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2 • June 21 - 27, 2015 • Brainerd Dispatch By Cassie Dresch TV Media I t was widely considered one of the best TV shows to grace screens in 2014, lauded for every- thing from its direction to its writ- ing to its ensemble cast. Now, "True Detective" is back for a sec- ond season — premiering Sunday, June 21, on HBO — and the loom- ing question is: can it live up to season 1? A BAFTA Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, five Em- mys, two Television Critics Associ- ation Awards, two Writers Guild of America Awards and a handful of other wins. Four Golden Globe nominations, six other Emmy nom- inations, three Satellite Award nominations and the list goes on. "True Detective's" first season was a phenomenal success for HBO and series writer-creator Nic Pizzolatto, so expectations remain high for the newest iteration of the show ("Bustle's" entertain- ment reporter Nick Romano called it "unthinkable ... that round two will fall flat"). The challenge, however, for Piz- zolatto is to keep it fresh, exciting and just as captivating as season 1. It seems like it shouldn't be all that hard to accomplish — it is an anthology series, after all, with new characters and a new story each season — but it was the per- formance of stars Matthew McCo- naughey ("Dallas Buyers Club," 2013) and Woody Harrelson ("No Country for Old Men," 2007) that, arguably and almost undoubtedly, really vaulted the series into elite TV territory. (It's hard to argue with the 10 total "Best Actor"- type nominations between the two for various prestigious awards, including the Emmys and Golden Globes.) Removing those two lends to the idea that maybe the show will deflate a little, but in true HBO fashion, season 2's cast is just as high profile and quickly quashes the thought that, at the very least, the acting won't be up to snuff. Golden Globe winner Colin Far- rell ("In Bruges," 2008), Taylor Kitsch ("The Normal Heart"), Ra- chel McAdams ("Midnight in Par- is," 2011) and Vince Vaughn ("Wedding Crashers," 2005) all headline season 2 of "True De- tective," and they're the kinds of names you'd ex- pect to see in movies, not TV. "That's the power of HBO," Farrell, who plays compromised detective Ray Vel- coro, said in an in- terview with "Glamour" mag- azine. "They only source the sharpest, savviest writers. They get the best, and then ac- tors gravitate to that. ... They used to say that film is the way for- ward and television is a step back, but it's not that way any more." Of course, the acting can only take you so far, and as Farrell alluded to, a show's writ- ing is key to creating a stellar work of TV art. Pizzolatto has two Emmy nominations to his name for season 1 of "True Detec- tive," as well as two Writers Guild of America wins, and he's got the praise and admiration from sea- son 2's cast as well. "I sat down with the writer- creator, Nic Pizzolatto, and we spoke for, like, five hours," Farrell said. "He's an extraordinary writer, he's incredible at what he does." "The writer and creator of ["True De- tective"] is just tre- mendous ... and it's been a lot of fun," Vaughn told Ellen DeGeneres when he visited her show in May. "The characters are very interest- ing, very complicated. It's a really interesting story; the twists and stuff are terrific." It's not only the story and cast that'll be different in season 2; a few of the elements that made season 1 so dark and intriguing have also been dropped for this version. The occult themes and gothic horror feel of the show (that you get from being set in Louisiana) are completely gone, as California serves as the setting for season 2. "These new landscapes have their own unique voice and their own unsettling qualities," Pizzo- latto told HBO. "While there's nothing occult in this season, I think there's a disconcerting psy- chology to this world, and its char- acters have other kinds of uncanny reality with which to contend." Also gone is some of the struc- ture that provided the basis for season 1, such as the split time- line, where part of the story took place in the '90s and the other part played out in the present day, and the partner relationship between the main characters. It's some- thing Pizzolatto said grew organi- cally as he fleshed out the new story while also trying to con- sciously make sure it wouldn't be a copy of season 1. "We were conscious of not wanting to repeat ourselves or re- make the same album in a differ- ent setting, but I try to be open to whatever structure the story and characters suggest," he said in the HBO interview. "As the characters multiplied and their individual and group complications grew, a more integrated and linear structure [for the season] worked best. And there was the conviction that if we were to do something entirely new, then we shouldn't lean on past conceits, but really build from scratch." Build from scratch, they did. Af- ter a first season that saw the ac- claim and accolades roll in in droves, "True Detective" has a big challenge ahead of it for season 2: can it repeat the successes of sea- son 1? With a whole new cast and a whole new story, season 2 of the hit crime drama "True Detective" premieres Sunday, June 21, on HBO. Rachel McAdams in "True Detective" Second the best? 'True Detective' looks to replicate its fi rst season successes Cover Story this week 001257537r1 Like us on Facebook to receive info and specials at Baxter Country Kitchen www.BAXTERcountrykitchen.com 7788 Fairview Rd, Baxter 218-829-1739 Like us on Facebook to receive info and specials at Baxter Country Kitchen Guest Check on guest checks totaling $18.00 or more (Before Tax) Coupon Exp. 7/5/15 Not valid with any other offers or discounts. 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