This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
While True Detective creator and writer Nic Pizzolatto has led us to believe that season two of the crime drama is based on "lesser known" areas of California, and especially not in Los Angeles, it turns out that may not be true after all.
In an interview with Playboy, True Detective co-star Vince Vaughn described the differences between the first and second seasons of the anthology, and basically said that the plot of the upcoming series is mostly based in Los Angeles. "This one’s very different, though," Vaughn said. "It’s a totally different story, with its own characters. The thing that’s consistent is the richness of the characters and the quality of the material. That was Louisiana. This is a California-based story, and it was kind of birthed from here. A lot of it is set in Los Angeles."
And indeed, we have been seeing some on-set photos of True Detective being shot in different Los Angeles locations. Earlier this week, co-stars Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams and Taylor Kitsch were involved in a shootout scene filmed in Los Angeles. Last November, a mustachioed and bolo tie-wearing Farrell appeared in the first released snapshots of some scenes filmed in the area as well.
What we know so far about the second season of True Detective is that "three police officers and a career criminal" must "must navigate a web of conspiracy in the aftermath of a murder," HBO said last September.
Farrell portrays detective Ray Velcoro, who has some skeletons in his closet as he's "a compromised detective whose allegiances are torn between his masters in a corrupt police department and the mobster who owns him." Vaughn takes on the role of career criminal, Frank Semyon, who is making his way into turning his empire into a legitimate business, but his plans are thwarted after his business partner is murdered.
McAdams was added on to the cast in November to portray Ani Bezzerides, "a Ventura County Sheriff'ss detective whose uncompromising ethics put her at odds with others and the system she serves," according to an HBO press release. And Kitsch would be Paul Woodrugh, "a war veteran and motorcycle officer for the California Highway Patrol, running from a difficult past and the sudden glare of a scandal that never happened."
Ah yes, all dark and mysterious characters just like we like it. As the premiere date hasn't been announced yet for True Detective, we'll just eagerly wait, hoping for anyone—from the actors to Pizzolatto—to drop some more hints.
