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[jonezer4]

Had this season had any other name than True Detective, I don't see many people complaining.

You mean had it been called something like... Low Winter Sun, people would have been showering it in praise?

No doubt. The up its own ass dialogue of TD season 2 funnily enough reminded me a lot of every piece of dialogue uttered from Will Graham in hannibal. None of it felt natural, robotic delivery and writing that probably looked good on paper but woefully misses the mark in action. Only recently has the show found some great footing (sadly too late).

That larger than life dialogue has always been in the show's (Hannibal's) DNA though. It doesn't hurt that the characters relaying the dialogue are crazy intellectual psychologists. True Detective season 1 had one guy spouting out such over the top dialogue... and the rest of the world made fun of him. The show's dialogue was grounded. True Detective Season 2, a bunch of lowlife alcoholics all delivering Shakespearean shit comes off as disingenuous and distracting. I don't think it's an apples to apples comparison with Hannibal.

You could argue Pizzolotto can switch up the formula for season 2 and have everyone speaking like they went to Harvard, but I don't think that's earned. I think, given that the show is an anthology, you can change up the setting, the characters, the story, but you have to maintain the overall tone and reality from season to season. While the setting may change, the rules of the world should stay the same, and I think that's what people are having a problem with, consciously or not.

Dialogue that doesn't match the "real world" isn't necessarily bad. Dialogue that doesn't match the world you've established as a story teller... that's bad.

 

[Freewheelin']

Can only speak for myself, but I'd be very surprised if anyone was hating to hate.

I watched it hoping for something similar in quality. I didn't get that. I thought it was largely boring, incoherent, obtuse, filled with sketchily written characters and even more sketchy lines. But I never hate watched, because I wanted it to be better than it was and because it was such a short commitment that I was hoping it would pay off.

The finale is the only episode I've actively disliked as opposed to been decidedly uninterested, because it didn't pay off on anything. It didn't make anything that had happened more interesting or intriguing, and I just felt it made the entire season a waste of time. That isn't because I wanted to hate it. It's because it was poor television, regardless of what came before.

In comparison to what I thought was the very good season one - not incredible or amazing - it was disappointing. In comparison to new police shows like The Fall or Broadchurch or Happy Valley (coincidentally, shows with far better written women), it was disappointing.

I want season 3 to be good, and again I'll tune in because it'll likely be a short commitment again. Hoping Fargo has a better second season, just like it had a better first season.

 

[nOoblet16]

This season was such a clusterfuck honestly due to reasons already mentioned. It always felt like the writing went one way and directing went the other.

Most of the things that happen in the season are inconsequential and doesn't do shit, it's a film length story stretched out over 8 long episodes. A simple story that is full of unnecessary faff that makes it convuleted, I knew about the siblings but I couldn't even recall if I saw th before in the show, definitely couldn't recall the brother.

 

[CassSept]

I don't know, if I had to describe this finale with one word it would be 'bizarre'. The structure felt massively flawed. While I was watching it it kind of felt like it's an episode and a half at first - the first half an hour is slow, it explains the conspiracy and it ends with everything set for the finale - Frank is getting ready for the heist, Ani and Ray know everything, as if that was a prologue to the actual episode.

So, the scene at the station starts... and ends after mere 10 minutes. Err, ok. So the heist will be the ultimate big scene? Ray and Frank get prepared, drive to the cabin in the woods... and it all gets resolved within 10 minutes, over half an hour still left? Eh? So we get the dumb DARK excuse of an ending because remember, this show is somber. Frank's dead, Ray's dead, the message could not delivered, it was his kid all along, he has another kid, everything crammed into the very end. Felt like overcorrection for season 1 ending, which many felt was too happy.

In that regard the finale is a lot like the entire season - badly structured, alternately too crammed and too drawn out. Undercooked. There were flashes of an interesting story here and there but they were thoroughly wasted to rush out the season less than 1.5 year after the last one. Less superficial character development, more focus on the actual story. Introduce the characters central to the plot, not flash them in a scene or two and go into vapid 'deep' monologues. Maybe develop Paul more, make him feel like an actual protagonist, not secondary protagonist. Or just delegate him to being secondary character altogether, we don't need 4 protagonists in 8-episode story. Make your story more focused - this was a mish mash of DARK motifs - gangs, drugs, corruption in politics, police, business, prostitutes, sex parties yadda yadda, everything and a kitchen sink.

In the end, all 'emotional' moments, all story resolutions, nothing felt emotional, shocking, satisfying. Most of us never cared about what really happened because the conspiracy was a foregone conclusion, and most of us never cared about what happens to the characters because they were badly developed.

I didn't hate this finale as much as many in this thread, but overall one word to describe TD season 2 is 'mess'. And for what it's worth, I thought for the first time VV did decent job in the finale. But that's about it.

 

[arts&crafts]

I wish they fleshed out the cult side of things, the whole "she was raised at a cult" was only used for the reason she is damaged. They also spent a fair amount of time their questioning Dad so i figured it would be something related to that.

 

[mre]

- The last-second "here's some buddy-buddy with Frank and Nails" was too little too late. They could've made that a lot more impactful had they condensed that.

They never showed them having beers and catching a ball game together, but I thought their relationship was characterized pretty well. Blake told Frank that Nails was the only loyal member of his crew and that Blake didn't even consider approaching him about turning on Frank.

 

[holygeesus]

You keep saying this, but people have actually been very vocal about the reasons why they disliked the show. You also claim that people were waiting to hate it, which comes off kind of paranoid and defensive.

There are so many reasons to dislike this show:

- The writing is straight up atrocious; there are numerous examples of inexcusable lines from the show.

- The show is trying to pass off cartoon characters as serious. Bezzeridies' knife thing is a hilariously bad concept, and David Morse as her hippie dad is just laughable. Vince Vaughn's monologues about ceiling stains are insufferable and take up way, way too much screen time. Ray was absolutely hilarious in the first few episodes, beating up a kid's dad in front of him and then going to school to pick up his son with cocaine on his sleeve. Woodrough is sooo in the closet that we need to spend several episodes seeing it. Woodrough reminds me of that Onion article: "why do all these homosexuals keep sucking my cock?"

- Ray died in a straight-to-DVD quality action scene. He detected the transponder on his car, but then he just decided to go to a forest (wtf?) and die in a shootout.

- Arguably the only captivating mystery was Birdman, but the show ignored him for 95% of its runtime, and then he turned out to be a cartoon ("I am the blade"). I think Stan-related things got more screen time than Birdman overall.

- The plot mysteries (if you can even call them that, they are so mundane) are addressed via convenient "by the way..." revelations.

- The plot in general is ridiculously convoluted, and it all comes down to some robbery in 1992 which is hardly elaborated on, and Ray figures it out only because it's the last episode.

- There are some totally implausible arcs, like Woodrough's past military company is now working for Catalyst, and they end up facing off. And then Burris is waiting behind the door of the one exit that Woodrough decides to take, kills him, and runs off in a getaway car.

- There's quite a bit of parody-like stuff that is hard to take seriously, like the edgy musician playing in an empty bar (wtf?), Ray's son having his badge with him at school, and the shot of the phone after Ray dies; Frank putting diamonds in his wound because 2deep4u symbolism.

- Ani apparently had a baby with Ray, because the show is apparently a soap opera.

Season 2 works if you treat it as what it is, a pulp noir detective series, rather than a Se7en style psychological thriller. Pretty much all your bullet-points apply to the genre.

 

[Moff]

I don't care about the sub genre, it really simply wasn't good enough, or good at all honestly. I did not feel invested in the story or the characters at all. their quarrels were jokes, all of them. I did not care about rays son, that was parody level bad. I did not care about kitsch being gay, mcadams being molested. all of it was just uninteresting tropes.
the reveal of the story had 0 impact on me, I did not care about the heroes nor the villains. the season did not have a single interesting idea, the only reason I will remember it is because it was so much worse then the first.

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

Season 2 works if you treat it as what it is, a pulp noir detective series, rather than a Se7en style psychological thriller. Pretty much all your bullet-points apply to the genre.

Yeah, I'd agree with this. I enjoyed it for what it was.

 

[Freedom = $1.05]

But even in good pulp noir, you care about the characters enough that even if the plot is obfsucated to make it happen then it's fine.

Here, NP fucked up the part that matters: no one gave a shit about almost all the protagonists. So you have a layered story that's poorly told and a cast of characters who aren't well developed or, even worse, all that interesting. So when the plot you dont give a shit for starts to conclude and the inevitable noir ending comes to the characters youve been following but aren't invested happens you just end up with a story that's ended and no one cares about the result.

NP made the biggest mistake a writer could make: he made something that is incompetently mediocre. Neither good enough for most to care nor bad enough to be an interesting piece of fiction, it's just unrelentingly meh.

 

[borborygmus]

Season 2 works if you treat it as what it is, a pulp noir detective series, rather than a Se7en style psychological thriller. Pretty much all your bullet-points apply to the genre.

Yeah, I'd agree with this. I enjoyed it for what it was.

It's cool if you enjoyed it, I just don't like being painted as a hater for being disappointed in it. Someone earlier said that the negative criticism is because of people wanting to hate it since before it came out, and that people who didn't like it don't give their reasons why (which is not true, and it's kind of strange to make that claim).

I find it strange when people start doing meta-commentary (e.g. "people hate that it's not season 1") to rationalize away negative opinions. It comes off like they're personally invested in it being considered good by others.

 

[Weevilone]

"We get the Season we deserve."

Muhahahhahahahahhahahaahah.

We watched the show we left behind.

 

[duckroll]

I really dislike it when "pulp" is used as a sort of defense for weak material. I don't dislike this season because it is pulp. I dislike it because it was boring, the characters failed to connect, and the narrative was a padded and tangled mess. None of that has to do with it being pulp. If anything the biggest problem with the material seems to be that it is heavily inspired by pulp, but wants so desperately to "rise above that" that it misses the point entirely.

 

[ChaosXVI]

Overall, I'd agree with the general tone in this thread that yes, the season was overall a pretty noticeable downgrade from TD season 1. But I still think it was overall, still decent, but there were just too many things that didn't mesh well. It also sucks that they went with such a familiar setting as urban-sprawl Los Angeles, whereas rural Louisiana was so much more interesting, helped by some insanely good direction. Personally I hope for another really obscure setting next season, like Alaska.

If I had to guess what happened, the story got some kind of giant semi-last minute rewrite, resulting in a lot of elements being changed around. Ani's father's big hippie group was probably a much bigger part of the story originally, as it just feels too random in the final story.

 

[holygeesus]

But even in good pulp noir, you care about the characters enough that even if the plot is obfsucated to make it happen then it's fine.

Here, NP fucked up the part that matters: no one gave a shit about almost all the protagonists. So you have a layered story that's poorly told and a cast of characters who aren't well developed or, even worse, all that interesting. So when the plot you dont give a shit for starts to conclude and the inevitable noir ending comes to the characters youve been following but aren't invested happens you just end up with a story that's ended and no one cares about the result.

NP made the biggest mistake a writer could make: he made something that is incompetently mediocre. Neither good enough for most to care nor bad enough to be an interesting piece of fiction, it's just unrelentingly meh.

You are speaking for everyone with this post though. Some of us did feel invested in the characters. Certainly enough to make their respective outcomes worth watching - it's not as if I care enough to grow a Velcoro 'tache or anything.

I guess I'm saying, if you just treat it as throwaway fluff, rather than The Wire, it excuses it's shortcomings to a degree. I do believe though, that it was written to be this way, as there is no way anyone would have written dialogue so cheesy, to fit the tone of the first season.

 

[duckroll]

I guess I'm saying, if you just treat it as throwaway fluff, rather than The Wire, it excuses it's shortcomings to a degree. I do believe though, that it was written to be this way, as there is no way anyone would have written dialogue so cheesy, to fit the tone of the first season.

Do you really believe that the guy who says stuff like this thinks he is writing "throwaway fluff"?

"A lot of backstory. Pages and pages of biography go into every character, even minor ones. Most of these things never appear in the show, but still inform a character's identity and choices, and give the actors more to pull from, even if onscreen we only see the tip of those icebergs. Backstory is still being laid out, even in the show’s final movements, but there is definitely much more than ever sees the screen."

"I’m not sure that it’s a thesis statement, but I do think that line and the themes you noticed amplify and echo one another. Everybody’s external world is reflective of their inner life. Velcoro’s outlook sort of casually asserts that the world and the systems that govern it are products of our choices and desires. It's a statement of culpability, more than anything, the idea that the condition of our world is the manifestation of human character."

"It started with a desire to know my new home better, with a lot of research into southern California, reading journalism and sociology and newspaper articles, along with not wanting to repeat the buddy-cop formula. As far as process, when I get a sense of the world I want to look at, I think about the characters that might inhabit these landscapes. Then the characters become the focus: figuring out who they are, how they fit into the world, where they are at the time we enter the story, what makes them compelling or not. Once the characters are clear, character and plot become symbiotic, each feeding the other. The plot depends on the choices characters make, which depends on their personalities, and the choices they make depend on the options open to them, the plot-- so for me, very early on, plot and character become indivisible."

C'mon.

 

[Squalor]

"Do you miss it?"

"What?"

"Season one."

"We get the Season we deserve."

Muhahahhahahahahhahahaahah.

“Pain is inexhaustible. It’s only talent that gets exhausted."

 

[Imm0rt4l]

There was a lot of criticism about vince vaughn this season. I wasn't happy with his casting choice initially. I think he did great all things considered. People say they don't buy him as a gangster, but I totally do, he has an intensity about him sometimes a bit too much. My issues are with his pretentious dialogue. I wish he had came across as a more affable businessman in the beginning so that he can reluctantly fall back into his gangster ways. I know beating that guy up and taking his teeth was supposed to be a turning point but it didn't really feel that way to me. Ultimately I think the poor directing and dialogue is what hurt his character the most. The last 3 episodes treated him well enough though.

 

[Messypandas]

Vaughn put in the best performance for me, totally bought his character. Farrell was navigating a line too much between "grrr gruff voice" at times. Kitsch was good but his character doesn't really go anywhere. I didn't buy Rachel at all, this cold opening to her still in that story faze almost made me cringe.

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

I liked Ray and Ani fine. Ray's mustache was incredibly awesome, and I was disappointed to see it leave in episode 5. But fortunately it started to make a comeback before the end. Woodrugh was alright, but always felt like a supporting character trying to be more. Frank was probably my least favorite as his scenes always seemed to make the show drag. He got a lot better towards the end though. It may have worked a bit better if Woodrugh or Frank had been cut from the story, and a stronger focus was given to Ray and Ani.

There were some big probems though. The central mystery was overly convoluted, and there were way too many supporting characters who you see once or twice and are then expected to remember their names amidst a sea of other names from forgettable characters. Did we ever even see that fucking Stan guy before we saw him dead?

One huge disappointment. After seeing Ani's dad with that Kali statue, I was saddened he didn't try and rip out at least one heart.

Spoiler

Lame Temple of Doom reference.

 

[Squalor]

HBO needs to make Nic take a whole year off and come back with season three in 2017.

This was a mess of ridiculous proportions.

 

[holygeesus]

Do you really believe that the guy who says stuff like this thinks he is writing "throwaway fluff"?

"A lot of backstory. Pages and pages of biography go into every character, even minor ones. Most of these things never appear in the show, but still inform a character's identity and choices, and give the actors more to pull from, even if onscreen we only see the tip of those icebergs. Backstory is still being laid out, even in the show’s final movements, but there is definitely much more than ever sees the screen."

"I’m not sure that it’s a thesis statement, but I do think that line and the themes you noticed amplify and echo one another. Everybody’s external world is reflective of their inner life. Velcoro’s outlook sort of casually asserts that the world and the systems that govern it are products of our choices and desires. It's a statement of culpability, more than anything, the idea that the condition of our world is the manifestation of human character."

"It started with a desire to know my new home better, with a lot of research into southern California, reading journalism and sociology and newspaper articles, along with not wanting to repeat the buddy-cop formula. As far as process, when I get a sense of the world I want to look at, I think about the characters that might inhabit these landscapes. Then the characters become the focus: figuring out who they are, how they fit into the world, where they are at the time we enter the story, what makes them compelling or not. Once the characters are clear, character and plot become symbiotic, each feeding the other. The plot depends on the choices characters make, which depends on their personalities, and the choices they make depend on the options open to them, the plot-- so for me, very early on, plot and character become indivisible."

C'mon.

Haha, ok maybe he is just deluded.

 

[Squalor]

I think both of you are correct in ways.

No, Nic Pizzolatto doesn't think he's writing pop television. He thinks he's writing literary television. That's obvious by the way he plays things. That's obvious by what he says about his writing and process and about the product itself.

However, it's not the audience's job to interpret or particularly care about authorial intention. We take what is presented to us.

Just because Pizzolatto didn't necessarily intend or want to write a pop-pulp television show should have no burden on our interpretation of it.

We can look at the show itself and see all the moments that tried so hard to be great and reflective and revelatory and worthy of reverence, then understand how so many of those things and moments fell flat. The show itself tried to be more than what it was. Yes, that's because of the way Pizzolatto wrote it and the directors directed it, but we shouldn't judge the show based upon what the creator said about it. We judge the show based upon what the show was.

As such, yes, it's best to temper your expectations and hopes. Even still, it winds up being a letdown.

 

[rezn0r]

HBO needs to make Nic take a whole year off and come back with season three in 2017.

This was a mess of ridiculous proportions.

Is this a realistic possibility? I don't really know the precedent or history of other shows so I'm honestly asking.

I'm one of those people that usually says "good" when a movie or game I'm looking forward to is delayed, I'd feel the same about TV shows I cared about.

 

[Squalor]

Is this a realistic possibility? I don't really know the precedent or history of other shows so I'm honestly asking.

I'm one of those people that usually says "good" when a movie or game I'm looking forward to is delayed, I'd feel the same about TV shows I cared about.

For an anthology show, it's much more realistic. Nic's contract isn't by a yearly basis. It's for the content. And since it's anthology, there aren't any actors under contract to worry about. The same goes for the crew and directors.

Edit: Actually, it was a yearly contract. I was misremembering that information. He's still under contract through 2016. That means they'd have to renegotiate should either party want to take more time to craft a better season.

HBO is never wanting for content. HBO owns the rights to more original programming than it will ever air. They own the rights to more shows that won't get made than shows that will. Next year, they could easily have some other show fill in whatever two-and-a-half-months scheduling True Detective would have occupied.

 

[Messypandas]

Is this a realistic possibility? I don't really know the precedent or history of other shows so I'm honestly asking.

I'm one of those people that usually says "good" when a movie or game I'm looking forward to is delayed, I'd feel the same about TV shows I cared about.

I think its more likely Nic leaves. And they continue with someone else or they just ditch it. The concept lends itself great to a mini-series, but reinventing the same mini-series into vagually tonally connected seasons is just stupid. He probably wants to set up a new show he can invest into the characters for the long haul. Certainly more profitable that way.

 

[duckroll]

If Nic leaves, the show is dead. He's the only one interested in doing this.

 

[BizzyBum]

Colin Farrell would be a good Geralt if they made a Witcher movie.

 

[Messypandas]

If Nic leaves, the show is dead. He's the only one interested in doing this.

Whats the ratings like? I could see HBO doing a thrid season regardless. But I doubt Nic is interesting in another critical flop (trying not to be too harsh but the online reaction has been crazy). He was a bit of a golden boy after season 1.

 

[Afrocious]

I'm going to watch Fargo. I hear that's good.

 

[aravuus]

I'm going to watch Fargo. I hear that's good.

Fargo is fucking amazing

Can't wait for the second season

 

[Squalor]

I think its more likely Nic leaves. And they continue with someone else or they just ditch it. The concept lends itself great to a mini-series, but reinventing the same mini-series into vagually tonally connected seasons is just stupid. He probably wants to set up a new show he can invest into the characters for the long haul. Certainly more profitable that way.

That's 100% not happening. Pizzolatto isn't going anywhere.

And if he did, HBO wouldn't continue it. True Detective is Pizzolatto's work.

It's an albatross no other writers or showrunners would want to take on.

 

[LaneDS]

I'm going to watch Fargo. I hear that's good.

It is, but don't watch it to fill the void that season two of TD may have left you with.

If anything, watch the movie, and if you like that, go ahead and watch the series. Very much it's own thing, and like others will tell you, it's great.

 

[Blader]

Lombardo was pretty clear that they'll do a third season if Pizzolato wants to. To me that doesn't sound like they're going to push ahead with another season no matter what, but that a possible S3 lives or dies with his involvement.

 

[duckroll]

Whats the ratings like? I could see HBO doing a thrid season regardless. But I doubt Nic is interesting in another critical flop (trying not to be too harsh but the online reaction has been crazy). He was a bit of a golden boy after season 1.

I don't know enough about how HBO ratings work to comment on that. Maybe someone else can weigh in? But seriously, if Nic walks, I think the show is over. I can't really think of comparative instances where HBO gets another creative talent to take over a show they have after the creator and showrunner walks. There's really no value to the True Detective brand other than it being an anthology series by the guy who wrote True Detective Season 1.

 

[Messypandas]

I'm only speculating he'll walk because I read season 3 is optional on both sides and not contracted. Maybe they'll allow him more time instead. A year is just too tight.

 

[Squalor]

Lombardo was pretty clear that they'll do a third season if Pizzolato wants to. To me that doesn't sound like they're going to push ahead with another season no matter what, but that a possible S3 lives or dies with his involvement.

Plus, there's the fact that they have a contract. I highly doubt Pizzolatto can just walk away now and come out unscathed (aside from the season-two criticisms).

For instance, there's likely a television non-compete should he leave his contract early.

 

[LaneDS]

If Nic leaves, the show is dead. He's the only one interested in doing this.

I don't actually agree with this and think there are many, many writers who could at least put up something of season 2 caliber (then the question is "why bother?" but that's different) and at least a few that could do their own gritty crime show that's worth a damn. I think the strength of season 1 established something of a brand name and I wouldn't be surprised to see HBO try and continue with someone else in the writer's chair.

All that said, I think Nic will do a third season if for nothing else to try and show people he's capable.

 

[Kinyou]

It was an allright finale. Overall did the show pick up towards the end, but the baggage of the first half loomed a bit over it. There wasn't any time to introduce an actual captivating mystery, all they could do was to resolve the rather boring one.

I can't help but wonder if Frank would have been left alive if he hadn't asked for a taxi ride. Those mexicans really looked like they were about to leave.

 

[zewone]

- Woody's ending was cool but man if his character didn't seem like a big waste. Hopefully his pregnant fiance and mom hit it off with Huell at the "safehouse apartment of forgotten side characters."

They both were at the memorial reveal with his baby.

 

[Squalor]

I'm only speculating he'll walk because I read season 3 is optional on both sides and not contracted. Maybe they'll allow him more time instead. A year is just too tight.

Pizzolatto is under contract through 2016. HBO always puts in television non-competes.

He doesn't necessarily have to make a third season, but then he wouldn't be able to do anything on television at all.

 

[duckroll]

Pizzolatto is under contract through 2016. HBO always puts in television non-competes.

He doesn't necessarily have to make a third season, but then he wouldn't be able to do anything on television at all.

He can spend a whole year developing a new idea and maybe when it actually goes into production after that it won't suck like this one!

 

[Blader]

I don't know enough about how HBO ratings work to comment on that. Maybe someone else can weigh in? But seriously, if Nic walks, I think the show is over. I can't really think of comparative instances where HBO gets another creative talent to take over a show they have after the creator and showrunner walks. There's really no value to the True Detective brand other than it being an anthology series by the guy who wrote True Detective Season 1.

True Blood I think? But yeah it doesn't seem to happen much at all.

I'm only speculating he'll walk because I read season 3 is optional on both sides and not contracted. Maybe they'll allow him more time instead. A year is just too tight.

Do you have a link to that?

 

[Squalor]

He can spend a whole year developing a new idea and maybe when it actually goes into production after that it won't suck like this one!

Writers (and especially one who is a showrunner) still have to be under contract through production.

All that said, I think Nic will do a third season if for nothing else to try and show people he's capable.

He wrote Antigone Bezzerides and Jordan Semyon to show people he was capable of writing "developed female characters."

I don't want him to write to try to prove something ever again.

Do you have a link to that?

Pizzolatto is under contract through 2016. HBO always puts in television non-competes.

He doesn't necessarily have to make a third season, but then he wouldn't be able to do anything on television at all.

He doesn't have to create content, but he can't break his contract without serious creative penalties.

 

[Kinyou]

I think if he got to work with a single (competent) director again it would really help the show.

 

[Future PhaZe]

I think the directors nailed the vision supplied here--problem was the writing.

 

[LaneDS]

He wrote Antigone Bezzerides and Jordan Semyon to show people he was capable of writing "developed female characters."

I don't want him to write to try to prove something ever again.

Except you know he's totally going to do exactly that.

 

[Squalor]

I think if he got to work with a single (competent) director again it would really help the show.

A director can't fix his scripts, dialogue, and character arcs.

 

[duckroll]

Writers (and especially one who is a showrunner) still have to be under contract through production.

No, I mean if he walks he can spend time developing a new idea even if he can't sell another show to another network in 2016. He's not contracted to work on True Detective Season 3 because there is no Season 3. He would be contracted if HBO ordered it along with Season 2, which they didn't.

 

[Squalor]

No, I mean if he walks he can spend time developing a new idea even if he can't sell another show to another network in 2016. He's not contracted to work on True Detective Season 3 because there is no Season 3. He would be contracted if HBO ordered it along with Season 2, which they didn't.

I thought you were talking about his working on True Detective still.

Anyway, having experience with these kinds of things, it probably wouldn't be that simple.

Sure, his contract might be over, but that doesn't mean his non-compete is over.

That's not to say he couldn't pitch another show to HBO. Hell, maybe he gets out of television altogether and writes screenplays or goes back to fiction.

But most creators who stay in TV don't leave HBO.