TRUE DETECTIVE on hbo - Season Two

cronenberg otm

http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/true-detective-season-3-still-up-in-the-air-as-hbo-inks-deal-with-nic-pizzolatto-through-2018-1201642681/

HBO has inked an overall deal with “True Detective” creator Nic Pizzolatto through 2018, Variety has learned. Under the new pact, a number of new projects from Pizzolatto are being considered, including future installments of “True Detective,” though a third season is still not a sure thing.

However, the deal paves the way for a go-ahead decision for another season of “True Detective.” Sources say HBO has been looking to make a change in the way the show is run, given the critical response to the second season, and has presented Pizzolatto with a number of options. Those options include: him working with a staff of writers, having a new showrunner come in, as well as him going it alone again. In all scenarios, he would remain an exec producer.

Sources say HBO has been pressing Pizzolatto for an answer so they can move forward with production on the show.

don't bother

"I welcome judgement."

https://lawrenec.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/nic-pizzolatto.jpg

Couple of episodes to go. I haven't hated 2 by any means, though I can see why people do--the first season had Woody Harrelson around to mitigate (and make fun of) McConaughey's relentlessly elevated philosophizing, Vaughn and Farrell just pile it on unchecked. The Dolls were funny, right out of the blue (wish they'd turned the volume up). Not sure what's on the mysterious hard drive; maybe it'll be the same stuff that was on that VHS in the first season, but digitized.

Definitely got sillier towards the end. I'd sum the whole thing up two ways: 1) Too many lines like "The trajectory of it." Way too many. 2) When Colin Farrell smiled at one point in the last half-hour, I'm pretty sure it was the first and only time he smiled during the entire eight hours. The only time I laughed myself was Vaughn's bucket-list line.

I searched "polygon" from the URL and can't see that anybody posted this. Whatever you thought of the show, pretty impressive.

http://www.polygon.com/2015/8/24/9155667/true-detective-season-2-explain-details-characters-plot-help-episode-7-8-recap-overview

This one really helped me to make sense of it:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2015/08/03/true_detective_season_two_a_guide_to_the_plot_of_this_confusing_season.html

Season 2 was really good. Some odd jump cuts script and direction wise but there was a lot to hold up against series 1 imo

Thanks for the Slate link--will look that over. I gave up trying to follow the story in anything more than broad outline by about the third episode. When I criticize the terseness and weird constructions of the script, I do realize it's very consciously stylized to be noir dialogue--you could say the same about Double Indemnity ("Why do they talk like that?" one of my students once asked), and I love the script there. So there is design. Some of the stills in the polygon link are excellent, especially the ones where you can wipe the frame left or right (I've never seen that before).

third season doubtful

It was probably just residual but I still got more excited for new S2 eps than I did for just about any other show :(

it did have the edge of the unexpected to it, even if it never materialized. still hope he brings on other writers and better directors for any potential third season.

give me Billy Zane and Linda Fiorentino for toppings, I still want my pizza

Season 3 should better rewrite of Season 2.

*should be a

Robert Downey Jr. and True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto are setting up a new show about Erle Stanley Gardner’s iconic defense lawyer Perry Mason at HBO, Variety reports. It’s the project’s second incarnation for the Iron Man star: Downey Jr. and his wife Susan Downey originally set up a Perry Mason feature at Warner Bros. back in 2011 through their production company Team Downey. Marc Guggenheim was hired to write the feature version, but Nic Pizzolatto will handle writing duties this time around. Pizzolatto, who created and wrote both seasons of True Detective, is under contract at HBO through 2018.

i can't really begin to imagine what that would be like

Oh I can and the theme music is fantastic

otm

Just re-read Lorrie Moore's good TDS2 essay tonight:

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2015/09/24/true-detective-sympathy-devil/

i finally watched this. surprised looking back at how negative the consensus was, i thought it was really great. i found the ending a lot more satisfying that s1's for sure: the right kind of unsatisfying (instead of dropping everything interesting in favor of an End Boss)

not that it didn't have probs. i thought the mystery was really cool, characters and locale all totally compelling, but every time anyone opened their mouth, really dumb things came out. sort of got hypnotic after a while.

the three main cop characters were all basically the same, all grim and dutiful in the same way, miserable with a Secret in the same writerly way. after reading Ghettoside i've wanted to see a cop character on the model of those irl successful detectives: driven yes but generally straightforward and untroubled by anything! jockish, a bit boring. probably the wrong thing to having in mind for watching noir.

vaughn, oof. idk man. i like him, but come on. feel like the show gave him the wrong thing to do. couldn't he be funny? vince vaughn is funny, feel like semyon probably got a long way by being funny. kelly reilly was great. they both seemed to be struggling uphill against what was on the page but she did better at it.

I guess nobody cared enough to mention that Mahershala Ali has been cast as the lead in S3

yeah that's great news!

David Milch's involvement is another intriguing development

didn't know that. i love him but idk if that's good? 15% chance amazing, 85% never ever get made, great job

re: VV, i probably said this upthread but the part was clearly written for the guy they wanted, not the guy they got

But Vince won the part by walking into the audition and saying to Nic, "Sometimes the guy you want is the guy you got."

del toro would have been perfect tho

http://deadline.com/2017/08/true-detective-season-3-pickup-hbo-premise-jeremy-saulnier-nic-pizzolatto-direct-mahershala-ali-star-1202159482/

HBO has officially greenlighted a third season of Nic Pizzolatto’s crime anthology series True Detective. The pickup was considered a formality after the network earlier this summer closed a deal with Oscar winner Mahershala Ali to star in the new installment, with the green light contingent on locking in a director. Jeremy Saulnier (The Green Room) has now been set as a Season 3 director alongside Pizzolatto who will make his directorial debut on the series.

Season 3 of True Detective will tell the story of a macabre crime in the heart of the Ozarks, and a mystery that deepens over decades and plays out in three separate time periods. Ali will play the lead role of Wayne Hays, a state police detective from Northwest Arkansas.

i can personally confirm that the ozarks are a suitably creepy setting for the show

i love Saulnier, and Ali...this bodes well!!

iirc the ozarks was to be the original setting for season one.

anyway yeah i'm all in on this obv.

Saulnier is a nice fit.

David Milch cowriting episode 4 apparently :D

dorff

https://theplaylist.net/true-detective-jeremy-saulnier-exit-20180330

Pizzolato must be a joy to work with.

bummer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpUznQds8p4

this looks amazing

i am ready for this

On board

oh hell yes

Oh yes let's do this.

hum. I'll check it out for sure but this trailer isn't particularly exciting to me.
In the meantime, I might try again to watch s2 (I couldn't stand it long enough to make it until the end of... ep1 !)

I was going to say, Ali is a fine actor and all, but this brand was pretty much trashed by that last shitshow!

I never even attempted S2, but this sounds promising.

S2 is one of the most singular pieces of trash of the 21st century. I suspect this will be much less interesting

it's going to take a *lot* more than that trailer to get me on board.

I will eat this pizza

+ Mahershala Ali
+ Scoot McNairy
+ Jeremy Saulnier (GREEN ROOM)
+ Milch (or at least a little Milch)

- Season 2

? Steven Dorff
? was Season 2 just a rush job/First Draft Theatre or did Nicky Pizza run out of ideas in Season 1