Does it Matter if a Show is Better Than True Detective?
Does it really matter in the grand scheme if a show comes along that’s better than True Detective?
True Detective is taking some time off, and that leaves plenty of room for other dark, crime dramas to take its place. At least temporarily. HBO will have its own replacement up and running this summer, and every so often articles pop up claiming that some show is better than True Detective. But at this point, does it really matter?
The first season of True Detective achieved something that few season every do by taking over popular culture. There are a few other current shows out there that have been able to do something similar, like Empire, but it is a rare feat. It’s not even something that Fargo has been able to do.
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Even if a show comes along that technically ends up being “better” than True Detective, it probably still won’t be able to reach the same dizzying highs. Even though the second season didn’t perform as well as the first, the first season of True Detective is cemented in the pantheon of incredible TV shows, and there’s no going back from that.
True Detective’s competitors won’t be able to touch it, at least not when it comes to complete pop culture saturation. In that sense, it doesn’t matter at all if a series ends up being better, more liked, or just does better critically than True Detective. The crime genre is crowded, overly so, and not every series can stand out.
Fargo’s second season was, for all intents and purposes, better than True Detective’s second season, but that didn’t get it very far. Fargo won few awards, and spoofs of it didn’t take over the internet or television.
Next: Dolce & Gabanna and Matthew McConaughey.
True Detective‘s first season was not only fantastic, but it happened to have come at just the right time. The combination of those two things is incredibly difficult to achieve, and it’s achievement that the True Detective team should be immensely proud of.
And also try to never repeat, since it’s just not going to happen twice.