogue(rewinding to try and understand what was just said) about characters you have already forgotten about or never knew their names.

    Just not worth the trouble watching.
  24. Marrr
    Aug 10, 2015
    3
    I thought the acting was fine. The atmosphere was creepy and the corruption was palpable. I even liked the stylish cinematography and the noir-ish dialog. What I did not like is the fact that the plot is nigh incomprehensible. Did you memorize all the names of the characters briefly mentioned but not necessarily shown within an episode? Did you memorize their motivations or whether theirI thought the acting was fine. The atmosphere was creepy and the corruption was palpable. I even liked the stylish cinematography and the noir-ish dialog. What I did not like is the fact that the plot is nigh incomprehensible. Did you memorize all the names of the characters briefly mentioned but not necessarily shown within an episode? Did you memorize their motivations or whether their actions took place 20 years ago or in the present. I hope you did, because if you didn't you won't know what the hell anyone is talking about the next time the show decides to spring an unsuspecting "detective" scene on you from amongst a slew of aimless subplots about the main characters. There are a few good set pieces in the season, most notably, an awesome bloody shootout at the end of one of the episodes, but good god was the finale disappointing. There's not enough here to spend a full seasons time watching.… Expand
  25. Metacritit
    Aug 10, 2015
    0
    The whole season is easy to describe: The visuals are nice and the plot is there, it just doesn't make sense at first, but it promises to make up for it.. just later, you know... be patient, ok? We're mid season? Don't worry about it, the plot will make sense later... and then oh, you're at the last episode, suddenly the plot grabs a gun and shoots itself in the face in front of you.The whole season is easy to describe: The visuals are nice and the plot is there, it just doesn't make sense at first, but it promises to make up for it.. just later, you know... be patient, ok? We're mid season? Don't worry about it, the plot will make sense later... and then oh, you're at the last episode, suddenly the plot grabs a gun and shoots itself in the face in front of you.

    You're sitting there with pieces of its brains all over your shirt and thinking what the hell just happened.

    The second part of the last episode, which was supposed to be the climax and the denouement of the whole story - is something so utterly stupid and unrealistic, so uncharacteristic of the characters it was written for, it felt like Pizzolatto imagined the ending with his morals in mind and then attempted to fit a cube into a round hole. He wrote the ending, he wrote the characters, and the two were incompatible, so suddenly all characters who were smart started acting like idiots, just so Pizzolatto could get them where he wanted them to end up.

    He didn't write an ending for THESE characters, he just wrote AN ending. The sudden "exfoliation" of the plot when Pizzolatto made his characters act unlike themselves, made me suddenly lose all emotional attachment to the series. By the time the credits hit the screen, I was thinking about how the quality of the plot was making me feel and not the plot itself. I was surprised, I never though writing could turn so bad so quickly.    … Expand
  26. Plissken23
    Aug 11, 2015
    1
    Season 1: True Detective, Season 2 : True Disaster.

    8 Episodes which some of them lenght between 1h and 1 hour 20 mins, The whole season is just blah blah blah, long dialogues that lead nowhere, 4 characters that never got well developed in 8 EPISODES, the shooting scenes are just rushed, it seems that the writer just wanted to mess up the show, (lets just write a bunch of random crap    Season 1: True Detective, Season 2 : True Disaster.

    8 Episodes which some of them lenght between 1h and 1 hour 20 mins, The whole season is just blah blah blah, long dialogues that lead nowhere, 4 characters that never got well developed in 8 EPISODES, the shooting scenes are just rushed, it seems that the writer just wanted to mess up the show, (lets just write a bunch of random crap and lets let the episode roll like that, with all due respect for people that defend this season, i would suggest you to watch the first one again without messing any detail, and later watch this one again and compare!!! Season 1 was a true detective show, this crap isn't even about "Detectives" isn't about a "Case" this is just a crap that could be like Training Day... some people give this 10? i give 1! and i'm being generous!!!..    … Expand
  27. HabaneroTube
    Aug 3, 2015
    5
    I actually fell asleep in the the season premiere. I really tried to stay awake. Rachel McAdams and Vince Vaughn are mediocre actors that look like "ok, this is my serious face now, can you see it"? It's quite annoying.

    The presence of fine acting in season 1 weighs against the performances in season 2. It's an unbeatable premise and the formulaic approach to achieve the same dramatic    I actually fell asleep in the the season premiere. I really tried to stay awake. Rachel McAdams and Vince Vaughn are mediocre actors that look like "ok, this is my serious face now, can you see it"? It's quite annoying.

    The presence of fine acting in season 1 weighs against the performances in season 2. It's an unbeatable premise and the formulaic approach to achieve the same dramatic chemistry is fruitless since the new cast is still discovering themselves to partake in haute drama and it shows...and it's very painful at times.

    I'll be watching reruns of season 1.    … Expand
  28. Denis_IRL
    Aug 26, 2015
    3
    Way too difficult to follow and a script that just became parody. Who talks like that?? Too many times we were asking the question Who are they talking about? or even What are they talking about? The actors did not match the amazing performances of Season 1.
  29. SirBill
    Feb 3, 2016
    0
    If you enjoyed True Detective Season One, you should cherish that memory and stay away from season two. It has a slow start, seems like it might be going somewhere in the middle but then never does.... the behaviors of the writers seemed to think that they could emulate character growth by the characters behaving inconsistently, the ending is awful leaving many loose ends, unrealisticIf you enjoyed True Detective Season One, you should cherish that memory and stay away from season two. It has a slow start, seems like it might be going somewhere in the middle but then never does.... the behaviors of the writers seemed to think that they could emulate character growth by the characters behaving inconsistently, the ending is awful leaving many loose ends, unrealistic actions and generally all around unsatisfying. Not to mention they make you think there may be some supernatural elements as in S1, but those never come to fruition. This is a waste of good TV time that you could literally fill with ANY other TC show to better effect. In the end I was left wishing I had never watched it.… Expand
  30. asmanraj
    Oct 3, 2015
    0
    After the brilliance of season one, the deadly dullness of season two is just depressing. I sat through all eight episodes and thought doing so was a chore. This season had no redeeming qualities. This is easily the worst show of 2015 that I've seen so far. After this tragedy of a season, I hope there's no season three. A Metascore of 61 is way too generous. I hope this season doesn't getAfter the brilliance of season one, the deadly dullness of season two is just depressing. I sat through all eight episodes and thought doing so was a chore. This season had no redeeming qualities. This is easily the worst show of 2015 that I've seen so far. After this tragedy of a season, I hope there's no season three. A Metascore of 61 is way too generous. I hope this season doesn't get any award nominations, especially when there are brilliant shows that get snubbed every year. When I heard that Vince Vaughn was cast in a dramatic role, I was immediately skeptical, and I was right to be. As Rolling Stone wrote, this season is "True Defective". Avoid.… Expand
  31. ak2381
    Jul 19, 2015
    1
    It pains me to be as generous as to give this a "1".
    What pains me even more is how frustrated I am at myslef for continuing to come back to this piece of garbage every week, in the hopes it will (like many other HBO shows) develop into something worth the inital time spent.
    At this point, I have no one to blame but myself. The acting is just god-awful but in truth, I feel bad for these    It pains me to be as generous as to give this a "1".
    What pains me even more is how frustrated I am at myslef for continuing to come back to this piece of garbage every week, in the hopes it will (like many other HBO shows) develop into something worth the inital time spent.
    At this point, I have no one to blame but myself.
    The acting is just god-awful but in truth, I feel bad for these actors as I can sense them trying their best to work with the drab, pointless, direction-less dialogue that has been given to them.
    That said, i think ironically what bothers me the most about this season is the music. Sounds crazy, but the Composition here is actually brilliant; it did wonders for setting the dark and creepy ambiance that defined the first season. The music once again is brilliant, but theres nothing creepy or dark or remotely intriguing about this story, so it too is useless! The music leads you to believe that something incredible is going to happen and all you end up doing is looking at your watch to find out when the pain will be over.
    I cannot recollect another TV series in history that had a such a huge divergence in quality between the first and second season.
    Please HBO...I cant do it myself as I am apparently a complete slave-like-idiot....take this damn show off the air. I beg of you.    … Expand
  32. avan1976
    Jul 21, 2015
    2
    So disappointing to see such an exciting franchise crippled in its second season. The characters are cliched (all with their own run-of-themill demons, including a gangster grappling with fertility issues), the dialogue stilted (with characters often announcing 'who they are' to the audience, just in case we missed it) and the story line overly complex. I simply did not care enough to trySo disappointing to see such an exciting franchise crippled in its second season. The characters are cliched (all with their own run-of-themill demons, including a gangster grappling with fertility issues), the dialogue stilted (with characters often announcing 'who they are' to the audience, just in case we missed it) and the story line overly complex. I simply did not care enough to try and decode the investigation. Except for Vaughn (who needs to practice his ominous/inner turmoil face at bit more), the actors do an admirable job of injecting at least some life into a cardboard script.… Expand
  33. night4
    Apr 26, 2016
    0
    Terrible story, mumbling actors, unlikeable characters and forced drama sum up this season. It's a shame, too, because season 1 was really compelling, if not exactly earth-shattering.
  34. Beermonger7
    Aug 10, 2015
    3
    True Detective season 2 is a birthday present with nothing in it. The gift wrap looks great and the bow is nice. The card you open first is one of those good quality ones that plays music. Then you open the gift and theres just nothing in there, mabye a pet rock or something extremely lame.

    This show pulled me in with rays violent outburst in the first episode. I felt like I had to keep    True Detective season 2 is a birthday present with nothing in it. The gift wrap looks great and the bow is nice. The card you open first is one of those good quality ones that plays music. Then you open the gift and theres just nothing in there, mabye a pet rock or something extremely lame.

    This show pulled me in with rays violent outburst in the first episode. I felt like I had to keep going. The rest of the show was just a bunch of people talking softly in depressing tones set to depressing music. There was not enough material for each 1 hour segment so there were a lot of shots of freeways and urban landscapes. I still remember the ending of the season finale a couple of characters were walking through a crowd for about 5 minutes to more depressing music.

    The only thing I even cared or liked was Bezzerides at the party. She was very vulnerable being a drugged female cop who did not want to "attend" the party. I liked the whole scene. Honestly I could just watch that one episode and get everything I needed out of the season.

    The finale was just plain predictable, slow, and boring. I expected some major payoff for my time investment but the show sort of changed from crime solving to escape. Two characters manage to shoot out an entire gang. Then one character gets killed by the other gang like he forgot they even existed. The other character, a trained capable cop cant lose a tail?

    Ultimately who give a F about any of the characters or the story? I tried to care about the characters and the story but half way through the season I was on my smart phone for most of the show and I no longer cared.    … Expand
  35. Mazmorrero47
    Aug 9, 2015
    3
    I've been defending this show for the last 8 weeks, but wow! the finale was a huge middle finger towards the audience and made me think I've been wasting my time all along. Nic Pizzolatto is officially the M. Night Shyamalan of television.
  36. MediaCollector
    Jul 11, 2015
    0
    Absolute garbage. I don't understand how a show can go from so good to so bad in just a few months. The acting is wretched and completely unrealistic. I could not force myself to watch passed the first two episode, both of which put me to sleep on the first viewing.
  37. grandier
    Jul 21, 2015
    0
    Unbelievably bad. Extremely boring. Lack of rhythm to the narrative. The plot is weak, simply not catching. We are now halfway and nothing really relevant has happened yet, at least nothing other than what was pretty predictable we would see after the first half of the first episode.
  38. jenwithapen
    Jul 23, 2015
    0
    It's such a disappointment. The dialogue is painful. Farrell is a friggin' champ, offering up grim and, at times, eviscerating drivel on subjects his character knows NOTHING about, like fatherhood, being a good husband, or contributing something of substance to the moral fabric that is Vinci California!

    But at least CF believes he is who is. He _believes_ in his character. Vince    It's such a disappointment. The dialogue is painful. Farrell is a friggin' champ, offering up grim and, at times, eviscerating drivel on subjects his character knows NOTHING about, like fatherhood, being a good husband, or contributing something of substance to the moral fabric that is Vinci California!

    But at least CF believes he is who is. He _believes_ in his character. Vince Vaughn is a TRAINWRECK. Calamityville Horror, holy crap. The man can't deliver a line, and it's UTTERLY clear he doesn't know WHAT to do with his character. It's like he's not even acting. Just floundering though stale and trite diatribes that go nowhere. Sure, they're filled with self-loathing, but besides that... there's just nothing there.

    Vaughn and his "wifey" are in the top five of TV's most boring couples to watch. Their average night revolves around sitting together in various dirty holes, **** about their barrenhood. Oh, there was that scene where they were on the couch... **** about their barrenhood. Ugh. It's unwatchable.

    One of the biggest disappointments in TV history.    … Expand
  39. GreyAllan
    Jul 8, 2015
    4
    This season starts off pretty confusing with all those different characters that apparently need the same screen time. Why not leave some story lines to the imagination and let the viewer solve the puzzle. This is still true detective right?
  40. madskull505
    Aug 10, 2015
    0
    Sucks Big Time. HBO just wanted to cash in the name of the series.
    Flaws in this season:
    1. Simple story stretched to 8 episode 2. Diluted Overcomplicated Unengaged story 3. No psycho killer (bumper) 4. Overcomplicated script 5. Not the top notch cast 6. Very Very Very bad finishing. And no true mystery thus true detective. This is just a cash in series for Matthew McConaughey    Sucks Big Time. HBO just wanted to cash in the name of the series.
    Flaws in this season:
    1. Simple story stretched to 8 episode
    2. Diluted Overcomplicated Unengaged story
    3. No psycho killer (bumper)
    4. Overcomplicated script
    5. Not the top notch cast
    6. Very Very Very bad finishing.

    And no true mystery thus true detective.
    This is just a cash in series for Matthew McConaughey and HBO, very disappointing and has no re-watchable value.    … Expand
  41. escfromit
    Aug 9, 2015
    0
    Finished watching the this second season of the series and it feels like the author had a ghost writer(s) or something. There's an inconsistency with the writing level in season 1 and 2. I'm very disappointed that the network green-lit this and rushed the season in order to fill the slot. One thing that peeved me is that horrid constant with the bar. Druggie guitar player in theFinished watching the this second season of the series and it feels like the author had a ghost writer(s) or something. There's an inconsistency with the writing level in season 1 and 2. I'm very disappointed that the network green-lit this and rushed the season in order to fill the slot. One thing that peeved me is that horrid constant with the bar. Druggie guitar player in the background. Why? The shift in directors was very obvious. There was no continuity in tone. At first I was skeptical of the new cast (Rachel, Collin, Vince, and Taylor) but they once again proved their talent but it couldn't save the writing. I'm on the fence for season 3 if it comes around. I just hope they take their time with it.… Expand
  42. imthenoob
    Jul 22, 2015
    4
    The story is no where near as captivating, The characters, aside from Ray Velcoro, are pathetic and weak. The show suffers from terrible miscasting as well, Taylor Kitsch just doesn't fit and Rachel McAdams sticks out like a sore thumb. What ruins season 2 is that they failed to set anything up in the first episode, There's no big mystery, No big crime. It's all heavy focus on theThe story is no where near as captivating, The characters, aside from Ray Velcoro, are pathetic and weak. The show suffers from terrible miscasting as well, Taylor Kitsch just doesn't fit and Rachel McAdams sticks out like a sore thumb. What ruins season 2 is that they failed to set anything up in the first episode, There's no big mystery, No big crime. It's all heavy focus on the character's back stories with no real help for the main plot.

    Now I am not saying it's a god awful show. Colin Farrell is a saving grace as Velcoro and the only reason the show is worth watching. Vince Vaughn also does a surprisingly pretty good job in his role too. If the writing material was a bit better, I am sure one of these guys would secure an emmy nomination for their role.    … Expand
  43. Bertoflyingfox
    Aug 11, 2015
    3
    What a disappointing season. The story didnt entertain, the characters were dull, and the episodes suffered from really bad pacing. It's strange to go from season1 where the characters felt unique, then going to season2 where they all conveniently fit into tropes that were used as cheap plot devices.
    I wont spoil the ending but it all culminated into something a cheap cop-thriller from    What a disappointing season. The story didnt entertain, the characters were dull, and the episodes suffered from really bad pacing. It's strange to go from season1 where the characters felt unique, then going to season2 where they all conveniently fit into tropes that were used as cheap plot devices.
    I wont spoil the ending but it all culminated into something a cheap cop-thriller from the 70's would've covered in much quicker time than 8+ hours.    … Expand
  44. RepentHarlequin
    Aug 10, 2015
    1
    True Detective Season 2 or: Why True Detective Has Always Sucked...

    To understand why True Detective Season 2 was doomed from the onset, first we need to take a little trip down memory lane. The year is 2013, Breaking Bad is ending, a show that came out of nowhere and dethroned HBO as being the only oasis of quality television dramas (see 'The Wire') in a desert of network procedurals    True Detective Season 2 or: Why True Detective Has Always Sucked...

    To understand why True Detective Season 2 was doomed from the onset, first we need to take a little trip down memory lane. The year is 2013, Breaking Bad is ending, a show that came out of nowhere and dethroned HBO as being the only oasis of quality television dramas (see 'The Wire') in a desert of network procedurals and Battlestar Galactica. HBO, seeing an opportunity to steal back its throne enlists Nic Pizzolatto for... reasons; a novelist whose career to this point is already pretty inexplicable, maybe because he'd worked on a couple episodes of The Killing, and getting any AMC talent on the payroll seemed like a good idea to HBO execs. They give Nic a gaunt, physically transformed Matthew McConaughey who is already working on Dallas Buyers Club and is hungry to escape his shirtless dudebro Wooderson reputation and show he has some acting chops. So Nic churns out a fairly pedestrian southern murder mystery with superfluous Woody Harrelson and equally superfluous occult elements and bikers because hey, Sons of Anarchy is a thing. What makes it work? A pile of dialogue and plot elements literally plagiarized from mostly public domain sources. Why Thomas Ligotti didn't outright sue HBO is a question with an answer known only to the reclusive Ligotti, but I digress...

    So True Detective season 1 gets held up entirely by McConaughey's hypnotic melancholy monotone musings on nihilism and existentialism thrown against Woody's palooka corn-pone straight man, musings completely plagiarized I should remind you. From the ratings success of this watery jambalaya a second season is ordered. But wait, Nic can't just write a replica of the first season, or people will soon catch on to his hackneyed writing and thievery from his betters. Initially he was going to go with some kind of exploration on the "occult origins of the US transportation system" featuring "hard women"... Instead he just pulls out all of the LA crime tropes he can find and crams them into one nonsensical pile of over exposition and cheap dramatic tricks with a sprinkle of Lynchian metaphor that is about as subtle as a jackhammer waking you up on a Sunday morning. The network throws him a couple of actors teetering on the brink of the B-list, and HBO viewers tune in expectantly after several months of speculating about how maybe Vince Vaughn won't suck the life out of this mess.

    Now I can explain the plot of Season 2 for you if you have time to sit down with a pen and paper or otherwise provide a white board for me to use ~that's nothing on you~ there are simply too many tangled threads, secondary, tertiary, and yes even quaternary characters to go through that I feel I'd need visual aids to keep it all straight. Once you strip that away though you quickly reveal there is no meaningful plot, just a lot of cliches, unbelievable coincidences, characters endlessly explaining their backstories, and generally lousy pacing being passed off as "character development". This show is Bad Writing 101 and it is so neurotic as to be constantly groan worthy: Oh we're going back to the bar where it's always that same chick with the bruised knees on the mic moaning about how we can't escape our pasts for more exposition? Gee I wonder if after some exposition Taylor Kitsch can act disinterested toward his girlfriend whose only contribution to the show is to service him sexually whilst he stands (yes stands) angrily getting a beej, and then she can harangue him about keeping secrets after. Oh but apparently he loves her so much that he's going to have a kid with her and change his entire life and apparently even his sexual nature for her. If we're lucky, between the tedious exposition, most of which leads absolutely nowhere, we'll be treated to 5 or 10 minutes of Vince Vaughn being a badass... That's the show. Thank god it's over. May it not be renewed for another agonizing season that I am apparently powerless against watching. Good night.    … Expand
  45. leaveit
    Jul 7, 2015
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. "Don't do anything out of hunger - not even eating." "He looks half anaconda, half great white." "By the strident dialogue, I'm going to guess you're drunk." "Not strident, apoplectic." "I'm feeling a little apoplectic myself." "Alright Semyon, you wanna squab?"

    Every character has reproductive issues. Ray sterile. Paul gay. Ani noncommittal. Frank impotent. Jordan Semyon barren. Is there some kind of significance to this or is it just so we can make ordinary HBO scenes more "noir?"

    Ray survives something that should have been impossible to survive. Remember when Rusty needed a lengthy hospital visit to recover from the season finale last year? This should have been about as bad, but no.

    The characters seem to have no motivation whatsoever for being officers of law. Do they not understand that they're just pawns of the cliched mafia? How do they not understand this? Is this supposed to be a plot twist later or something?

    The dialogue is truly horrible. Even with captions on so that I can manage to understand precisely what everyone is saying, it sounds like LiveJournal. There is no balance to it like in the first season. When Rusty went on his noir thing, Hart would tell him to stop being pretentious. Now when someone goes on a Noir thing with dark lighting and face closeups, we cut instantly to a police department office with entirely unemotional dialogue that means nothing, yet is far more important to the plot. When the viewer looks back, they're going to remember looking at Vince Vaughn's face while he gave a dialogue, not the significance of Colin Farrell's character in the investigation. Thus in addition to terrible dialogue, it is terribly edited as well, a double-whammy of tedium.

    The music doesn't fit anymore because this is LA, i.e. the cradle of half of the American entertainment industry practically. At least the more successful noir examples like LA Confidential get this atmosphere right rather than affixing a weird alien soundtrack to a place that we should probably be familiar with in some tryhard-nihilist fashion.

    So far, the season is pretty cringeworthy.    … Expand
  46. jferreir
    Jun 29, 2015
    2
    Season 1 was known for its creative and convincing dialogue with moving performances. Season 2 is so bad it makes me wish True Detective was never created in the first place. The casting is downright terrible -- Ferrell is his predictably cliched 'detective with a moustache', while Vaughn ominously walks around screen trying to look serious as the viewer patiently waits for the punchSeason 1 was known for its creative and convincing dialogue with moving performances. Season 2 is so bad it makes me wish True Detective was never created in the first place. The casting is downright terrible -- Ferrell is his predictably cliched 'detective with a moustache', while Vaughn ominously walks around screen trying to look serious as the viewer patiently waits for the punch line/Owen Wilson. Dialogue isn't nearly as interesting or deep, the characters aren't nearly as developed, and the entire story-line feels like it was thrown together at the last minute to meet some arbitrary deadline. There is literally nothing about this show that makes me want to continue watching it.

    In short, Season 2 is such a flop that it makes Rachel McAdams appear less attractive by extension. Someone deserves to lose their job over this.    … Expand
  47. snagglepuss
    Jun 29, 2015
    2
    Meandering character development of characters that feel fake and phony. Just take the darkness and grumbling from Season 1 and slap it onto season 2 - none of the magic or what made season 1 any good. None of the characters are even that interesting and that's why they doubled up and have given 4 of them now. Rachel McAdams likes rough sex - why is this info I needed when the audienceMeandering character development of characters that feel fake and phony. Just take the darkness and grumbling from Season 1 and slap it onto season 2 - none of the magic or what made season 1 any good. None of the characters are even that interesting and that's why they doubled up and have given 4 of them now. Rachel McAdams likes rough sex - why is this info I needed when the audience first meets her? Vince Vaughn was eaten by rats as a kid. Lame. Day 2 he ran out of food day 3 the light bulb went out day 4 the rats came. Just bad exposition and lame character dev.. Really had high hopes for the show but now after watching episode 2 - I can tell that with 20% of the show now out - I don't know why anyone would want to continue with this really unnecessarily convoluted but not interesting storyline with characters that are all dark/depressing/cynical.… Expand
  48. 15MaxCharacters
    Jul 16, 2015
    2
    Halfway through the season, and I still don't care about any of it. The first season was slightly above mediocre, but this one is way below what I had hoped for. Every episode needs to give you a reason to keep watching, but these don't.

    Laziness is the key word here. It's even set in L.A.!!!! Are the actors and director too lazy to even go somewhere else to shoot? Acting, pacing,    Halfway through the season, and I still don't care about any of it. The first season was slightly above mediocre, but this one is way below what I had hoped for. Every episode needs to give you a reason to keep watching, but these don't.

    Laziness is the key word here. It's even set in L.A.!!!! Are the actors and director too lazy to even go somewhere else to shoot?

    Acting, pacing, and plot are slow and lumbering. I find myself spending more time playing games on my phone than watching when it's on. I really wanted something interesting to watch so I can procrastinate a bit, but I think at this point I might prefer actually scrubbing the grout in my shower to procrastinate from watching this.

    I blame the director—almost any script can be made interesting if you know how to tell a story.    … Expand
  49. Psyche2
    Jul 6, 2015
    1
    The dialogue doesn't ring true because the male characters are speaking Deadwood, Nic Pizzolatto's linguistic invention, more tolerable in fictional speakers from another century. Characters and plot are dull. Nothing like the spellbinding relationship created by the virtuoso acting of Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. I'm tuning it out.
  50. Thomas313
    Jul 5, 2015
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Vince Vaughn is killing me. The facial close ups... Horrendous. Storyline is taking forever. The whole thing is a supreme letdown. Not a Harrelson or McConnaughey fan, but S 1 is beating this one up worse than VV gave it to the big Mexican.… Expand
  51. evomedia
    Aug 2, 2015
    2
    From the very first scene in Series 2 I was disappointed, its not simply that Season 2 is different from S1, it just seems like the script is trying too hard, the Photography is sub par and has none of the subtle nuance of the original, worst of all it has no clear story arc per episode.

    But back to the opening scene .. and why this series is annoying me rather than entertaining, we    From the very first scene in Series 2 I was disappointed, its not simply that Season 2 is different from S1, it just seems like the script is trying too hard, the Photography is sub par and has none of the subtle nuance of the original, worst of all it has no clear story arc per episode.

    But back to the opening scene .. and why this series is annoying me rather than entertaining, we open on the scene where Colin Farrel is talking to his son ... now I know they haven't brought up the whole rape thing in the first scene, but the script is going to question CF as being his dad ... I don't mind that concept, but visually and conceptually it was as subtle as a brick to the face. Its like the director/casting agent thought ok we have a dark haired skinny CF and later we want the audience to question if he's the father, so ok we'll cast a Ginger haired fat kid, it leave no question marks, no is he or isn't he the father to play on. It was almost like watching a comedy sketch. Simply put, this season lacks any sense of mystery.

    There are also TOO many storylines, it felt like a train wreck, your introduced to what felt like 20 characters in the first episode, it gave you no time to buy into any scene or character, you get a few lines and your jarred of to another character.

    It also lacks any sense of atmosphere, Season 1 practically oozed Deep South America, Season 2 has alot of aerial shots of cars on highways, shots that frankly could be filmed anywhere, in fact it seemed 90% of the opening episodes felt like they were shot inside some generic soundstage ... it simply lacks any real sense of location.

    Its cliched, muddled, lacks nuance, and has some terrible acting at times, it's as if everyone knows it should be great, knows the writier is capable of great things but no one wants or knows how to commit.    … Expand
  52. jimmypowder
    Jul 22, 2015
    2
    Wow,what a drop off from last season. Boring,poorly written,lack of chemistry between the actors .

    No wonder nobody can get an erection in Season Two.
  53. jjtech
    Jul 10, 2015
    3
    Second season of TD shows what good director and good actors are for. Replace A-class director (Cary Fukunaga) with B-class director (Justin Li, Janus Metz (??)) and A-class actors ( McConaughey, Harrelson) with B-class actors (Farrell) and you got junk posing for something that it's not. I managed to watch 2 first episodes and 30 minutes of the third one. Third one is the worst out of allSecond season of TD shows what good director and good actors are for. Replace A-class director (Cary Fukunaga) with B-class director (Justin Li, Janus Metz (??)) and A-class actors ( McConaughey, Harrelson) with B-class actors (Farrell) and you got junk posing for something that it's not. I managed to watch 2 first episodes and 30 minutes of the third one. Third one is the worst out of all of them. Justil Lin is not a top notch director but he must be a genius compared to Janus Metz (whoever this guy is - are they on shoe string budget or what? can't they hire someone with ANY filming experience??)… Expand
  54. Eliotts
    Jul 6, 2015
    2
    Disappointing is the only word fit for this season. After a first season of deep philosophy, incredible acting, not one single line wasted, and a good storyline, this season bores the soul out of the audience. Especially Vince Vaughn's forced, lifeless acting is frightening. The stupid jokes (I didnt want to use offensive words but that is what they are) like "it is like sucking a robot'sDisappointing is the only word fit for this season. After a first season of deep philosophy, incredible acting, not one single line wasted, and a good storyline, this season bores the soul out of the audience. Especially Vince Vaughn's forced, lifeless acting is frightening. The stupid jokes (I didnt want to use offensive words but that is what they are) like "it is like sucking a robot's dick" are just too juvenile. The not-so-complicated-yet-over-decorated background stories of the characters are dull, not intriguing at all. There are too much to be criticed yet the season is not worth the effort or the time.… Expand
  55. sshpv
    Jun 30, 2015
    6
    It's good, but not great. Season 2 has it's strong sides, such as cast and directing, but the plot is just middling, never bringing a fresh idea or plot twist. We've already seen it all.
  56. JonnyM2000
    Jul 25, 2015
    1
    A monumental flop, Vaughn couldn't be more wooden and miscast, I've seen better plot lines and acting in Neighbours. The other actors try to pull at least something out of the mess knowing what they have to live up too and that something has gone seriously wrong with this series.

    I try not to watch it but its becoming more like a car crash you just cant tear yourself away while shaking    A monumental flop, Vaughn couldn't be more wooden and miscast, I've seen better plot lines and acting in Neighbours. The other actors try to pull at least something out of the mess knowing what they have to live up too and that something has gone seriously wrong with this series.

    I try not to watch it but its becoming more like a car crash you just cant tear yourself away while shaking your head that you wished you hadn't seen it.

    How they could lose the magic they had in S1 is truly tragic.    … Expand
  57. Chapa9dj
    Aug 20, 2015
    1
    A perfect example of how a lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place.
    Season 1 was a masterful piece of art. I have no idea what were they thinking with Season 2.
    Underwhelming story, boring characters, no mistery and one of the most anti-climatic endings i have ever seen. Also, there's a strong feminist agenda behind it, it made me want to puke more than once, why can't they    A perfect example of how a lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place.
    Season 1 was a masterful piece of art. I have no idea what were they thinking with Season 2.
    Underwhelming story, boring characters, no mistery and one of the most anti-climatic endings i have ever seen.
    Also, there's a strong feminist agenda behind it, it made me want to puke more than once, why can't they just keeps these politics to themselves?

    Really disappointed, i wish i could had my wasted time back but i can't.    … Expand
  58. eehbiertje
    Aug 21, 2015
    3
    Really disappointed with this season. it doesn't even come close to season 1.. In terms of story / clue's / plot twists / occultism and detective work.

    I must say that my expectations where high.. (and dropped when i saw the trailer for season 2) but please go back to the occultism and real detective work... because i don't have the urge to watch a next episode (after the first one)
  59. MattBrady99
    Aug 25, 2015
    5
    Season 2 isn't as good as the first season which is a real damn shame saying that. Season 2 wasn't bad and I tried to watch season 2 as it's own season but I still didn't get into it.

    Colin Farrell, Rachael McAdams, Taylor Kitsch, and surprisingly Vince Vaughn were all great in this season. But season 2 felt like it was trying too hard to be miserable on purpose and everything was way    Season 2 isn't as good as the first season which is a real damn shame saying that. Season 2 wasn't bad and I tried to watch season 2 as it's own season but I still didn't get into it.

    Colin Farrell, Rachael McAdams, Taylor Kitsch, and surprisingly Vince Vaughn were all great in this season. But season 2 felt like it was trying too hard to be miserable on purpose and everything was way too serious for it's own good. It didn't help that a good looking cast like this trying to act like the world is weighing on their shoulders and walking around acting depressed. As the show went on I got a little bit uninterested on what was going on, because everything that the second season is trying to do is try to work on something that's not going to work or going nowhere.

    Overall True Detective: Season 2 was pretty disappointing, but I do know that some people have enjoyed and liked this season and that's fine, but my opinion on this season isn't going to charge anytime soon.    … Expand
  60. fbtimesofficial
    Aug 13, 2015
    6
    The genius of True Detective's second season is that it's overwritten, not as compelling as its predecessor, and at times a little too arrogant for its own good - and yet the characters are more fully developed, the cinematography is some type of miracle, and the setting - a California that's apparently all there but mysteriously slightly off - perfectly highlights this season's attitudeThe genius of True Detective's second season is that it's overwritten, not as compelling as its predecessor, and at times a little too arrogant for its own good - and yet the characters are more fully developed, the cinematography is some type of miracle, and the setting - a California that's apparently all there but mysteriously slightly off - perfectly highlights this season's attitude towards the series as a whole.… Expand
  61. ahndrew
    Aug 9, 2015
    5
    **** horse **** The entire season was great don't get me wrong. The first seven episodes lead up to a very important ending that puts you on the edge of your seat. And then the edge of that seat becomes the most disappointing gentle ride you can possibly imagine. No twist, no surprise, just everyone dying except the one character that you don't care about. Woody and Mathew, come on guys,**** horse **** The entire season was great don't get me wrong. The first seven episodes lead up to a very important ending that puts you on the edge of your seat. And then the edge of that seat becomes the most disappointing gentle ride you can possibly imagine. No twist, no surprise, just everyone dying except the one character that you don't care about. Woody and Mathew, come on guys, you can do better.… Expand
  62. carakas
    Jul 3, 2015
    3
    So far, an awful follow up to a really good first season (except for the ridiculous ending, of course). A bunch of dark, **** up characters that we've seen over again & again, plus a slow uninteresting plot that doesn't lead anywhere. Watching the second episode made me realize that I don't give a **** where all this mess is going to next. Even that last scene, where Pizzolatto is tryingSo far, an awful follow up to a really good first season (except for the ridiculous ending, of course). A bunch of dark, **** up characters that we've seen over again & again, plus a slow uninteresting plot that doesn't lead anywhere. Watching the second episode made me realize that I don't give a **** where all this mess is going to next. Even that last scene, where Pizzolatto is trying to shake things up a little, fails to make you sweat about one of the main characters. I'm out.… Expand
  63. shellview
    Jul 27, 2015
    0
    TD season 2 is an abomination. The acting is putrid. Vince Vaughan is so bad I have laughed out loud every time he opens his mouth and speaks. Not to mention the actress who plays his wife who obviously must have a "relationship" with the producer. The story is so convoluted it gave me a migraine trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Then they contrive the story line so thatTD season 2 is an abomination. The acting is putrid. Vince Vaughan is so bad I have laughed out loud every time he opens his mouth and speaks. Not to mention the actress who plays his wife who obviously must have a "relationship" with the producer. The story is so convoluted it gave me a migraine trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Then they contrive the story line so that they can give us one of the silliest orgy scene I have ever seen. I think the dialogue was written by a chimp who got hold of a typewriter. Throw in a chubby red headed kid who looks like none of his 3 parents...OMG! Dreck!!!… Expand
  64. barzozwierz
    Jul 1, 2015
    2
    you always compare the 2nd part to the 1st one. in this case it's painful. no one can introduce more complex character than Rust, or redefine the crash of personalities. now... it's just blockbuster cliche, trying to be more deep than it should, touching relations between people in most common and unintrusive way. ending up really, really cringy. take away the horror of Chamber'syou always compare the 2nd part to the 1st one. in this case it's painful. no one can introduce more complex character than Rust, or redefine the crash of personalities. now... it's just blockbuster cliche, trying to be more deep than it should, touching relations between people in most common and unintrusive way. ending up really, really cringy. take away the horror of Chamber's imagination, disturbing combination of human judgement, redemption, replace rural, unexplored Louisiana with comfy LA and you get this... thing. six minute uncut, disturbing insight into human psyche with unspoken words, CGI that are not there to make it more interesting but actually having a meaning, and music that perfectly fits the atmosphere of the setting - i don't believe such thing will be ever possible in this season.
    it feels forced, unnecessary. cheap

    it might be interesting. but not as another part of True Detective. you cannot match perfection.    … Expand
  65. Remmingten
    Jul 8, 2015
    0
    How do you fail so badly after such a great first season? I'm a huge Vince Vaughn fan but the acting between him and the other 3 main actors is dismal! Who signed off on this as "good"? I get a group together every Sunday to watch True Detective and Game of Thrones and we came to an agreement after episode 3 (the most recent) that we don't care about True Detective anymore. Noone in myHow do you fail so badly after such a great first season? I'm a huge Vince Vaughn fan but the acting between him and the other 3 main actors is dismal! Who signed off on this as "good"? I get a group together every Sunday to watch True Detective and Game of Thrones and we came to an agreement after episode 3 (the most recent) that we don't care about True Detective anymore. Noone in my group has or watches cable tv and this season of True Detective is no more than one of those 3 part episodes of garbage CIS or NCIS. The straw that broke the camels back was the E-Cigarette baloney. OMG get out of my show, actually no I dont even want this anymore, you can keep the show E-Cigarette, we will not be watching your crap.… Expand
  66. itsatrain
    Jul 8, 2015
    1
    This season is unbelievably bad. Unbelievable, because I can't honestly believe the same creators of season 1 had anything to do with this.

    The writing is just...I can't even begin...absurdly bad. With such famous lines as "If you keep talking like that, you're gonna need a baggie to take your teeth home", you can go wrong. Much less, Rachel McAdams is the one saying it. It honestly    This season is unbelievably bad. Unbelievable, because I can't honestly believe the same creators of season 1 had anything to do with this.

    The writing is just...I can't even begin...absurdly bad. With such famous lines as "If you keep talking like that, you're gonna need a baggie to take your teeth home", you can go wrong. Much less, Rachel McAdams is the one saying it. It honestly feels like a 17 year old Boondock Saints fanboy wrote this whole season. It doesn't quite fit the show, nor HBO.

    Everywhere from the direction, opening theme, acting, the corny jazzy soundtrack, the Vince Vaughan one-liners, the pathetic attempts at symbolism, and of course, the plot of the show, you see this lack of a mature attempt to try and produce anything whatsoever that resembles the first season.I keep giving the show another chance every episode, and all that crap is still there, if not to a greater extent. You would have to see it to believe it, but why the hell would you want to do that?    … Expand
  67. PJD
    Jul 20, 2015
    4
    It feels inferior to season 1 on all fronts. The plot, the subplots, the acting and even the theme song are inferior to the first season.

    You know you really aren't feeling it when episode four goes into episode five and you are confused as to who is who and what is going on. I chalk this up to not caring what happens to any of these characters. Vaughn's troubled villain is fine but    It feels inferior to season 1 on all fronts. The plot, the subplots, the acting and even the theme song are inferior to the first season.

    You know you really aren't feeling it when episode four goes into episode five and you are confused as to who is who and what is going on. I chalk this up to not caring what happens to any of these characters.

    Vaughn's troubled villain is fine but McAdam's tough detective doesn't work with her shaky voice in a lot of scenes. She's just not a tough type of person and it shows here.

    Farrell's bad cop with a conscious feels the same. Probably because in every scene he shares with another actor he is eclipsed. Nothing about his character stands out.

    Kitsch plays a good cop in a closet but it feels like one of those plot lines the story didn't need.

    All in all this is a pretty mundane followup to the first season. I would argue that True Detective season 2 is not even on par with the crime dramas from the 80s. Even soap operas have it beat.    … Expand
  68. PaulSoleil
    Jun 27, 2015
    1
    Instead of something new and fresh for the second season (the advantage to an anthology, the ability to re-invent), this feels like a cheap knockoff of season 1. Maybe not so bad, since season 1 is easily brilliant (enough to overlook the satisfying conclusion), but Justin Lin's directing fails to communicate the story in any stylish or coherent way. (even the trailers looked like aInstead of something new and fresh for the second season (the advantage to an anthology, the ability to re-invent), this feels like a cheap knockoff of season 1. Maybe not so bad, since season 1 is easily brilliant (enough to overlook the satisfying conclusion), but Justin Lin's directing fails to communicate the story in any stylish or coherent way. (even the trailers looked like a Lifetime cop show). I'll keep watching, just like when you go to your high school reunion and see your old high school crush is now 330lbs, but you still stare at her to try to see the girl you once liked so much. I can see the actors trying....and maybe that's a problem....… Expand
  69. Qldgamer
    Jun 25, 2015
    1
    Rambling swear fest. The flipping back and forth between now and what happened is over used and distracts from the show.

    In the end all the characters are pretty unlikable and thus I don't give a @#$ about them.
  70. ThemBakerBoys
    Jul 17, 2015
    6
    I am hesitant to review a show before seeing the ending but I think I have seen enough to lodge a complaint or two. There is something about the pace of season 2 that makes it feel like we are still on the salad course and waiting for the steak to arrive. I'm all for a little teasing and anticipation but precious episodes are ticking by. Where season 1 felt like each episode could beI am hesitant to review a show before seeing the ending but I think I have seen enough to lodge a complaint or two. There is something about the pace of season 2 that makes it feel like we are still on the salad course and waiting for the steak to arrive. I'm all for a little teasing and anticipation but precious episodes are ticking by. Where season 1 felt like each episode could be watched and rewatched, savored and enjoyed on it's own merits, season 2 has yet to make that impact. I liked season one so much that my wife bought the series on blu ray so I could share it with non HBO friends of ours. As it stands I will continue to watch and enjoy Season two but I don't see any reason to own the series. However, we have not seen the end of the series and there may be a conclusion coming that elevates the entire story line and makes us want to revisit from Ep. 1. I sure hope so.… Expand
  71. Prosmooth
    Jul 14, 2015
    4
    Really bad compared to the first season. Got the cop who should have probably been a hooker. The self hating queer cop. The psychotic alcoholic cop. The most boring villain since the last time Vince Vaughn played a villain. Add in bad dialogue, and David Morse walking around looking like Jesus Christ Superstar--and you have season 2 of True Detective. It is pretty to look at--I give it 4Really bad compared to the first season. Got the cop who should have probably been a hooker. The self hating queer cop. The psychotic alcoholic cop. The most boring villain since the last time Vince Vaughn played a villain. Add in bad dialogue, and David Morse walking around looking like Jesus Christ Superstar--and you have season 2 of True Detective. It is pretty to look at--I give it 4 for its cinematic qualities. Oh, and it has mean Mexicans in it. Almost forgot.… Expand
  72. shadow47
    Jun 22, 2015
    5
    This season of True Detective is bad by its own merits. We needn't compare it to the stellar season 1 to reach that conclusion. The dialog is fragmented and full of nonsensical one-liners that are passed on as profound, the main characters all seem slightly different variations of each other, and the acting is too stiff and monotonous. I mean, I have always wanted to ask this of someone inThis season of True Detective is bad by its own merits. We needn't compare it to the stellar season 1 to reach that conclusion. The dialog is fragmented and full of nonsensical one-liners that are passed on as profound, the main characters all seem slightly different variations of each other, and the acting is too stiff and monotonous. I mean, I have always wanted to ask this of someone in the business: Does Taylor Kitsch have some powerful uncle in Hollywood? Because he has been bad in every film and TV show that I've seen him. And yet he still gets major roles everywhere. Anyway.

    However the central mystery of this season ends up unwinding, very well or very bad, it will not mitigate from its many mediocrities and shortcomings that were clearly evident in episode 1.

    P.S. Some people will give this season unjustifiably high ratings to "offset" what they believe to be malicious scoring by "non-fans". But if you look at my review of season 1, you'll see that I gave it a deserved 10/10.

    P.P.S. I did enjoy the music, including the opening theme. That is why it gets a 5 instead of a 3 from me.    … Expand
  73. morpheuswalrus
    Jun 22, 2015
    3
    Imagine if twin peaks season 3 was made by michael bay. It was like a bad episode of the X-files, but without any monsters or aliens. Unless I hear some VERY good things, I won't be tuning in again.
  74. TexasAtheist
    Jul 14, 2015
    1
    Season 1 of True Detective is (in my opinion) the greatest piece of television ever produced. Season 2 on the other hand, seems to be going out of its way to be ridiculous and terrible. From the dialogue that will literally make you laugh out loud (unintentionally), to the terrible chemistry between lead actors, to the shootout in Episode 4 that makes little to zero sense, it's all a mess.Season 1 of True Detective is (in my opinion) the greatest piece of television ever produced. Season 2 on the other hand, seems to be going out of its way to be ridiculous and terrible. From the dialogue that will literally make you laugh out loud (unintentionally), to the terrible chemistry between lead actors, to the shootout in Episode 4 that makes little to zero sense, it's all a mess. Season 2 didn't have to live up to Season 1 to be positive, in fact nobody expected it to. But it's rather telling that after 4 episodes of the season, I'd rather watch Failure to Launch then another episode.… Expand
  75. conchis
    Jun 24, 2015
    0
    The cast of season 2 is perfect for a comedy series. Colin Farrell tries a lot to smoke and drink like Matthew did in season 1 but it's just not the same. You can't really make up for a bad story by making the protagonist drink and smoke in style. In the end, what made season 1 so damn good was not only the outstanding performance of the protagonists, but also the deep storyline thatThe cast of season 2 is perfect for a comedy series. Colin Farrell tries a lot to smoke and drink like Matthew did in season 1 but it's just not the same. You can't really make up for a bad story by making the protagonist drink and smoke in style. In the end, what made season 1 so damn good was not only the outstanding performance of the protagonists, but also the deep storyline that combined drama, adventure, occult elements and horror. Season 1 had purpose, season 2 apparently doesn't and quite frankly this first episode is the worst premiere I have ever seen.… Expand
  76. Boingopo
    Aug 31, 2015
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm writing this to spare others of wasting their time in watching this piece of cliched ridden cop drama garbage. Take a pass on this uninteresting plot line and poor character development. The only thing that keeps the show afloat is the useless tension that something may be actually happening. Things get more ridiculous when they set up the main characters for death with the cliched plot line of we'll meet you in Mexico to start a better life. Woody and Mathew need to kick some ass and start firing people or at least proofread scripts and watch the dailies. What utter boring garbage and cliche ridden crap.… Expand
  77. crankyerma
    Jul 8, 2015
    0
    This meandering, punishingly depressing, ugh-fest had me wanting to open a wrist halfway through the first episode but I stuck with it because the critics kept saying how "good" it was. Sorry, but if you work in entertainment and fail to be entertaining, you are not good. This show is beyond that though. It's tedious in the extreme and just seems like we are watching actors being superThis meandering, punishingly depressing, ugh-fest had me wanting to open a wrist halfway through the first episode but I stuck with it because the critics kept saying how "good" it was. Sorry, but if you work in entertainment and fail to be entertaining, you are not good. This show is beyond that though. It's tedious in the extreme and just seems like we are watching actors being super actory, chewing scenery or taking unnecessarily long pauses to approximate actual gravitas which is not on the page. Weak, self indulgent poop. And that was the first season! This is far worse.… Expand
  78. Axgrinder
    Jun 23, 2015
    2
    I was a big fan of Season 1 of True Detective. The end of Season 1 was like getting off a carnival thrill ride. It was a bit of downer to learn that the Season 1 finale represented the end of the ride, and I had to adjust to the idea that Season 2 would tell a new story involving different characters. Like many, I was skeptical about the new cast (Vince Vaughn and Colin Farrell), butI was a big fan of Season 1 of True Detective. The end of Season 1 was like getting off a carnival thrill ride. It was a bit of downer to learn that the Season 1 finale represented the end of the ride, and I had to adjust to the idea that Season 2 would tell a new story involving different characters. Like many, I was skeptical about the new cast (Vince Vaughn and Colin Farrell), but I’ve known what was coming for quite some time, and I’ve had time to adjust (lower) my expectations.
    What I wasn’t prepared for was the change in Directors. Gone (unfortunately) is Cary Fukunaga, replaced by Justin Lin. Lin tries to be highly stylized with lots of close ups of Colin Farrell’s face with the lighting just so. It’s sort of reminiscent of Michael Mann and the movie Miami Vice, but without the color or sultry heat of the Miami night. Overall the direction comes across style over substance.
    The story line is also underwhelming. Last season, the crime scene in opening episode hooked me like a big river catfish, and I couldn’t turn away. The plot simmered slowly like an all-day Louisiana Gumbo, and the story behind the two main characters unfolded like a slow southern drawl. I savored the way the show took its time letting me discover the characters, their histories and their deep flaws. You might not understand them, but you could empathize with and root for them.
    The opening episode of Season 2 fell flat. It was like, “Episode 1: Everything you need to know about the characters and their flaws. This year we have four main characters instead of two and we don’t have time to develop the back story of each character so, we’re just gonna throw all our cards down on the table and get on with the main story.” Not surprisingly, the pace felt forced. The episode also lacked drama. Instead of dramatic tension, there was dramatic music, much too much dramatic music, telegraphing the coming of each new scene. The music was a like a sitcom laugh track, trying to make me feel something that wasn’t there.
    Rachel McAdam usually gets cast to play “nice girl” roles and it will be interesting to see how see does as a cop with anger issues and a dysfunctional sister and father. Dysfunctional is putting it nicely. Her sister is an on-line “entertainer” and her father, unable to cope with the world, has withdrawn to a life of teaching platitudes in an ashram. The problem isn’t that the characters have messy lives. The problem is that the characters are sendups. It’s hard to identify with or feel any empathy toward any of them. Here’s hoping S2,E1 is an aberration.    … Expand
  79. TheQuietGamer
    Jul 5, 2015
    4
    Let's be honest, we all knew this was never going to live up to the first season. So I'm not even going to talk about how it stacks up to last season. I'm strictly going to review this season based on it's own merits. Unfortunately it doesn't have many. It stumbles in just about every key area.

    The first place is in the case itself. So far it's just not interesting. There is a    Let's be honest, we all knew this was never going to live up to the first season. So I'm not even going to talk about how it stacks up to last season. I'm strictly going to review this season based on it's own merits. Unfortunately it doesn't have many. It stumbles in just about every key area.

    The first place is in the case itself. So far it's just not interesting. There is a compelling sense of weirdness to it, but overall tries way too hard to come off as dark and mysterious. It's constantly hinting at a bunch of bigger things going on, but fails to let viewers in on them. I get that the case has to have some mystery to it in order to get going, but this season moves so slow that after three episodes I somehow know even less about the case than I originally did. I'm not even entirely sure I still know what it's about. Also, why is Vince Vaughn's character even here? He's not a detective and his story seems only barely related to the case at hand so far. He's mostly off doing his own thing that's even less interesting then what the rest of the cast is doing.

    Speaking of the cast let's talk about how poor they are. Taylor Kitsch? Really? Why are they still trying to make this guy a thing? His work here is just as lifeless, forced, and boring as everything else he has done. It looks like they are trying to do some interesting things with his character by having him struggle with his sexuality, but his acting is so poor that it's hard to care. Ditch him Hollywood. He's done you nothing but harm so far. Rachel McAdams is a good actress, so long as it's the right type of role. She simply does not belong in a gritty and dark drama like this one, at least in my opinion. The evidence is in her work here. The character she plays has the potential to be interesting, but McAdams doesn't know how to bring her to life. The same thing extends to Vaughn, except that his character doesn't feel interesting. His inclusion just feels useless and Vaughn is better used for comedies. At least that is what his work here says. As for Colin Farrell, he's actually fantastic. He gives a top-notch performance and brings his violent and weird character to life. He's the highlight of the show.

    With the exception of Farrell the cast and characters suffer from having interesting backstories that aren't fleshed out or really touched upon much at all yet, miscast actors, and bad dialog. That's another big problem with the show; dialog. The show tries way too hard to come off as dark and mature. We get it. The character are damaged. Why do we have to listen to them spit out clichéd and cheesy one-liners that fail to come off as deep of thought-provoking like the writers intended for them to be? The conversations characters have just end up going nowhere. The only character with anything interesting to say is Farrell. They have really done great things with him on this show.

    The second season of "True Detective" is a disappointment, and not just because it doesn't live up to the first season. With the exception of Farrell and some weird moments involving dudes in masks the show's second season just isn't worth watching. It shows promise, but it just isn't being realized right now. Maybe the show will get better as it progresses. If it does I'll update this review. As of right now though it's just not worth your time in my opinion. There are better and more intelligent things on TV right now.    … Expand
  80. Idiota150
    Jun 26, 2015
    2
    Disappointment starts at the intro already and then there's just nothing that ever becomes remotely interesting. Rather than introducing some intriguing crime (barely comes up), we get to watch a full ensemble of people with more problems then your general population. If it's gonna revolve around these unbearable characters I'm not watching.
  81. Knighthawk81
    Jun 22, 2015
    6
    I loved the first season of "True Detective," the aesthetic appeal, the slow burn of the narrative, and the powerful performances. But I didn't love its first episode. The same might end up being true of the second season. The premiere was OK, but it wasn't incredibly compelling. This could certainly develop, and I like the actors here, but the premiere felt like a let down.
  82. Amiria
    Aug 4, 2015
    5
    the most problem with this season is CASTING i don't know who's pick this actors and actress but honestly there's no way to colin farrell plays with vince vaughn and also VINCE not good for that character everytime i see vince in true detective i remind his role at starsky & hutch and i laugh :D
  83. Karamos2000
    Jul 28, 2015
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Okay. Its not anything like the first season. Story is convoluted and muddled (I'm fine with that). Sub story regarding the "son"is poor. Aside from Vince Vaughn, acting thin (Colin Farrell is bad) The problem, the new director hasn't been able to weave all of this together. When Ray was shot with us (the audience) caught off guard, that was a plot changer. Next episode everything a okay. The shootout, every cop hit except the main character. Suspense was needed here. Its kinda like a David Lynch film without suspense or intrigue. Nor do you develop empathy for the characters.… Expand
  84. LKeyes
    Jun 12, 2016
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. True Detective Season 2 rocked. Well acted, Well written, Suspenseful and a mystery that dragged all the way to the end. Any comparisons to Season 1 is a waste of time. Season 2 stands on its own merits. Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams, Colin Farrell, Taylor Kitsch and an entire supporting cast is excellent. Nothing is cut and dry and the good guys are not always the good guys, but thankfully they are in far better shape than the ones they are after- a full on corrupted government and police department. This was very entertaining viewing and I did the smart thing- I rented the DVD and watched the whole thing.
    I would recommend this series highly.    … Expand
  85. cottandy
    Mar 1, 2018
    9
    The second season. Let's begin with that it's an another story, so don't hope for a sequel. It is very good too, but not as great as the first one in any aspect. If you like this genre, you won't be dissapointed any way, so if you ask, whether you should watch it or no? It's a yes!
  86. annbd
    Jun 29, 2018
    2
    Because I have burned, I feel it's necessary to warn all the people out there, who have watched the masterpiece, that is the first season and they are satisfied and happy about it. So.. Do NOT waste your time with this total s**t !! Second season of True Detective is completely unsuccessful and most of all disappointing.
  87. andreasng
    Jun 24, 2015
    6
    Season one was one of the most modern and compelling crime series of this decade. It kept itself short and good, if something was a bit off it was the ending, but that is up for discussion. S1 was good, very good. It was slow, soecific, focused and most of all very very compelling. The characters was charming in every way.

    S2 has gone downhill. It is fast, storytelling-wise, it tells    Season one was one of the most modern and compelling crime series of this decade. It kept itself short and good, if something was a bit off it was the ending, but that is up for discussion. S1 was good, very good. It was slow, soecific, focused and most of all very very compelling. The characters was charming in every way.

    S2 has gone downhill. It is fast, storytelling-wise, it tells the audience "stuff" - and it tells the audience alot of it. "Stuff" can be interesting, "stuff" can be the difference between a plausible world and an implausible world. The characters seems less different than the characters in the last season. But most interesting of all, the first episode end with a desire to tell me more, but leaves me with a desire to not really follow the series no more. That is a tough thing to say, and I will watch the future episodes, but the fact that it doesn't give me some sort of cliff to hang on to is not good. 7 episodes to make up for it, if it ends "better" than S1 then I'll be happy as well.

    First impression, not super good. Sadly.    … Expand
  88. Mega2k8
    Jul 19, 2015
    8
    Yes season one was a masterpiece but why is everyone complaining? Yes it takes at least two eps to get into it but it is worth watching a lot better then 97% of thing on the tele even season 1 took a few eps to get involved plus I'm sure if da Vinci had painted the Mona Lisa then painted the same thing again with a different background you would complain?
  89. Ravens1294
    Jun 23, 2015
    5
    The premiere was pretty good. The characters are very intriguing, the acting is very good, the cinematography was great and I'm interested in the case.
  90. qwerty8883
    Jun 22, 2015
    0
    Imagine an inferior version of season 1 without harrelson/mcconaughey. So far not worth waiting for the next episode. Wait until its out and watch it in a marathon as episode one was trash with very bad acting, overt hints at placating feminist criticism and VV as an unconvincing bad guy. Borefest
  91. Movi3R3vi3wer
    Aug 18, 2015
    8
    True Detective remains to be technically brilliant in it's second season. From the cinematography to the memorizing title sequence to the choice of music. While season two doesn't manage to recapture the pure brilliance of season 1, the second season stands alone as a thrilling and riveting crime drama with amazing performances from Colin Farrell and Rachel McAdams. The story does feel aTrue Detective remains to be technically brilliant in it's second season. From the cinematography to the memorizing title sequence to the choice of music. While season two doesn't manage to recapture the pure brilliance of season 1, the second season stands alone as a thrilling and riveting crime drama with amazing performances from Colin Farrell and Rachel McAdams. The story does feel a bit convoluted at times with Vaughn's character (who is good in the season) and suffers from an unfocused narrative, balancing too many characters and Taylor Kitsch being as bland as a rock.… Expand
  92. olderealms
    Jul 6, 2015
    1
    very disappointing. The first season had a mysterious eerie and haunting feel to it that was captivating, and make it stand out form anything else on tv. Season 2 hasn't gripped me in the same way, I find it lacks depth and the emotion of season 1. Wont be watching any more episodes, I'm bored with it.......
  93. DanniBoi
    Jun 29, 2015
    10
    This show has an incredible character development behind it and yet soon to be reveal. The first season was all about the environment and the dark and twitted atmosphere those character from the 1st season where into. But this one has and more tone down theme, but what holds it together and in a deep concept is the characters this actors play. How everything develops in its own right,This show has an incredible character development behind it and yet soon to be reveal. The first season was all about the environment and the dark and twitted atmosphere those character from the 1st season where into. But this one has and more tone down theme, but what holds it together and in a deep concept is the characters this actors play. How everything develops in its own right, alongside with the character development is a slow and steady intrigue to be discovered.… Expand
  94. roscoeswaffle
    Jul 2, 2015
    0
    Bad writing is just...bad writing.
    Less wordy than Season 1 yet equally dreadful.
    What a shame, too. Rachel McAdams! Colin Farrell!
    Oh, and did I mention that bad directing is just...bad directing.
  95. quincytheodore
    Jun 21, 2015
    8
    Different formula and larger scale, the rustic crime thriller is still bizarrely appealing. Season two is made with the purpose of not copying the plot of the first. It presents many perspectives in the span of one hour and less philosophical undertone. Despite many characters in play in relatively short time, the material and the performance by the cast are structurally solid. Pacing isDifferent formula and larger scale, the rustic crime thriller is still bizarrely appealing. Season two is made with the purpose of not copying the plot of the first. It presents many perspectives in the span of one hour and less philosophical undertone. Despite many characters in play in relatively short time, the material and the performance by the cast are structurally solid. Pacing is fast as it weaves more content, although I must admit, I do miss Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson exchanging banters.

    The first episode deals mostly in characters' introduction by shifting between them in rapid pace. Colin Farrell as Detective Velcoro is looking strong on-screen. He embodies more of the exhausted police role than the rest, his character is volatile and definitely unfriendly. With his traumatic past, the only thing he seems to care about is his son, yet the relationship might not be healthy as his flaws are jarring. Taylor Kitsch plays Paul Woodrugh, a highway patrol. Secretive and disgruntled, he appears highly enigmatic. There's a calm air about him, not in suave manner, just eerie.

    Vince Vaughn as Frank Semyon is an odd addition, he's the cloak-and-dagger type business man. The show ventures a bit to political side with him, although his past with another character seems dubiously illicit. Rachel McAdams is a wild card. Her role as Detective Ani Bezzerides is probably the one with most reality drama worthy family, with webcam adult artist as sister and religious hermit as the father. It's unclear how the chemistry between them would manifest since they haven't spent much time stuck with each other, though the performance by the major actors are definitely presentable.

    For the production, it still exemplifies the quirky dusty ambiance from last season. There are plenty of high panoramic shots, mostly with cloudy and barren tone. Soundtracks of humming instrument and slow songs make for the striking sense of isolation. To its credit, the first episode packs a lot of content, although the script isn't as thought provoking as before.

    Whether season will reach the prominence of the first remains to be seen, people understandably expect it to be. However, with good cast and alluring dry atmosphere, it is still an engaging crime thriller on its own right.    … Expand
  96. CaptainDldo
    Aug 10, 2015
    0
    Worst television I've had the displeasure of viewing. Can't believe HBO green lighted this garbage.

    Heres a fact:

    If season 2 were season 1, it wouldn't have gotten past the trailer.
  97. Seneca
    Jul 15, 2015
    9
    By the midway point of this season, the converging plotlines seem just as promising as in season 1; maybe not quite, but close. Keyboard heroes and trashy published critics couldn't wait to rubbish it for not being everything S1was as a whole by the first hour of S2.
  98. trooper1993
    Jun 25, 2015
    5
    It is most certainly premature to judge this tv show from its premiere as each director has a different approach to build up. However, although sad to admit this new season has failed to provide any form of absorbing elements seen in the previous season from the start and has to some extent severely disappointed the loyal fans.

    Colin Farrell attempt to reincarnate Mcconaughey's    It is most certainly premature to judge this tv show from its premiere as each director has a different approach to build up. However, although sad to admit this new season has failed to provide any form of absorbing elements seen in the previous season from the start and has to some extent severely disappointed the loyal fans.

    Colin Farrell attempt to reincarnate Mcconaughey's character feels like lazy and recycled writing. Vince Vaughn doesn't fit in these type of TV shows as much as Dwayne Johnson can't do comedy (Tooth fairy). His type of role has been embedded in cement within the realms of trash comedy.

    Ultimately this show feels like the usual detective show you find late at night on cable TV. I'm confident it will get better (hopefully) but can already safely assume that it won't match the first season by a milestone.    … Expand
  99. petuniarabode
    Jul 19, 2015
    10
    Great show. I'm' tired to read articles saying they can't follow. Maybe pay more attention and stop complaining. Why insist in comparing with season 1 if we knew it was going to be different?
  100. Howak
    Jul 15, 2015
    10
    True Detective 2 may be different from its previous season,but it doesn't mean that it is bad in any way.
    like season 1,season 2 plot starts to progress very slowly in first 2 episode,which is why I think people thought it was boring,but if you remember we had the same problem with season 1 first 2 episodes.
    As the story progress,it gets more and more interesting and you start to enjoy    True Detective 2 may be different from its previous season,but it doesn't mean that it is bad in any way.
    like season 1,season 2 plot starts to progress very slowly in first 2 episode,which is why I think people thought it was boring,but if you remember we had the same problem with season 1 first 2 episodes.
    As the story progress,it gets more and more interesting and you start to enjoy and appreciate it more.
    as for new casts Colin Farrell plays damn well,I really like his expressions as a man that has lost everything and don't know why does he lives,as for Vince Vaughn people might not like his cold serious play,but I think its suitable for the character.the other casts Rachel McAdams and Taylor Kitsch plays well though they might not be as strong as the others characters or season 1 cast
    The musics by Lera Lynn specially "My Least Favorite Life" really adds another layer to the environment of this season which is really enjoyable
    all in all,don't listen to the negative reviews about this season,it is well written,well played,but a bit different from previous season but It is very enjoyable    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Most Discussed TV Season of 2015
56
#56 Most Shared TV Season of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
61

Generally favorable reviews - based on 41 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 41
  3. Negative: 0 out of 41
  1. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: John Anderson
    Jun 23, 2015
    50
    True Deetective is both underwritten and over-plotted.
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  2. The Lincoln Journal Star
    Reviewed by: Jeff Korbelik
    Jun 22, 2015
    75
    It’s difficult to like or root for any of the four, making this one difficult watch. Still, creator and writer Nic Pizzolatto has a knack for storytelling and character development. Especially intriguing is Farrell.
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  3. Kansas City Star
    Reviewed by: Sara Smith
    Jun 22, 2015
    60
    Although it was wise not to try to repeat the double interrogation format of the first season, there are clever nods to those closed-room confessionals, and the show eventually eases into rewarding drive-and-talks between Farrell and McAdams.... What keeps this Detective from being quite as compelling as the first is the lack of early focus.
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