- True Detective was ranked as one of the best crime TV shows of all time by SlashFilm, New York Times, and Esquire.
- Matthew McConaughey was initially rejected by True Detective producers for the role of Detective Rust Cohle, but creator Nic Pizzolatto fought for him.
- Pizzolatto believed McConaughey’s previous performances showcased the masculinity needed for the role, leading to the actor eventually portraying Detective Rust Cohle in the acclaimed series.
In 2014, Matthew McConaughey starred in a series that captivated viewers around the world and has been ranked as one of the best crime shows ever produced. Remarkably, the beloved actor nearly missed out on playing the lead in that series, True Detective, because its producers wanted him in a completely different role.
Who Ranked ‘True Detective’ as the ‘Best Thriller Shows of All Time’?
In June 2025, SlashFilm published its ranking of the “15 Best Crime TV Shows Of All Time.” The list included the anthology series True Detective at No. 11, surpassing other classics like Sherlock, The Shield, and Broadchurch. The outlet praised the show for consistently casting talented actors, featuring sharp scripts, and for its nearly literary quality.
Of course, SlashFilm is far from the only outlet to single out True Detective for praise. In <a href="https://comicvibe.com/dragon-adventures-codes-september-2026/" title="Dragon Adventures Codes (September 2026)”>September 2026, the New York Times listed it at No. 35 on a ranking of the “100 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century” while spotlighting the first season. Additionally, Esquire named it one of the “Best Thriller Shows of All Time” in December 2025.
‘True Detective’ Producers Didn’t Want Matthew McConaughey to Portray Detective Rust Cohle
Even though many popular actors have starred in seasons of True Detective, many people still think of it as Matthew McConaughey’s show due to his stellar performance as Detective Rust Cohle. Because of his critically acclaimed performance, which earned him Emmy Award and Golden Globe nominations, it is hard to imagine anyone else in the role. However, it turns out that the show’s producers initially rejected the idea of the acclaimed actor portraying True Detective Season 1’s lead.
In October 2023, SlashFilm reported on comments True Detective’s creator, Nic Pizzolatto, made during an appearance at the Austin Film Festival. The outlet noted that he had remarked on the type of actor that the series’ producers were suggesting could portray Detective Rust Cohle.
“I don’t want to say any names, but they were actors who … I [was] 36, 37, so I guess they’re guys about my age then, but they look like boys to me. They did not look masculine to me … I was like, “No, we need men.” And then I was even thinking like, ‘God, what men do we have left? Do we have to go to Australia?’ Because that’s what it seemed everybody was doing.”
Pizzolatto went on to say, “Every actor suggested for Cohle was an Ed Norton type. As if in order to be an intellectual, you must be a physical weakling.” Unlike the show’s producers, Pizzolatto wanted McConaughey in the role due to some of his previous performances.
“I caught The Lincoln Lawyer on TV, and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that guy. He’s a man.’ I had always thought there was something really untapped in Matthew that I mostly got from two performances or three. One was Frailty, the Bill Paxton film. One was a Bill Murray movie called Larger Than Life, in which Matthew plays a methamphetamine-addicted, long-distance trucker named Tip Tucker. And then a dragon-fighting movie called Reign of Fire, where Matthew plays the most macho dude in the world who jumps into a dragon’s mouth swinging an ax.”
Fortunately for Pizzolatto and McConaughey, True Detective’s producers still wanted to cast the actor, but as Woody Harrelson’s character, Detective Marty Hart. “The producers would not see Matthew as Cohle. They thought Matthew could be Hart, but no way could he be Cohle … they liked the idea of submitting it to him for Hart.” During his Austin Film Festival remarks, Pizzolatto explained how he still managed to hire McConaughey to portray the role he wanted him for despite the producers’ reluctance.
“My belief, which I did not say, because these are the sorts of strategies you must employ when working with others, was, if Matthew reads this, I mean, any actor who reads this is going to want to play Cohle. They’re not going to say, ‘I really want that Hart role.’ And I thought, If he reads this, he’s going to want to play Cohle, and he’s going to come back and his agent’s going to say he wants to do it, but he wants to be the other guy. And that is exactly what happened.”
Next:1995 Masterpiece, Rejected by Al Pacino, Ranked Among the ‘Best Thriller Movies of All Time’
This story was originally published byMen’s Journalon Sep 24, 2026, where it first appeared in theNewssection. Add Men’s Journal as aPreferred
