Challenging the sophomore

Returns with all- new cops, dead bodies and confidential

THE promise of a second season was one that every True Detective fan must have squealed at – I know I couldn’t wait. Season One, starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, was to die for.

McConaughey played the part of Louisiana State homicide detective Rust Cohle with a sort of brilliance that was not just captivating, but addictive.

I wanted to rush home and spend time with Cohle, and his alluring philosophy of pessimism.

What’s more is that Harrelson held his own with his role, Detective Marty Hart – another truly compelling character with such blurred lines of right and wrong.

The murder mystery this pair was tasked to solve dripped with intrigue and an eeriness that bordered on evil.

It was Gothic. It was gripping. It was good.

The combination of writer/ creator Nic Pizzolatto and ( rather dishy) director Cary Fukunaga was genius.

They somehow managed to pull out all the stops effortlessly, and served up what was essentially a dated genre ( crime drama) with a refreshing spin. It was like lightning in a bottle. Everyone was gushing about it.

Then came the news that there would be another season. Yes! Everyone wanted more.

But this time around, Pizzolatto would start off with a fresh mystery and a whole new ensemble cast.

Season One was so good, we were prepared to place our trust in Pizzolatto again. After all, Rust Cohle was born out of this writer’s mind. Perhaps he had more aces up his sleeve.

And so with bated breath we welcome Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch and Vince Vaughn, onto our screens and into our homes.

Justin Lin, of Fast & Furious fame ( he actually directed four Fast films), is on board as director for the first two episodes. And Leonard Cohen’s Nevermind, which sets the pace as the opening credits song, tries hard to compete with its predecessor. ( There’s some interesting music along the way – listen out for stuff like My Least Favorite Life by Lera Lynn and All The Gold by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.)

The premise? The HBO official web- site calls it a murder which brings together three law- enforcement officers and a career criminal, each of whom must navigate a web of conspiracy and betrayal in the fictional industrial city of Vinci, on the scorched landscapes of California.

Farrell is Ray Velcoro, a compromised detective; Vaughn is Frank Semyon, a criminal and entrepreneur whose business venture is fraying at the edges; McAdams is Ani Bezzerides, a Ventura County Sheriff’s detective often at odds with the system and who has father issues; Kitsch is Paul Woodrugh, a war veteran and motorcycle cop for the California Highway Patrol.

Sadly for me, Episode One seemed overcrowded with I had a hard time following

and even after three I haven’t really liked any protagonists and worse, Vaughn doesn’t have a menacing edge to him. I’m not certain

was done right this time Fukunaga’s departure is big gripe. The chemistry of Pizzolatto that worked so Season One is sorely missing

In short, nothing really reels you in this time round. the script contains what seem