Before Mindhunter and The Night Of, there was True Detective leading the charge for prestige crime procedural television. Four seasons of the hit HBO series have run in all, albeit with varying levels of quality. Here are all seasons of True Detective, ranked from worst to best.
4) Season 2
Set in present-day Los Angeles, True Detective Season 2 follows officers from three different police departments working together to solve the murder of a corrupt city manager. This is coupled with a local crime boss who’s attempting to go legitimate getting pulled into the investigation because of his links to the case. This leads to a collision course between the cops, the organized crime element, and the killer, with explosive consequences for the City of Angels.
True Detective Season 2 feels like a completely different show compared to the other seasons, from its eschewing of playing regularly with time to its urban setting. Whereas the first season was directed by a single person, the second season has six directors, marring the consistency in storytelling. Emboldened by the success of the first season, True Detective Season 2 feels rushed to get a new season out to capitalize on the positive buzz and momentum, ultimately just falling flat on its face.
3) Season 3
After the critical disappointment of its second season, True Detective took a four-year hiatus before returning for its third season in 2019. Taking a narrative cue from the first season, True Detective Season 3 covers a murder mystery spanning 1980 to 2015, with three different time periods explored in this window. Set in the Ozarks, the mystery involves two missing children and expands into a larger conspiracy, with new details coming to light as a true crime documentary is produced about it decades later.
True Detective Season 3 largely is a return to form, with Pizzolatto as the sole credited writer again, while directorial duties are divided between two directors as opposed to six. A lot of the improvement in quality comes from having Mahershala Ali as the season’s lead actor, with Ali playing the protagonist, police detective Wayne Hayes, and taking an effectively haunting approach. Though not as tightly constructed or slickly delivered as the first season, True Detective Season 3 demonstrated that the show wasn’t a one-off success.
2) Season 4
For the first time since the show’s launch, a season of True Detective lacked the writing talents of creator Nic Pizzolatto, with Issa López stepping up to write or co-write every single episode of the fourth season, in addition to directing and executive producing the season. Set in rural Alaska, True Detective Season 4 sees eight people at a nearby research station suddenly go missing. Local police detectives Liz Danvers and Evangeline Navarro investigate the disappearances in a world of long, frigid nightfall and a small community hiding their own secrets.
There have always been thriller elements to True Detective, but the fourth season is the show at its absolute scariest, with shadow-filled cinematography and tense pacing. Season star Jodie Foster practically helped define the crime thriller genre with The Silence of the Lambs and remains in top form here as Detective Danvers. In moving beyond Pizzolatto, True Detective got the creative shot in the arm it needed for years while retaining what makes the show so great.
1) Season 1
The story that started it all, the first season of True Detective has Louisiana police detectives Marty Hart and Rust Cohle linked to a murder mystery spanning from 1995 to 2012. Set in three different time periods within this window, the two detectives look into a series of murders involving girls and women with supernatural undertones. Juxtaposing this investigation is the relationship between the two men, ranging from a tight partnership to a bitter falling out and reconciliation against a common enemy.
There are several things that elevate the first season above anything that has come after. It features stylish direction by Cary Joji Fukunaga, magnetic rapport between stars Matthew McConaughy and Woody Harrelson, and the best writing Pizzolatto has done to date. McConaughey was at the peak of his acting renaissance by the time True Detective premiered, and his performance reflects his intense creative rebirth. And though many were disappointed that the story didn’t descend into full-blown cosmic horror, as hinted, that was never really the goal, instead telling a compelling mystery at the heart of a deep friendship.
