HBO's 'True Detective' is Almost Too Good to Be True

Says Gail Pennington, at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Mismatched police partners track a ritualistic serial killer in 1995 Louisiana — and, nearly two decades later, rehash the case — in “True Detective,” a new HBO drama that is nothing like it sounds from that description, but so much more.

The eight-part series, created by Nic Pizzolatto, succeeds on every level, with two big stars doing some of their best work, twisty plotting, super-smart writing and atmospheric directing. Only 12 days into the year, “True Detective” secures a spot as one of the best new shows of 2014.

We meet Detectives Martin Hart, played by Woody Harrelson, and Rust Cohle, a skinny Matthew McConaughey, twice in the early minutes of the first episode. In 1995, just a few months after beginning their awkward partnership, they take the lead on a gruesome case, a young woman found dead, naked and bound, in a bizarre tableau.

Meanwhile, in 2012, when Hart has lost his hair and Cohle has let his go, we meet them again, as they are interviewed by contemporary detectives working a case that is somehow similar. In a format that should have been annoying but instead is illuminating, those interviews alternate with, and provide perspective on, the original investigation, which we watch unfold.

Keep reading.

And watch the trailer, "True Detective: Official Trailer (HBO)."