Common Sense Media Review
By Kari Croop
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Unsettling crimes make for complicated character studies.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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True Detective
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. In the third season, aging detectives (Mahershala Ali and Stephen Dorff) look back on the dark disappearance of two children. The fourth season stars Jodie Foster and Kali Reis as Alaska detectives investigating the disappearance of eight people from a remote Arctic research station.
Is It Any Good?
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
- Premiere date : January 12, 2014
- Cast : Rachel McAdams , Colin Farrell , Matthew McConaughey , Jodie Foster , Woody Harrelson
- Network : HBO
- Genre : Drama
- TV rating :
- Awards : Golden Globe - Golden Globe Award Winner , NAACP Image Award - NAACP Image Award Nominee
- Last updated : January 14, 2025
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