True Detective II miniseries

"Let's just say it's no season 1. (...) At least in the first three episodes of True Detective season two, that magic is missing." 

"The switch to Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn instead of Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey has left one detail intact. It's still the kind of show that makes TV viewers reach for phrases like 'golden age of television drama'. (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of five)" 

"The new plot possesses the requisite noir-ish qualities, but feels like a by-the-numbers potboiler, (...) Although generally watchable, the inspiration that turned the first into an obsession for many seems to have drained out of writer Nic Pizzolatto’s prose" 

"'True Detective' (...) builds suspense with finesse and has a keen appreciation for the poetry of political corruption and urban decay. That makes it intriguing, just not enthralling." 

"There is something still lugubrious and overwrought about 'True Detective', but there’s also a mesmerizing style to it--it’s imperfect, but well made." 

"Three episodes in, the murder mystery is fairly intriguing, but the characters are not. And while improvement is always possible, that's a hard flaw to fix. (...) Rating: ★★ (out of four)" 

"Two things are clear from the season-two premiere: One, Fukunaga will be missed (...) and two, this is Pizzolatto's show, to the bone. (...) So okay, fine, season two isn't as good. Of course it's not. But so what? Give me more."