Could True Detective Learn Something From Superhero Shows?
Is there a lesson or two that True Detective could learn from the mega-popular superhero genre?
Superheros are all the rage right now. The Marvel movies generate a ton of money at the box office and the various shows do well for themselves, though Agent’s of Shield has had its fair share of hiccups. The superhero genre, specifically the Netflix shows, actually have a few things in common with True Detective. That begs the question, could True Detective take a few lessons from how the heroes do things?
We’ve already taken a look at how shows like Jessica Jones handle their villains could work well in True Detective. Both Daredevil and True Detective take their time building the mastery and mythos of their respective villains, making them feel real and not just there to move the plot forward. True Detective has always struggled with this.
Watch David Tennant talk about Jessica Jones on Late Night with Seth Meyers:
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The two series themselves also move like a True Detective-esque crime drama, slowly putting the pieces together in often understated ways. This is not the way that the films handle themselves — the big movies are action spectacles that often don’t take the time to slow down. There’s not much that True Detective could, or should, take from them on that end.
Jessica Jones specifically has excellent plotting that moves forward steadily without ever bottlenecking or feeling bloated. That show, about a superpowered private detective, is practically a look at True Detective in another universe. Looking at True Detective season two’s character development, Jessica Jones blows it away.
Part of the reason for this is that True Detective is often choked by Nic Pizzolatto’s vision. Both seasons suffer from this, but season two’s rushed status makes it more apparent and worse for wear.
Next: This Week in True Detective: The April Fool Edition.
True Detective has little in common with the likes of Iron Man and Captain America, but Jessica Jones and Daredevil show another side that should not be ignored. Pizzolatto himself is a fan of comics, so it’s possible that he has already taken note. If he ever speaks again it will be interesting to see if the new wave of superheroes inspired him at all for season three.