Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey has declared that the first season of True Detective remains the anthology series’ pinnacle, despite the record-breaking success of the recent fourth installment. In a new interview with Variety, the actor who portrayed troubled detective Rust Cohle in the show’s debut season made his feelings clear while attempting to frame his assessment as objective. McConaughey’s statement comes after True Detective: Night Country, the series’ most recent chapter under showrunner Issa López, has surpassed the original season in viewership numbers and garnered significant Emmy recognition, including wins for Jodie Foster’s lead performance and López’s directing and writing.
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“My favorite season — and I feel like I can say this objectively — is Season 1,” McConaughey explained with noticeable enthusiasm. “I happen to be in that one, so I thought that was incredible, incredible television and a great series. I watched it weekly, like everyone else, on Sunday night, and that was an event for me. I loved the water cooler talk on Monday morning. Even though I made it, I sort of forgot what was going to happen next. It was one of the great events in TV.”
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The actor’s comments reflect the continuing cultural impact of the HBO series’ groundbreaking first outing, which aired in 2014 and co-starred Woody Harrelson. There’s a point to be made in favor of Season 1, which launched what would become one of HBO’s most prestigious anthology series and established a template that subsequent seasons would both follow and subvert. Nevertheless, True Detective: Night Country makes it a big contender for the throne too.
How True Detective: Night Country Challenged the Legacy of Season 1
Night Country represented a significant departure for the franchise, marking the first installment without the involvement of series creator Nic Pizzolatto. Set in the perpetual darkness of an Alaskan winter, the fourth season followed detectives Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) as they investigated the mysterious disappearance of eight men from a research station, incorporating Indigenous issues and supernatural elements in ways previous seasons had not explored. This creative shift under López’s leadership proved controversial with Pizzolatto, who publicly criticized Night Country through now-deleted Instagram posts, calling it a “hot mess” that “butchered and misappropriated” his franchise. The season’s success, however, speaks to both its quality and HBO’s confidence in López’s vision, with the network quickly renewing True Detective for a fifth season under her continued leadership.
Both seasons share critical acclaim, with Season 1 praised for McConaughey and Harrelson’s performances and director Cary Joji Fukunaga’s visual style, particularly a now-legendary six-minute tracking shot. Similarly, Night Country earned widespread praise for Foster and Reis’ performances and López’s direction, with many critics noting the fourth season successfully recaptured the magic that had been somewhat diluted in the intervening years. However, the numeric metrics slightly favor Night Country, which not only surpassed Season 1’s viewership but also garnered nineteen Emmy nominations compared to Season 1’s twelve. Both seasons won multiple Emmys, but Night Country‘s recognition for acting and direction/writing suggests a more complete critical assessment of its overall quality.
What ultimately separates these seasons may be their cultural context rather than inherent quality. Season 1 benefited from its position as a trailblazer, introducing viewers to a new kind of prestige television at a time when the medium was reorienting. Night Country, conversely, had to overcome the mixed reception of the second and third seasons while proving the franchise could thrive without its creator’s involvement. Its success in these challenging circumstances represents an impressive achievement.
All seasons of True Detective are currently available for streaming on Max.
Which season of True Detective is your favorite? Is Matthew McConaughey right, or is he blinded by nostalgia? Let us know in the comments!
