One of the major reasons that miniseries have better luck attracting Hollywood stars than multi-season shows is the limited commitment. That was certainly the case for Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson when they decided to take on HBO’s True Detective, which blew everything around it out of the water when it premiered in January. Now that the acclaimed detective drama is expected to take the Emmys by force this year, it turns out that McConaughey is a little more open to the possiblity of returning to the series somewhere down the line.
In an Emmy-related conversation with Deadline, McConaughey admitted that the limited commitment was a major factor in him agreeing to do True Detective, but explained that he’s more willing to consider another run on the show now that the experience is over and done. Of being involved for just one season, he said:
“That was always how I saw it. One season, eight episodes, a finite beginning, middle and end, goodbye, look forward to watching it. If HBO had wanted an option on me for a Season 2 or 3, I wouldn’t have done it. I wouldn’t have walked into something where they could say, ‘We’ve got you for the next three years.'”
Of course, the critical acclaim and enjoyable experience of putting True Detective together has made McConaughey consider returning. Of his potential future with the show, the Oscar winner (for Dallas Buyers Club)Â said:
“I liked True Detective, the whole series and the experience of making it, so much that I’d be open to doing another one now. At the time, I was looking at six months and not beyond that. I don’t know of a feature film I’d sign for where I’m going to say, ‘If this works, you’ve got me whenever you want me for the next three years.'”
For now, however, show creator Nic Pizzolato is moving forward for a season two without McConaughey or Harrelson. He’s plotting another finite storyline, with three leads, one which is steeped in the “psychosphere ambience” of a little known part of California. Apparently, Pizzolato is modeling the three leads on Jessica Chastain, Christian Bale and Joaquin Phoenix, three actors he knows he has zero chance of landing.
We’ll probably get some casting announcements for the second season of True Detective quite soon, but the idea of McConaughey returning to the series is one that is sure to divide fans. For this writer, though, the idea of the show using completely different actors each season makes a lot more sense than reusing the same actors in different roles. Still, anything Pizzolato devises should be worth watching, with or without McConaughey.
