True Detective HBO Series

IMO, American Horror Story isn't a mini-series, but I suppose the show's producers/network can have it considered in any category they like if the guidelines permit. OTOH, I think Fargo was originally developed as a mini-series. It'll be interesting to see how the show is categorized after a second season.

 

Next cast...

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/23/s...-farrell-vince-vaughn/index.html?eref=edition

 

It also looks like Rachel McAdams will get the nod for female lead. I hope so - I like her much.

 

Well, all that I read so far doesn't really get me very excited about this new season - male leads - meh / female Claudia Schiffer clone - meh

What made the first season so great was the absence of a female lead - it just was not needed because the chemistry between the two male leads was the focus - that is where the intensity came from IMO - we shall see, but sometimes less is more - what I could get into would be two female leads and no male lead, I think that would allow a nice focus too, but battered and broken females, not those dime-a-dozen cuties.

 

Personally, I'd never make a qualitative judgment on an upcoming production based on the presence or absence of a female lead nor on their appearance. The new leads are more than capable of putting in a good performance. At the end of the day, storytelling is king and given the established track record of the writer/producers, I think there is more cause for optimism then pessimism.

 

Well.... that's disappointing.

 

Rachel McAdams is a fine choice. Claudia Schiffer clone? Please...

Funny or Die posted a spoof of the series recently, (short) actresses Ellen Page and Kata Mara are "Tiny Detectives".

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/1a75991cd1/tiny-detectives-with-kate-mara-and-ellen-page

 

Not really a fan of any of the announced cast for the current season (nor am I particularly fascinated by "the secret occult history of the United States transportation system") but the first season completely won me over on every level so I'd be an idiot to think it couldn't happen again.

 

Yeah, I was puzzled by that comparison too.

 

Why ?

 

You’re right, the similarities are stunning. Each of these two females has two eyes, a nose and a mouth right there in the face where they belong.

 

You can get specific pics of two different people that maximize their similarity, but I know what Claudia looks like (through years of intense scrutiny ) and also Rachel, and they're not really that similar. But either way, what's that got to do with anything??

 

The real play would have been to cast the interrogation team from the 1st season....

 

For me too. I'll watch the first episode though and go from there.

 

So I liked the show but after the initial viewing. I've come to the conclusion True Detective is a triumph of style over content.

 

Hmm, I rather like the sound of that. Maybe because the first thing I thought when I read it was "sounds a bit like the secret alternative postal network in Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49".

 

Seems stupid to call it "True Detective" without any of the characters or the actors from season 1! It would be like Breaking Bad Season Two being about two meth cooks in Iowa. Makes no sense!

Also, for anyone thinking that Vaughn, Farrell and McAdams aren't up to the task, remember that people had a very different belief in the acting ability of Matthew McConaughey before Dallas Buyers Club!

 

It's an anthology, no so much a serial series. Like American Horror Story where things are very different every season. I think it's a great way to keep a show fresh and interesting.

 

I think this show has become of the more overrated shows in recent history. Aside from the middle episodes of the first season, which were brilliant, season one really wasn't all that spectacular. The curtain was pulled back to reveal a fairly generic killer who's "work" far outshone his actual persona. I don't think season 2 has as much expectation to live up to as so many viewers would like to believe. Provide a good mystery and a similar sense of broader intrigue and I'll be more or less satisfied, hoping that the people behind the show realize they actually fell a little short toward the end of the first season and focus harder on a satisfying conclusion, which might be hard for them to do with so much devotion coming from the fans.

 

I'll confess, I don't know the difference between an anthology and a serial series. And I've never seen American Horror Story!

To me it seems fairly obvious that they're using the True Detective name because it has value. Without some onscreen tie in to season one (actors, characters, even a use of the same location) it seems stupid to use the name and call it a second season when it will be standing on its own in every other way!

How is the show any more or less fresh or interesting in season two if it's called True Detective Season Two or Career Criminal??

 

Ferrell and especially, Vaughn, are two of my least favorite actors. I can't imagine watching 8 hours of Vince Vaughn in anything.

 

Have you ever read an anthology set in book form? Something like Short Cuts by Raymond Carver? Or Greek mythology? It's essentially the same idea, where different stories and characters embody similar themes and / or ideas. American Horror Story keeps the same actors, but every season is a different kind of horror show. Season one was a house, season two was an asylum, season three covered witchcraft, and next season is a circus freak show. I don't know what True Detective has in store for next season, maybe they keep the dark philosophical element while changing everything else. It's the same show spiritually but a completely different story. It was pitched this way from the get-go, not as an afterthought to milk the success of first season and cut marketing costs.

And in that same vein, that's how things stay fresh. One story is entirely complete so they move onto the next. No need to try to further develop characters, spin them in a new creative way, or maintaining character and story arcs to keep the audience interested.

 

American Horror Story is a completely different story each season, they share some of the same actors season to season but all the characters are different, locations are different, etc. This sounds similar in structure.

I think it's a great idea myself.

 

Vaughn needs to pull an Affleck or his career is over.

 

He needs to be a completely different person from the unwarrantedly egotistical jerk he usually plays. If he can cool it a notch and play it straight, with a new kind of persona, it could work. I'll give it a chance.