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True Detective season 2

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True Detective (season 2)
Season 2
File:True Detective S2.jpg
Promotional poster featuring Colin Farrell
Starring
No. of episodes8
Release
Original networkHBO
Original releaseJune 21 (2015-06-21) –
August 9, 2015 (2015-08-09)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 1
Next →
Season 3
List of episodes

The second season of True Detective, an American anthology crime drama television series created by Nic Pizzolatto, began airing on June 21, 2015, on the premium cable network HBO. With a principal cast of Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch, Kelly Reilly, and Vince Vaughn, the season comprises eight episodes and concluded its initial airing on August 9, 2015.

The season's story takes place in California and follows the interweaving stories of officers from three cooperating police departments; when California Highway Patrol officer and war veteran Paul Woodrugh (Kitsch) discovers the body of corrupt city manager Ben Caspere on the side of a highway, Vinci Police Department detective Raymond "Ray" Velcoro (Farrell) and Ventura County Sheriff's Office CID Antigone "Ani" Bezzerides (McAdams) are called to assist in the following investigation. Career criminal Francis "Frank" Semyon (Vaughn) attempts to legitimize his business with his wife Jordan (Reilly) by investing in a rail project overseen by Caspere, but loses his money when Caspere is killed, prompting him to start his own investigation.

Episodes

See also: List of True Detective episodes
No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
91"The Western Book of the Dead"Justin LinNic PizzolattoJune 21, 2015 (2015-06-21)3.17[1]
102"Night Finds You"Justin LinNic PizzolattoJune 28, 2015 (2015-06-28)3.05[2]
113"Maybe Tomorrow"Janus MetzNic PizzolattoJuly 5, 2015 (2015-07-05)2.62[3]
124"Down Will Come"Jeremy PodeswaNic Pizzolatto & Scott LasserJuly 12, 2015 (2015-07-12)2.36[4]
135"Other Lives"John CrowleyNic PizzolattoJuly 19, 2015 (2015-07-19)2.42[5]
146"Church in Ruins"Miguel SapochnikNic Pizzolatto & Scott LasserJuly 26, 2015 (2015-07-26)2.34[6]
157"Black Maps and Motel Rooms"Daniel AttiasNic PizzolattoAugust 2, 2015 (2015-08-02)2.18[7]
168"Omega Station"John CrowleyNic PizzolattoAugust 9, 2015 (2015-08-09)TBD

Cast

Main cast

Taylor Kitsch (top) and Vince Vaughn (bottom) star in season two as Paul Woodrugh and Frank Semyon, respectively.

Recurring cast

Production

In January 2014, Pizzolatto signed a two-year contract extension with HBO, effectively renewing the series for two additional seasons.[25] Much like its predecessor, season two of True Detective consists of eight episodes, all written by Pizzolatto.[26] However, the responsibility of directing was assigned to several people; Justin Lin directed the first two episodes,[27] and, in July 2014, William Friedkin was being considered as a director of later episodes.[28] Fukunaga, who directed all of season one, did not return as director; he remains, however, an executive producer,[29] as do McConaughey and Harrelson. Pizzolatto hired fellow novelist Scott Lasser to help break stories for the second half of the season.[29]

Casting

The success of True Detective, and its subsequent renewal, fueled casting rumors in the press. At one point, early media reports named Cate Blanchett, Josh Brolin, Joaquin Phoenix, Garrett Hedlund, Michael Fassbender, Jessica Chastain, Christian Bale, Elisabeth Moss, and Brad Pitt to be among a raft of potential candidates for the leads.[30][31] The season's first significant casting was Colin Farrell as Ray Velcoro, which he revealed in his September 2014 interview with the Sunday World.[32] Vince Vaughn, playing the role of Frank Semyon, became HBO's next important signing toward the end of the month.[27] By November, True Detective's principal cast expanded to include Taylor Kitsch, Kelly Reilly, and Rachel McAdams.[33][34]

Filming

California was selected as the setting for the second season. Producers were urged to avoid filming in Los Angeles and, instead, focus on the more obscure regions of the state to "capture a certain psycho-sphere ambiance".[26] Production began in November 2014.[35]

Music

T Bone Burnett returned as composer for the second season, and the score for the season is more electronic-influenced than the previous season. Burnett noted that the change in landscape, to California, also changed how he wrote the music.[36] Leonard Cohen's "Nevermind" is the season two opening theme, which is a song off Cohen's 2014 album, Popular Problems.[37] The theme song's lyrics change with every episode, incorporating different verses from Cohen's song.[38][39] Lera Lynn's music is featured throughout the season, and the song "The Only Thing Worth Fighting For", which she composed with Burnett and Rosanne Cash, is used in the season two trailer.[36] Lynn collaborated with Burnett on writing several original songs for the series, with cues from creator Nic Pizzolatto regarding lyrics and content. Lynn also portrays a bar singer in the season, where several of her songs are used, including "My Least Favorite Life", which was written by Cash.[40]

Reception

Reviews

The second season has received generally positive reviews, however many critics feel it is not as strong as the first. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has a rating of 65%, based on 72 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "True Detective's second season stands on its own as a solid police drama, with memorable moments and resonant relationships outweighing predictable plot twists."[41] On Metacritic, the season has a score of 61 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[42]

David Hinckley of the New York Daily News gave it a very positive review, and wrote "It's still the kind of show that makes TV viewers reach for phrases like 'golden age of television drama'" and that "the second installment of True Detective goes out of the way not to echo the first."[43] Hank Stuever of The Washington Post gave it a generally positive review, praising the performances, and wrote, "There is something still lugubrious and overwrought about True Detective, but there's also a mesmerizing style to it — it's imperfect, but well made."[44]

A more mixed review came from Brian Lowry of Variety, who wrote "Although generally watchable, the inspiration that turned the first [season] into an obsession for many seems to have drained out of writer Nic Pizzolatto's prose."[45]

References

  1. ^ Bibel, Sara (June 23, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'True Detective' Wins Night, 'Ballers', 'Naked and Afraid', 'The Last Ship' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  2. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (June 30, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: BET Awards Tops Night + 'True Detective', 'Ballers', 'Naked and Afraid' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  3. ^ Bibel, Sara (July 8, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: Shark Week Wins Night, 'True Detective', ' Ballers', 'The Last Ship', 'Botched', 'Falling Skies' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  4. ^ Bibel, Sara (July 14, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Naked and Afraid XL' Wins Night, 'True Detective', 'Basketball Wives', 'Ballers', 'The Strain' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  5. ^ Bibel, Sara (July 21, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Naked and Afraid XL' Wins Night, 'True Detective', 'Ballers', 'The Strain', 'The Last Ship', 'Tut' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  6. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (July 28, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'I am Cait' Tops Night + 'Naked & Afraid XL', 'Rick & Morty', 'True Detective', NASCAR, 'Ballers' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  7. ^ Bibel, Sara (August 4, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Rick and Morty' & 'Naked and Afraid XL', Win Night, 'True Detective', 'The Last Ship', 'Ballers', 'The Strain', 'Ray Donovan' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  8. ^ a b "Wynn Everett Joins TNT Pilot 'Lumen'; 'True Detective' Adds 2". Deadline.com. December 5, 2014. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
  9. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (October 30, 2014). "'True Detective': Kelly Reilly, Michael Irby, Abigail Spencer, Leven Rambin Eye Roles". Deadline.com. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  10. ^ Bernard, Katherine (June 22, 2015). "Actress Leven Rambin talks Texas, True Detective & her Cinderella style". Yahoo!. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  11. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 14, 2014). "'True Detective' Adds Lolita Davidovich & James Frain For Season 2". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  12. ^ Bibel, Sara (June 9, 2015). "HBO Releases Episode Descriptions for First 2 Episodes of 'True Detective' Season 2". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  13. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 18, 2014). "'True Detective' Adds Riley Smith For Season 2". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  14. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 19, 2014). "'True Detective' Adds Adria Arjona For Season 2". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  15. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 19, 2014). "'True Detective' Adds Michael Hyatt & Yara Martinez As Recurring In Season 2". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  16. ^ Porter, Rick (June 29, 2015). "'True Detective' episode 2: That really Was Rick Springfield". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  17. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 21, 2014). "Nora Arnezeder To Co-Star In 'Zoo'; Christian Campbell Joins 'True Detective'". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
  18. ^ "Jon Lindstrom Joins 'True Detective'; Dan Buran Boards TNT's Drug-Trade Pilot". Deadline.com. November 26, 2014. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
  19. ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (December 5, 2014). "'True Detective' Adds Ronnie Gene Blevins, Emily Rios & Timothy V. Murphy; TBS Vacation Pilot Adds 2". Deadline.com. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  20. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (December 4, 2014). "'True Detective' Enlists 'Dexter' Alum for Season 2 (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  21. ^ Rife, Katie (December 11, 2014). "Rick Springfield joins True Detective season two". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  22. ^ "Ashley Hinshaw Joins 'True Detective'; Winston Duke In 'The Messengers'". Deadline.com. December 11, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  23. ^ a b Fitz-Gerald, Sean (June 6, 2015). "Here's a Description of the True Detective 2 Premiere". Vulture. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  24. ^ Widner, Cindy (June 19, 2015). "Austin native Gabriel Luna spills (a little) on season 2 of HBO's True Detective". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  25. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 24, 2014). "'True Detective' Creator Nic Pizzolatto Signs New Overall Deal With HBO, Paving Way For Season 2 Of Breakout Drama". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  26. ^ a b Hibberd, James (May 27, 2014). "'True Detective' season 2 scoop: Trio of leads, California setting". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
  27. ^ a b Hibberd, James (September 23, 2014). "HBO confirms 'True Detective' season 2 cast: Vince Vaughn, Colin Farrell to star". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  28. ^ Rife, Katie (July 10, 2014). "William Friedkin says he's had meetings about directing True Detective". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  29. ^ a b Rose, Lacey (August 6, 2014). "'True Detective's' Nic Pizzolatto on Season 2, 'Stupid Criticism' and Rumors of On-Set Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  30. ^ Vincent, Alice (January 12, 2015). "True Detective, season 2: news & cast rumours". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  31. ^ Whitney, Erin (September 24, 2014). "The Crazy And Not-So-Brief History Of Every 'True Detective' Season 2 Rumor". The Huffington Post. Arianna Huffington. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  32. ^ Coleman, Miriam (September 21, 2014). "Colin Farrell Confirms That He's Joining the Cast of 'True Detective'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  33. ^ Fowler, Matt (October 27, 2014). "Taylor Kitsch Confirms True Detective Season 2 Role". IGN. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  34. ^ Hibberd, James (November 24, 2014). "'True Detective' confirms 3 more cast members". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  35. ^ "Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch and Kelly Reilly Join Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn in HBO's "True Detective"" (Press release). HBO. November 24, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
  36. ^ a b O'Donnell, Kevin (June 10, 2015). "T Bone Burnett reveals the title of the True Detective season 2 trailer song". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  37. ^ Zoladz, Lindsay (June 21, 2015). "A History of True Detective's New Theme Song, 'Nevermind'". Vulture. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  38. ^ Tach, Dave (July 7, 2015). "True Detective season two watchthrough: episodes two and three". Polygon. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  39. ^ Pehanick, Maggie (July 6, 2015). "Have You Noticed That True Detective's Theme Song Changes Every Week?". PopSugar. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  40. ^ Jones, Nate (June 28, 2015). "True Detective's Lera Lynn Wants You to Know That She Is Nothing Like the Sad Singer She Plays". Vulture. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  41. ^ "True Detective: Season 2 (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  42. ^ "True Detective: Season 2 reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  43. ^ Hinckley, David (June 12, 2015). "'True Detective' review: Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn head new team at HBO including Rachel McAdams and Taylor Kitsch". New York Dally News. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  44. ^ Stuever, Hank (June 16, 2015). "'True Detective' Season 2: New cast, setting, same grim self-seriousness". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  45. ^ Lowry, Brian (June 12, 2015). "TV Review: 'True Detective,' Season 2". Variety. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
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