Director Cary Fukunaga Will be Missed Next Season

Information about True Detective’s second season has been slow in its reveal. It’s all part of a mater marketing plan and information control. Or the second season just hasn’t taken form in a way that creator Nic Pizzolatto and HBO are comfortable talking about. Regardless of the reason, the end result is the same.

One of the early bits of information that was released concerning season two was that Cary Fukunaga would be stepping back as series director and would instead take on the role of producer. Fukunaga recently won an Emmy for his direction, so his retreat into a more background position is all the more poignant.

Even though the second season will feature a rotating roster of directors, as producer Fukunaga will have important input on the overall look and feel. This means that we shouldn’t expect season two to go off in any wild directions that Fukunaga probably wouldn’t take, at least from a directing standpoint.

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This also means that we’re going to be without one of the greatest television directors of our time. We’ve written previously about Fukunaga’s important contribution to True Detective, but it’s such an integral part of the show that it certainly bares repeating.

So here it is: Fukunaga’s directing is the soul of True Detective.

While casting rumors seem to hit a certain fever pitch and then die down, not much has been said about the possible directors except an early rumor of Exorcist director William Friedkin possibly taking a crack at it. That was some time ago, however, so we don’t really know where that stands.

As the only Emmy won during the live ceremony, Fukunaga’s win is heavily felt. It is the only category that True Detective was able to escape Breaking Bad. It is highly unlike that direction will be one of the many changes in the second season, and having Fukunaga as producer further assuage any fears that may have arisen.

But that doesn’t mean a different won’t be felt. It only goes to show that just about nothing concerning True Detective is permanent. The idea of new directors is exciting, and they will likely be just as high-profile as the actors.

If nothing else, it’s at least bittersweet.