Parents' Guide to

True Detective

By Kari Croop, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Unsettling crimes make for complicated character studies.

TV HBO Drama 2014
True Detective Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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age 17+

Based on 10 parent reviews

MelanieJ 1
MelanieJ 1 Parent
February 21, 2015
age 18+

Simultaneously Brilliant and Sick

This series is perfectly executed--amazing acting, directing, photography, script, score...a real home run. It is, however, disturbing on a level I have never before experienced. The graphic scenes of torture, incest, murder, sex, violence, and moments leading up to child molestation feature such powerful imagery, they are likely to pop into your head for quite some time to come. You will be disgusted at what your brain chose to retain. There is not a lot of hope or beauty in this series. It's interesting and compelling, but I think of these things in terms of payoff. If you go through the grisly to land on something soul-satisfying, the investment was worthwhile. If you come up feeling empty, though, what was the point in exposing yourself to the darkness? What was the point in sinking so much time into it? I expected the first "shock" scene to be the most disturbing, as a method for hooking the audience. It actually got darker after that, though. The season is so short that by the time I realized I was too sensitive for this show, I was already halfway through and figured I should power through to get the ending payoff. I should have considered it a sunk cost, though, because the final episodes were the most disturbing. Knowing this is how an adult feels about the series, you can imagine how inappropriate it would be for kids of any age. As a nearly 40-year-old "child," I would actually be embarrassed if my parents saw this and knew I had watched it. Certainly, there are plenty of adults who can handle it and would enjoy it. Like I said, it's brilliantly done. However, in order for an actual child to watch it and not be traumatized, they would have to be desensitized to the level of a future serial killer. No child of any age should watch this.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
1 person found this helpful.
rtgfc T.
rtgfc T. Adult
April 1, 2023
age 16+
See all 10 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Designed to run as an anthology of individual miniseries, TRUE DETECTIVE devotes each new season to a different case that's being investigated by a different crop of crime solvers. Polar-opposite partners Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Martin Hart (Woody Harrelson) star in the series' first season in Louisiana with a search for the twisted mind behind a series of chilling murders, all while they grapple with their own personal demons. The second season shifts to California, where a trio of brooding cops -- Ani Bezzerides (Rachel McAdams), Ray Velcoro (Colin Farrell), and Paul Woodrugh (Taylor Kitsch) -- come together to solve a disturbing crime.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (10):
Kids say (6):

Named in homage to a popular true-crime rag that debuted in the 1920s, True Detective isn't necessarily a period piece, although it does play with chronological structure via a series of flashbacks that bounce viewers back and forth between decades. It's definitely not a traditional crime drama either, thanks to creative choices that set it apart from competing crime shows and, in the end, make for smart, cerebral TV that's as challenging as it is chilling.

One of those choices is the decision to center each season on a separate murder case, involving different characters and casts from year to year, similar in structure to American Horror Story. That makes it hard to predict what kids will see on-screen -- and whether a new season will be as good as its predecessors. But judging from the show's first two seasons, it's a sure bet that adults are the intended audience.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the messages True Detective sends about good and evil, crime and punishment, and human nature, particularly in terms of criminals and the law-enforcement agents who bring them to justice. How do the main characters measure up as role models?

  • How does True Detective compare to the slew of crime dramas currently on television. From storytelling to cinematography, what things does this series do differently -- and do they work?

  • How does True Detective play with traditional structure? What are the pros and cons of its anthology approach that devotes each new season to a different case and a different set of characters?

TV Details

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