True Detective’s Other Lead Character

Most people who watched the first season of True Detective, without any effort at all, will be able to recall the Louisiana setting. That’s something worth noting, since the settings of many television shows is almost instantly forgettable. Some large city, perhaps New York or L.A, doesn’t have any real impact unless done right. The fact that the setting is so important to the story is an anomaly in almost all of television; the fact that you can practically breathe the air is an astounding feat. We have a number of people to thank for this, including creator and writer Nic Pizzolatto, director Cary Joji Fukunaga, and cinematographer Adam Arkapaw. These three people are largely responsible for making Louisiana come alive. With season 2 using multiple directors, it will be up to each one to create that same feeling. A daunting task indeed.

Pizzolatto has said that season 2 will take place in California, but will fortunately eschew Los Angeles. As interesting as his take on L.A might be, it’s been done a thousand times before and he is surely aware of that. One of the many aspects that made season one so strong is the fact that it was shot on location in Louisiana — hopefully a trend that will continue with season 2. Louisiana is its own character in the first season, and it will be bittersweet to bid farewell to it. The second season will have to transform whatever part of California is chosen into a living, breathing entity if it hopes to even come close to being as affecting as the previous season.

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It’s no secret that True Detective is influenced by Twin Peaks, and one of the reasons that series was so strong was due to its sense of time and place. Conversely, the X-Files was a fantastic, genre-defining series, but think of what it could have done with a more fleshed-out surrounding world. Granted, FBI agents tend to travel — outside of Twin Peaks, of course — but a powerful, less generic setting could have done that show wonder. Blasphemy, perhaps. Fargo, True Detective’s biggest rival currently, also has a very strong setting. It’s no coincidence that two of the most talked about shows on television have strong settings.

Beyond all of the casting rumors floating around, just how Pizzolatto and his team are going to create their new world is the most interesting hidden aspect of season 2. We should be able to feel the warmth of the California sun, and be just as frightened of its shadows. Regardless of who is cast in the second season, if this point isn’t handled with the utmost care there will be no way for the second season to live up to the first.

We have faith.