True Detective

I've already mentioned my admiration for Cary Fukunaga's first two films. I was eagerly awaiting his next but instead of making a new film, he directed all eight episodes of the first season of True Detective. I should mention that in film, the director is the chief creative force, but with TV the headwriter/showrunner is the chief creative force and directors can come and go. So Nic Pizzolatto gets the major credit for the series and deserves it but I believe that the fact that Fukunaga was the only director led to the visual cohesiveness of the eight episodes and the tightness of the ensemble acting.

The show is set in Louisiana and follows two homicide detectives (Mathew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson) as they try to solve a ritualistic murder. The plot exists in three time periods over 17 years. The episodes are beautiful, crazy, scary, exciting drama. By Episode Four the viewer believes that our heroes face an immense conspiracy. By the final episode the scope of things has narrowed but the ending is still very satisfying. It's available on Netflix. I recommend it.