6) People can’t stop talking about it
It may seem like there are a lot of shows that make you want to tell people about them after watching, but it seems like True Detective is one of those special cases where after an episode, you want to tell everyone about it. It demands discussion, revelry in its excellence, speculation about its outcome, and debate over its substantive merit. Reviews and thinkpieces are popping up everywhere. On this site Jordan Adler is offering insightful weekly reviews, but many others elsewhere on the internet aren’t shy about assessing the seemingly ubiquitous question: is this the new best show on television? The fact that this question is even being asked is probably more telling than any answer could be.
Breaking Bad truly became something special over the course of the 6 years it was on the air, and its legacy is likely to be lasting. The cultural impact it had was far more acute than previous shows hailed as “the best,” including the so-called Holy Trinity of TV: The Sopranos, Deadwood, and The Wire. While it may be an effect of social media in spreading the word about quality entertainment, Breaking Bad also had a certain populist appeal to it that these other shows lacked slightly. I was maybe naïve to think that it would be a long time before another show could attract that kind of mass attention by both critics and viewers, but True Detective, after just half of its first season, four measly episodes, already seems to be on the verge of accomplishing something like this. Again, though the comparison may not be perfect, the fact that many people are making it speaks volumes—it’s the show that must be watched right now.