'True Detective' Season 2 Episode 1 Release Date & Cast: New Season Offering Similar Tone & Quality?

Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson displayed their superb acting chops in the first season of "True Detective." However, since the new season will begin from scratch, and with the main characters and director not returning, fans had no idea what to expect next.

As noted by Digtal Spy, the return of "True Detective" for another season felt somewhat different from the first, with the swampy Louisiana setting swapped for California highways and Los Angeles cityscape. The most notable change, however, is that the unreliable narration made it, at best, a "watchable potboiler" noted to be a "mockery of its former self."

In an interview with News Australia, actor Vince Vaughn, who is part of the new cast, spoke about the difference between Season 1 and Season 2. While critics were not especially happy about the second season, Vaughn noted that he thinks "the tone and the quality is the same."

He went on telling the site that "the first season was kind of a buddy cop scenario about two guys with different views of the world. This one is about four different characters that share a brokenness and a hurt." He also said, "this is about people who are in the deep water. They're drowning and trying really hard to get to a place where they feel safe and feel happy."

Variety does not feel that the second season managed to reach the standards that the first run imposed. The magazine noted that the latest installment of "True Detective" "delivers a hard-boiled but cliched view of L.A., framed by overhead views of tentacle-like freeways and ugly power plants."

Vaughn's performance, although recognized, was also noted to have paled in comparison to McConaughey's performance from last season.

News Australia did note that while Vaughn is not a stranger in Hollywood, he is usually given credit for comedic acting, and the grit that is "True Blood" is just outside his comfort zone as an actor, playing a career criminal and entrepreneur. He did say that he liked the fact that he's not in "True Detective" for the laughs, sharing, "It was nice to switch gears a little bit and do something different." He also added, "I got a run of studio movies that were more like an assembly line of comedies. So to have this quality of material was great."

Check out the promo below and see if "True Detective" season 2 looks better or worse than the previous season.