True Detective

Created and written by novelist Nic Pizzolatto and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, HBO's original series True Detective—telling a self-contained story—stars Matthew McConaughey as Detective Rust Cohle, a smart detective with fierce psychological insight into criminals, but poor collaborative and social skills, and Woody Harrelson as Detective Marty Hart, a family man with a more traditional approach to police work and more familiar personal issues. Not really odd couple partners, the pair are more like colliding personalities who have to work to get along enough to solve cases, and both agree that there is something troubling about their current murder investigation, which bears similarities to other unsolved murders, as cryptic clues shepherd the detectives down a murky trail that leads to a regional church, a white supremacist organization, and a history of bad police work and cover-ups. The narrative spans 17 years, framed by interviews with the two detectives years after the investigation ended without an arrest. And while it seems to head into supernatural territory, the scariest revelation here is how evil can continue for decades due to corruption, special interests, and institutional incompetence. Beautifully written and directed, with haunting imagery and challenging subject matter, True Detective benefits greatly from the performances by Harrelson and McConaughey, who inhabit rich, complicated, terribly flawed characters. Compiling all eight episodes from 2014, extras include episode commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and cast and creator interviews. Sure to appeal to fans of dark, complex mysteries and sophisticated TV storytelling, this is highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)