The digital ink had barely dried on jokes about how the second season of True Detective would be so money and you don’t even know it—because you can’t know anything in a universe designed by chaos and cruelty—and already another name is in the mix. The Wrap reports that Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss is being sought for the female lead while The Killing’s Michelle Forbes is up for another crucial role, with producers hoping they’ll both be up for another drama full of ambiguity and pensive staring. With Vaughn, Colin Farrell, and Taylor Kitsch all reportedly nearing their own respective deals, Moss and Forbes would appear to be the final key pieces of this quickly assembling puzzle.
And that’s truer than ever, thanks to The Wrap’s incredibly detailed breakdown of what it says are the main characters and plot lines you can expect. And if you’re the type of person who prefers some mystery in your mystery TV shows, you’d do well to avoid reading them.
But in the broadest of strokes, the season will apparently find Vaughn playing a California “thug-turned-businessman” who’s trying to get a high-speed railway system up and running, only to have it waylaid by the grisly murder of a city manager. Farrell, Moss, and Kitsch would play three law enforcement officers from different agencies, each with their own deeply self-destructive personal problems. Forbes may play someone’s wife, and will likely be unhappy no matter who it is. Likewise, “rough sex” and “the occult” factor in, because this is True Detective.
Anyway, none of this has been officially confirmed yet, but the usual themes of corruption, people who should not be trusted with a Starbucks, let alone the protection of the public, and a soupçon of Satanic symbolism all certainly fit the bill. Expect to hear more soon—followed by the actual show, if you’re still interested.