True Detective is the latest breed of acclaimed HBO dramas, written entirely by former novelist Nic Pizzolatto. It is an anthology series, meaning that the story resets after every season.

Season 1 focused on Detectives Rust Cohle (played by Matthew McConaughey) and Martin Hart (Woody Harrelson) as they track down a mysterious occult killer referred to only as "The Yellow King". As the series progresses, however, we learn that the show is more concerned with the impact the case has on the lead detectives than the actual outcome of the investigation.

TD put up a solid performance at its first ever Emmy’s appearance, garnering a Outstanding Drama Series nomination, Outstanding Lead Actor nominations for McConaughey and Harrelson, Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for Nic Pizzolatto, and an Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series victory for Cary Fukunaga based off of his performance in "Who Goes There" – which featured a highly acclaimed six minute long tracking shot.