Is it Our Fault if True Detective Season Two Falls Prey to Overhype?
We’re now more halfway through August without almost any concrete information regarding True Detective’s second season. It would be understandable if you think there has been since there have been a significant number of casting rumors floating about. But casting rumors aren’t exactly set in stone. At this rate we’re most likely going to hit the Emmy’s without knowing much of anything besides possible plot outlines and rumors.
None of this has stopped the fast-moving hype train that season two currently has going. To be fair, the anticipation for the second season started immediately after the first ended, as is usually the case when something like True Detective hits upon such a nerve in popular culture. The almost complete lack of information regarding season two has created a situation in which fans jump to any morsel that slips out, rumor or otherwise. It can’t be helped, but it’s also exciting to witness and be a part of.
All of this also means that we’re moving dangerously into overhype territory, in which our own expectations, which have only been increasing, are set far too high. But this isn’t the fan’s fault, the fans are simply reacting to something new and exciting the way in the normal fashion, and that includes overhype. The way that creator/writer Nic Pizzolatto and HBO have chosen to go about releasing information is more to blame than anything else.
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By making sure that no new info reaches the fans except for casting rumors, HBO has created a vacuum that they have tight control of. By holding so tightly onto the details, HBO is artificially adding more hype and expectation. It’s a commonly used tactic, but it could also prove disastrous if season two doesn’t hold up to those same high expectations.
The mystery behind season two, from the casting to the actual story details, is so alluring that there is a real danger that the question could turn out to be more interesting than the answer. It’s obvious that HBO has placed a great amount of trust in Pizzolatto. Pizzolatto himself has also stated that talking about details too much bores him and he looses interest, so until things have actually wrapped he may not be the most reliable source of information.
With True Detective, we know that we’re in it for the long haul. It’s unlikely that this strategy will change much when it comes time to prep season two. True Detective is a delicate thing, and patience is absolutely required. Hopefully the already monumental amount of hype will only serve HBO and True Detective well, but we’ll have to wait and see how things shake out.