8 Reasons Why True Detective Season 1 Is Still The Show’s Best Almost 10 Years Later

True Detective season 1 has often been considered one of the greatest seasons of any television show in the 21st century. The HBO miniseries originally aired in January 2014 and received immediate critical acclaim upon its release. The celebrated series was created by Nic Pizzolatto, who wrote the scripts for all three seasons of True Detective. Pizzolatto originally wrote True Detective as a novel but was able to adapt his epic tale for television. True Detective season 4 is scheduled to premiere on January 14, 2024.

As an anthological series, the stories and cast in each season of True Detective vary as do the overall quality and critical response to each season. True Detective season 1 follows a disturbing murder case investigated by two conflicting detectives, Rustin Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson. The story takes place in Louisiana, where it was also filmed over a three-month period. True Detective season 1 received the highest Rotten Tomatoes score of 91% compared to season 2’s disappointing 47% and season 3’s 84%.

Matthew McConaughey’s Performance

One of the biggest reasons why True Detective season 1 is so exceptional is the leading performance by Matthew McConaughey. The part of Rust Cohle feels like it was written specifically for McConaughey, who is often associated with his signature brand of metaphysical concepts and cool catchphrases. Before appearing in True Detective, McConaughey was arguably best known as a romantic comedy actor, starring in The Wedding Planner, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Failure to Launch, and Fool’s Gold. True Detective helped McConaughey establish himself firmly as a serious dramatic actor along with his Oscar-winning performance in Dallas Buyers Club and his lead role in Interstellar.

Rust Cohle & Marty Hart’s Dynamic

Another reason why True Detective season 1 is so celebrated is the great onscreen chemistry between McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. McConaughey’s Rust character frequently finds ways to get under the skin of Harrelson’s non-nonsense Marty Hart, who has enough on his mind already and doesn’t appreciate Rust’s philosophical observations. Harrelson is great in his traditional cop role, whose rigid structure allows McConaughey’s Rust to demonstrate how far out and dark some of his theories and pessimistic sentiments are. The two actors seem to get the best out of each other and master every scene, making True Detective one of the most memorable projects of both of their careers.

Cary Joji Fukunaga’s Directing

True Detective season 1 also brought well-deserved attention to director Cary Joji Fukunaga, who won an Emmy for his work on True Detective season 1. Outside of the absence of both Harrelson and McConaughey, the biggest missing piece in True Detective seasons 2 and 3 is clearly Fukunaga. The accomplished director went on to direct 2021’s No Time To Die and the 2018 Netflix series Maniac starring Jonah Hill and Emma Stone. Fukunaga did not return for True Detective season 2 mainly due to disagreements over the direction of the story with Pizzolatto and an apparent lack of a collaborative spirit between the two.

Iconic Six Minute One Take Shot

The most memorable shot by far in True Detective season 1 was a perfectly executed tracking shot that runs for six minutes without cutting. The legendary tracking shot appears in the fourth episode of True Detective season 1 titled “Who Goes There”. Rust gets in an incredibly choreographed shootout with members of a dangerous biker gang called the Iron Crusaders. The camera impressively moves in and out of several locations without sacrificing any part of the story, making it not only an innovative filmmaking technique but also one that enhances the storytelling. It’s an ambitious and exceptional tracking shot that belongs in a similar category to Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil and Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas.

Outstanding Story

The story for True Detective was dark, complex, and well thought out due to how much time Pizzolatto had to develop and perfect it. True Detective season 2 likely suffered from not having nearly as much time to develop the immediate follow-up to the eight-part series despite having a stellar cast in Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams, and Taylor Kitsch. True Detective season 1 was also such an achievement straight out of the gate that season 2 would have been difficult to beat or maintain in quality. The writing in the first season is rich and nuanced filled with unexpected twists and a phenomenally eerie ending.

Great Soundtrack

One of the best features of True Detective season 1 is its sizable soundtrack. Some of the most notable songs from season 1 include “Stand By Me” by Staple Singers, “Meet Me In the Alleyway” by Steve Earle, “Train Song” by Vashti Bunyan, “Casey’s Last Ride” by Kris Kristofferson, “Are You Alright?” by Lucinda Williams, and “Lungs” By Townes. The True Detective theme song, “Far from Any Road” by The Handsome Family, is also one of the most popular songs from the series and sets a mythical Western tone for the grisly show.

Compelling Dialogue

True Detective season 1 is full of slow yet sharp dialogue between Marty and Rust, characterized by the southern drawl of their Louisiana accents. Some of the best lines of the series are found in season 1, including the memorable introduction to older Rust’s character in which he says, “It’s Thursday and it’s past noon. Thursday is one of my days off. On my days off I start drinking at noon. You don’t get to interrupt that.” Another classic line from the series goes, “I know who I am. And after all these years, there’s a victory in that”, which acts as a great example of Rust’s soul-searching character.

Philosophical Themes

The most fascinating part about Rust’s character is his spontaneous and sprawling philosophical concepts. Rust explores themes of pessimism, existentialism, and religion with his signature cynical perspective. Another one of Rust’s classic lines reads, “This place is like somebody’s memory of a town, and the memory is fading. It’s like there was never anything here but jungle.” Rust constantly makes observations that are wise, encompassing, and wonderfully strange throughout True Detective season 1, which is one of the reasons why it’s the best season of the acclaimed HBO series.