Summary

• True Detective season 1 elevated TV as cinema, with its cinematic approach to style, storytelling, and pacing, making it feel more like a long movie than a typical crime show.
• The involvement of A-list actors like Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson broke new ground in TV, inspiring other major stars to transition to the medium, leading to more movie actors starring in TV shows.
• True Detective season 1 set a new standard for dark and realistic storytelling in the crime genre, treating its subject matter seriously and creating a trend for subsequent shows to follow.

Since its release in 2014, True Detective season 1 has cemented its status as one of the most influential TV events in recent memory. While the show itself has suffered following lackluster followups, the original story remains wildly popular with viewers and is credited with revitalizing the career of star Matthew McConaughey. More than this, however, the past decade has also revealed how the trends established in True Detective have gone on to define television, creating a legacy that few other shows can rival.

Set in rural Louisiana, True Detective season 1 is a masterpiece in dark, brooding storytelling. Following detectives Rust Cohle and Marty Hart (played by McConaughey and Woody Harrelson respectively), the show unpacks a twisted occult conspiracy involving murder, child abuse, and an active serial killer. While the main narrative was extremely harrowing, True Detective won acclaim for its cinematic approach, elevated tone, and powerhouse performances. These attributes, along with several others, explain exactly how the show was able to completely change TV.

True Detective Led To More Movie Actors Starring In TV Shows

Although True Detective was far from the first series to use A-list actors to bring some credibility to the content, the involvement and performances of Harrelson and McConaughey took this burgeoning trend to a whole new level. Whereas many shows had previously relied on a single big name to draw in audiences, True Detective could boast an Academy Award winner in the form of McConaughey, as well as other Hollywood stars like Harrelson and Michelle Monaghan. The success of this approach only encouraged other major stars to make the transition to TV.

Later series such as Mare of Eastown, Big Little Lies, and The Undoing all included major names while focusing on crime and law enforcement. Were it not for True Detective's cast winning such universal praise and elevating what could otherwise have been dismissed as "pulpy", sensationalist content, it's unlikely that other actors would have ed the trend. Without completely breaking new ground, True Detective certainly helped make this development possible.

True Detective Took Anthology Shows To A Whole New Level

Anthology shows have long been a feature of the television landscape, but True Detective brought some interesting and much-needed innovation to the genre. Hot on the heels of other popular anthologies like American Horror Story and Black Mirror, and just ahead of Fargo, the show proved that an anthology could be high-concept and high-quality, emphasizing subtext as well as spectacle. Additionally, True Detective also innovated the idea of an eight-episode season – a limited number that was relatively uncommon before 2014. Now, hits like Russian Doll, and Unbelievable all follow this shorter format, while some shows include even fewer episodes while still delivering a compelling extended story.

True Detective Elevated The Idea Of TV As Cinema

Following big-budget television events like Game of Thrones and The Rings of Power, it's easy to forget that there was a time when TV was seen as cinema's poor relation. While True Detective lacked the grandeur and special effects of other series, the show arguably did more to establish the format as cinema's equal, thanks to its approach to style, storytelling, and pacing. Sequences like the one-shot rescue in episode 4 were a precursor to director Cary Joji Fukunaga's work on No Time To Die, while the beautifully photographed Louisiana landscape gave True Detective a theatrical sense of scale. Similarly, the series' approach to telling a single, expansive story made the show feel more like a long movie than a typical crime show.

Following the success of True Detective's polished production, it is now relatively commonplace for TV shows to feel more like features than isolated weekly events. A series like Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone, which also draws on the landscape for inspiration, is a prime example of how ambitious scope can enhance the drama. While many shows have replicated a Hollywood feel with huge budgets and impressive CGI, True Detective proved that it's possible to do so more subtly, paving the way for others to do the same.

True Detective Made Dark, Realistic Stories Fashionable

Perhaps the biggest influence that True Detective season 1 had on TV as a whole, and the crime genre specifically, is in the prevalence of dark and gruesome stories. While crime has always been a compelling subject, many shows have treated it in a sensational, somewhat superficial way. Popular hits like Law & Order frequently use bizarre, often extremely violent plotlines, without ever making a convincing case that the events themselves could ever happen in reality. True Detective was different.

Even though the show's central story about a string of ritualistic murders and the occult sounds more like an episode of Supernatural than anything based in reality, True Detective took its subject extremely seriously. The result was that both the action and the characters felt real in a way that subsequent series have also tried to replicate. Whether fictional (Mare of Eastown) or inspired by real life (Mindhunter), True Detective's fingerprints are all over modern TV's fixation with dark, realistic storytelling.

Not Even True Detective Could Compete With True Detective

Nowhere is the extent to which True Detective season 1 was a trendsetter more obvious than in the series' own follow-up seasons. So successful was the show's blend of gritty content, thoughtful dialogue, and A-list performances, that True Detective season 2 tried desperately to recapture the magic. Unfortunately, the result was a disaster. In an attempt to raise the stakes, season 2 wove a confusing narrative thread across multiple character arcs while failing to provide a gripping central story. Like many other imitators, the season took superficial lessons from why True Detective season 1 was so good and failed to expand on them.

True Detective season 2's failure is emblematic of the original's enduring influence. Season 1 was able to change the game for the entire crime subgenre, rewriting the rules and setting a new standard in the process. As with all great trendsetters, the show's signature style and content became seen as a template for success – ignoring other aspects like story and script in the process. Ultimately, True Detective season 1 set the standard so high that it doomed its own follow-ups to failure. Nevertheless, despite this mixed reputation, it remains a vital benchmark in the past 10 years of TV.