No matter how much hype and anticipation that preceded it, True Detective season 2 seemed to succumb to the ol’ second album syndrome. Though it may have expanded the scope and character roster from the maiden outing, swapping a swampy, rural setting for the neon signs and dark underbelly of Los Angeles, its story simply didn’t emulate that of Rust Cohle and Marty Hart.
Questions arose thick and fast, with many fans – us included – wondering how one of television’s finest dramas had transformed into a mediocre procedural within the space of one season. And while it doesn’t necessarily answer all of those questions, Variety has posted a fascinating interview with series director Cary Fukunaga, who admitted that he “really wasn’t involved” in the sophomore season True Detective.
Listed as an executive producer on HBO’s drama, here’s what Fukunaga had to say about his involvement – or lack thereof – in the most recent season.
“I really wasn’t involved,” he said. “My involvement in the second season was as much or as little as they needed me. It turns out they didn’t need me.”
In his absence, series creator and writer Nic Pizzolatto opted for a rotating roster of episode directors for season 2 of True Detective, though that core, unflinching mystery is one of the elements that was arguably lacking this time around, as it helped string the story along as the original season flitted between Cohle and Hart in the present day and ’95. Responding to Fukunaga’s comments, here’s Pizzolatto’s own two cents.
“The director character in episode 3 was absolutely not meant to represent or allude to Cary in any way. The actor (Philip Moon) was hired because I was a fan of his from ‘Deadwood,’ and he arrived with the look he had. I have the utmost respect for Cary, and I look forward to his new picture.”
True Detective season 2 aired on HBO earlier this year. For more on the crime drama, you can check out our own thoughts on the sophomore outing.
