The show is presented in two alternating eras, with the present-day Cohle and Hart in separate rooms, telling their respective sides of the story. This style not only pushes the plot forward, but also challenges the audience to determine what is true and what is not. Sometimes, the audience sees what actually happened. Other times, the facts are less clear.

It’s also made apparent immediately that the two men had a falling-out in 2002 and have not spoken since. The show gives us the outer edges of the puzzle, but the core pieces remain completely unseen.

Part of what makes “True Detective” great is its unpredictability.
It is not a show about the day-to-day procedures of law enforcers; this isn’t “CSI: Louisiana.” Rather, the Lange murder serves as a gateway into the psyche of two broken men with their own personal issues. They evolve throughout the case — whether for better or for worse has yet to be determined.

There is a unique darkness to “True Detective” that makes it a riveting show. Cohle and Hart aren’t just investigating a murder; rather, they’re diving headfirst into a twisted world. It’s a world where mutilated women are tattooed with strange symbols, sketches of winged babies appear on the walls of abandoned buildings and works of weird fiction, such as Robert Chambers’ “The King in Yellow,” get frequent homage.

Good TV shows make an audience think beyond plot elements, and “True Detective” does this. It forces audiences to decipher the show’s undertones, making it even more unpredictable.
“True Detective” is not only good, but is also important to the future of television. Every episode of the first season is directed by Cary Fukunaga (“Sin Nombre,” “Jane Eyre”) and written by Nic Pizzolatto. In television, individual episodes are typically written and directed by different people. For example, the final 16-episode season of “Breaking Bad” had 11 different directors and seven different writers.

And while “True Detective” is hardly the first show to incorporate a shorter format (“Luther”, “Top of the Lake”), it may very well be the most popular. Television has long been thought of as the younger sibling of cinema, but the gap between them is closing quickly.

“True Detective” airs on Sunday nights, which is generally thought of as the best TV night of the week. And all clues suggest that it is right where it belongs.