True Detective Season 2 Discussion

[RussTCB]

I know there are a LOT of fans on here, so I thought I'd share:

‘True Detective’ Season 2 Will Have Three Leads, California Setting

More details have emerged about the cast and setting of “True Detective” season two, which will have three new leads, according to creator Nic Pizzolatto.

In a recent interview with public radio program “To the Best of Our Knowledge,” Pizzolatto revealed that in the new season’s current form, “we’re working with three leads. It takes place in California — not Los Angeles, but some of the much lesser known venues of California — and we’re going to try to capture a certain psychosphere ambiance of the place, much like we did in season one.”

He added, “The characters are all new, but I’m deeply in love with each of them. We’ve got the entire series broken out with a couple of scripts, and we’ll probably start casting in earnest in the coming months.”

The show’s anthology format means that season two will be entirely self-contained »

- Variety Staff

http://www.imdb.com/news/ni57226888/?ref_=hm_nw_tv_t1

[ChineseDemocracy2004]

I don't think there needed to be a second season.

[Silent Jay]

http://www.latino-review.com/news/david-schwimmer-is-a-true-detective-joins-season-2?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=lrnews

Edited May 28, 2014 by Silent Jay

[Forsaken]

http://www.latino-review.com/news/david-schwimmer-is-a-true-detective-joins-season-2?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=lrnews

Oh god no please

[wasted]

If Jennifer Aniston comes attached with Ross I'll give dinosaur boy a pass. Other than that I will avenge the yellow king.

[bran]

it will be hard to top the first season.

[TeeJay410]

The first season was so brilliant, I really don't see a way to do a second season. It's practically going to be a different series but with the same name. The guy who created it knocked it out of the park in the first season but it will be tough to transfer the tone and mood of the first season without essentially copying it or making a formula of it.

[bacardimayne]

I still expect a twist ending that integrates characters or concepts from the first season.

[Forsaken]

it will be hard to top the first season.

I don't think it will be able to be topped. The character of Rust Cohle, the entire writing process and acting is some of the best TV i've ever seen.

[Ace Nova]

it will be hard to top the first season.

I don't think it will be able to be topped. The character of Rust Cohle, the entire writing process and acting is some of the best TV i've ever seen.

I agree...especially since we know that there won't be any sort of "twist" in the end. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it will be excellent...but like others have said, season one will be hard to beat.

[downzy]

I don't get the attitude that because something was so well done the first time that they shouldn't try to do it again. Sure, it's unlikely that the second season won't be as good as the first, especially considering the heightened expectations likely to surround it. But even if the second season is as half as good as the first, it will still be better than 90 percent of what's on television.

Pizzalotto did such a great job the first season I don't see why he can't do a good job with a second season. The first season benefited from a strong cast with great performances, but the man responsible for the writing will still be around. And though both McConaughey and Harrelson were great, it was their characters, story lines, and dialogue that made the show special. I don't see why Pizzalotto can't do it again but with a different cast of characters.

[Forsaken]

I agree with the first half of what you said downz, but like you said, if the 2nd season doesn't have a strong cast it will not be on par with the first. Matthew and Woody put on strong performances.... and rumored David Schwimmer could not out-act Matthew or Woody on his best day. Frankly it would be a terrible role for him.

All the monologues Rust went through during the first season, his character, acting... I just do not think it will be on par with the first unless they pull in some home run hitters for the 2nd. Bring in Naomi Watts for a female lead; she's impeccable and severely underrated. How about Joaquin Phoenix? Pizzolatto's mystique in this show would make him shine as he is a versatile actor that can play many roles. Tommy Lee Jones??? BRYAN CRANSTON????

[downzy]

Not defending David Schwimmer, but there was a time when few thought much of McConaughey's acting chops. The decade of rom-coms made many think of him as a joke in terms of his acting capability. The material can really make or break the performance.

I wouldn't put too much stock in the Schwimmer rumour. The link posted above no longer works, and if you Google the actor's name with the show it yields almost no results.

But even if it's true, I'd still give him the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps Schwimmer's character will be nothing like Rust, more akin to the whinny, neurotic, and self-absorbed character like Ross. Perhaps his character isn't meant to provide the weight to the drama like McConaughey's was with the first season. I have a hard time believing that Pizzalotto would cast a subpar actor or someone not right for a part considering how well the first season was casted. If Schwimmer fits with what Pizzalotto imagines for the second season, I'll hold off judgement until the first couple of episodes.

And again, there was a time when a heavy amount of skepticism was expressed when Heath Ledger was announced as the Joker in The Dark Night. You never know...

Edited May 30, 2014 by downzy

[wasted]

Ross could be Mark Ruffalo. Like Columbo haunted train investigator.

[Black Sabbath]

Can't remember exact wording, but Axl described True Detective as "One of the best filmed and crafted shows ever, that never gives you what you deserve in the end." Something along those lines.

[downzy]

Can't remember exact wording, but Axl described True Detective as "One of the best filmed and crafted shows ever, that never gives you what you deserve in the end." Something along those lines.

Was this from a show?

Also read in the papers this week that every rumoured casting that has been mentioned so far has been false. Apparently Pizzalotto said that he hasn't read one rumour that's anywhere near close to being correct. So I think we can all stop worrying about Dt. Ross in Season 2.

[wasted]

Galveston really shows what Pizzolatto does. It's like badass misdirection.

[downzy]

Great interview of Pizzolatto about True Detective, covering the first season and the upcoming season.

Nic Pizzolatto: ‘True Detective’ Season 2 Set in California with Four Leads

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/10/nic-pizzolatto-true-detective-season-2-set-in-california-with-four-leads.html

The mind behind True Detective says the show’s second season hasn’t been cast and may not be about the secret occult history of the transportation system. And if you're bummed about the finale, you probably didn’t get the show.
When the first episode of True Detective aired on HBO on January 14, writer and creator Nic Pizzolatto was a little-known novelist and college fiction professor.

Now he’s an Emmy nominee.

Pizzolatto’s existential mystery series about a pair of Louisiana detectives investigating a disturbing ritualistic murder over the course of 17 years was nominated Wednesday morning for a dozen dramatic Emmy awards, including Outstanding Series, Outstanding Writing (for Pizzolatto), Outstanding Directing (for sole director Cary Fukunaga), and Outstanding Actor (for both Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, who played Rust Cohle and Marty Hart, the show’s titular detectives).

Pizzolatto received the good news just as work on True Detective’s hotly anticipated Season 2—which will feature new characters, new actors, a new setting, and a new story—was getting underway. He was gracious enough to get on the line with The Daily Beast to address the criticisms lobbed at his show so far, to discuss the challenges of starting from scratch after such a successful season—and to reveal some brand new details about where True Detective is heading next.

You must be feeling pretty happy this morning. How many nominations was it?

You know, I don’t really know. [Laughs] Maybe 12?

Not bad for a rookie.

I’m extremely grateful and humbled. I’m just honored to be on a list of such great television.

So is Season 2 written at this point? Where are you in the process?

I’m hitting the halfway mark on the scripts.

What else can you tell us?

Not much. We’re not keeping any secrets, so when something concrete develops, we’ll announce it to everybody. But everything has just been empty rumors so far.

Can we dismiss some of those rumors? Jessica Chastain, Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Christian Bale, and Josh Brolin have been mentioned as potential stars. Have you started casting for Season 2 yet?

No.

Some viewers wish McConaughey and Harrelson were coming back for Season 2. Do you?

I mean, I miss them as human beings. But the plan was always to tell a different story.

Do you think their example has made it easier to convince big-name actors to cross over to television?

Seems like it.

Cary Fukunaga directed every episode of Season 1. Will be there multiple directors this time around?

Yes.

You've said the show is set in California and it’s about the “secret occult history” of the U.S. transportation system.

I would actually just stick with “set in California.”

So it’s not about the U.S. transportation system?

I’d rather not to elaborate on that.

When we spoke during Season 1, you told me that you already had characters for Season 2 that you loved as much as Rust and Marty. Are you still working with the same characters?

Yep, but since then they’ve deepened and become richer. Creating new characters for Season 2 was the same experience as creating Rust and Marty. They didn’t exist until I created them, then in their creation I developed a personal attachment to them. I think it’s the same in anything you write. It’s your job to come up with compelling characters who speak to an individual authenticity. If I’m not interested in the characters I can’t go on. I have to be fascinated by them. It’s the same job as Season 1 to me.

You said at the time that Season 2 would center around three main characters. Is that still the case?

That ballooned a little bit. I would say there are four central roles.

Are any of them women?

You’ll have to wait and see.

Regarding the gender question: did the criticism you received about “underwriting” women characters affect your approach to Season 2?

I think it affected me a little bit in my conception of Season 2, but then not at all. I realized I was listening to things I didn’t agree with and taking cues from the wrong places. I just put it out of my mind.

What do you mean by “taking cues from the wrong places?”

I mean that writing towards what I consider an insubstantial criticism isn’t a good way to create.

No one else in TV has had to follow up a runaway success like Season 1 of True Detective by starting over from scratch. Who was more scared by the prospect: you or HBO?

I don’t think either of us were daunted by it. HBO has been nothing but supportive of whatever I want to do next. The work is where I tend to feel pressure—not so much in the reaction to it.

Let’s talk about what makes True Detective True Detective. When you have new characters, a new setting, and a new story, what’s the consistent through-line? Why isn’t it just a different show from season to season?

I guess it’s the authorial voice and sensibility. True Detective is a densely layered work with resonant details and symbology and rich characterization under the guise of one of the forms of this mystery genre. That’s what we shoot for.

Do you see that weird-fiction or existential-horror vibe as part of the show’s signature as well?

I think there’s a certain atmosphere that you’ll find is a consistent element in True Detective going forward.

When the Season 1 finale aired in March, some people were upset. Why? Do you think they misunderstood the show?

When you say people, I think you’re talking about a small percentage of the audience. I’m extremely happy with the finale. It was exactly the finale I wanted the show to have. And that in no way means the details or symbology of True Detective were irrelevant or meaningless—it merely means they were misread by a certain percentage [of viewers].

What do you mean by “misread"? I always thought the show was about the dangers of storytelling itself—as opposed to the particulars of the story that was being told.

Right. The symbology and details were pointing towards resonances in the themes and characters of the show rather than being a trail of breadcrumbs in a kind of…game.

How long can you keep writing every episode and overseeing a series all by yourself? I’ve heard you say that you’ve got three seasons in you, max.

So far, yeah. There are lots of other TV shows I’d like to do—more traditional TV shows. This one is making a whole new TV show every year.

So you’re not bringing in other writers to help out.

It’s my mandate as a writer to not let the success of Season 1 change my process. However we got here has been shown to work, so I’ll probably stick with those methods.

As long as you can keep it up.

That’s right. Until I drop dead.

[Estranged Reality]

two months ago on another internet forum i suggested colin farrell as an actor who could bring a lot to True Detective (and vice versa, for his career is in dire need of a 'comeback') and i was pretty much mocked for my opinion.

kind of feels like i've been vindicated today.

[bacardimayne]

Only movie I've seen Colin Farrell in is Phone Booth, but he was great.

Clive Owen needs to be the new Rust.

Edited July 11, 2014 by bacardimayne

[appetite4illusions]

Lets hope it's not true (detective).

You always trade up folks, not down.

[Black Sabbath]

Let's hope they don't screw the pooch on the last two episodes again.

[wasted]

I guess its the authorial voice and sensibility. True Detective is a densely layered work with resonant details and symbology and rich characterization under the guise of one of the forms of this mystery genre. Thats what we shoot for.

That's a really great way to say genre dressed like ho.

I enjoy it but genre is genre. You can dangle all philosophical hokey pokey off it, it's still genre.

I just hope he drops genre endings. Just let it hang. Go for a Le Doux ending.

[Nobodys_Fault]

Plot details for season 2:

The second season of True Detective will follow the death of Ben Caspar, the corrupt City Manager of a fictional California city who’s found brutally murdered amidst a potentially groundbreaking transportation deal that would forever change the freeway gridlock in California.

Three law enforcement officers from different cities and branches of the government are tasked with finding out who did it. They soon discover their investigation has much broader and darker implications than they initially thought.

Caspar’s 52-year-old corpse is found on a lonely stretch of the PCH near Big Sur - his eye burned out, genitals cut off and satanic symbols etched on his chest. It turns out he had a penchant for rough sex and may have been involved in the occult.

http://www.mvtvsv.com/2014/08/true-detective-season-2-plot-details.html

[wasted]

I sense a remake. Look out for cans of green paint all over this bitch.