Every Cop In True Detective Ranked

HBO has been associated with the so-called Second Golden Age of Television since the premiere of the much-lauded mob drama "The Sopranos" in 1999. Giving us such acclaimed shows as "The Wire," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and "Deadwood," the premiere cable channel continues to crank out well-constructed, layered, and critically acclaimed televised content, including the crime anthology series "True Detective."

Written and created by Nic Pizzolatto, "True Detective" took the television world by storm when its first season premiered in 2014. Boasting a stellar cast, a dense and philosophical script, numerous spine-chilling sequences, and a compelling mystery at its core, the inaugural season of "True Detective" was heaped with critical acclaim, and frequently pops up on the top 10 lists of the greatest cop dramas of all time. The second season failed to live up to the lofty benchmark set by its predecessor, and the third, while much better reviewed, similarly fell short of critical and audience expectations. Despite lacking the narrative punch of the first, the two subsequent seasons maintained the first's dark tone, and complicated, morally ambiguous characters.

After a four-year hiatus, "True Detective" is returning to the airwaves with a fourth season officially titled "True Detective: Night Country." According to recent reporting from TV Guide, the new season recently began production. While not much is known about the plot, it will be set in the far north of Alaska and is set to star Jodie Foster, Kali Reis, and Christopher Eccleston. Before the new season is released, we're looking back at the first three seasons and ranking every cop that has appeared in "True Detective" so far by charisma and skill.

Every detective needs a partner and Detective Papania's partner in the Louisiana State Police is Maynard Gilbough, played by Michael Potts ("The Wire," "Damages," "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"). Like his partner, Gilbough's ranking suffers from not having as much to do as some other detectives in the show. He is the elder of the two detectives, more guarded and taciturn than his younger partner.

As the lead investigator in the 2012 investigation, Gilbough is in charge of the interviews with Hart and Cohle, but lets his younger counterpart ask the majority of the questions, preferring to stay quiet, observe the subjects of the interview and keep his intentions concealed. He is clearly the more experienced interrogator of the pair, remaining unperturbed throughout Cohle's horror stories and long-winded philosophical ramblings. Despite being stuck in an interrogation room for much of the first season, Gilbough, like Papania, is a highly competent investigator, and they are both instrumental in the eventual apprehension of Dora Lange's murderer at the end of Season 1.

Season 3 of "True Detective" returns us to the Deep South of the first season, this time in the Ozark mountains of Northwestern Arkansas. The Season follows the investigation into the disappearance of two young children in 1980, a case that spans several decades. The disappearance is investigated by two Arkansas State Police detectives, one of whom is Detective Roland West.

Played by Stephen Dorff ("Blade," "Somewhere," "Immortals"), West is the junior detective in the investigation, and often plays second fiddle to his partner Wayne Hays (Mahershala Ali). Despite his junior status, West is a dogged investigator, and is fiercely loyal to and trusting of his partner. He recognizes that Hays is the far better cop, and follows his instincts, even when they are doubted by the higher-ups in the department. When Hays, as a Black man in rural Arkansas, is routinely passed over for promotion, West is quick to come to his defense, recommending him for various promotions, all of which are refused. West is far from a perfect man, but he is a kind, caring, and compassionate one, willing to fight for what he believes in and stand up for those closest to him.

The third main law-enforcement officer in Season 2 of "True Detective" is Antigone Bezzerides of the Ventura County Sherriff's office. Played by Rachel McAdams ("The Notebook," "Mean Girls," "Sherlock Holmes"), Bezzerides is a hard-drinking, perennially vaping investigator with a penchant for hidden knives and gambling.

Like the other two officers in Season 2, Bezzerides is similarly haunted by her past and concocts her hardened persona to separate herself from her upbringing with her hippie father and absent mother and make a name for herself in the male-dominated field of law enforcement.

Despite her tough exterior, Bezzerides is emotionally wounded and vulnerable, a lost soul desperately looking for something to believe in. Her optimistic, if misguided, faith in the corrupt institutions of which she is a part is what makes her such a complex and tragic character. Even with her flaws, Bezzerides is smart, capable, and savvy. She is the only one of the second season's main cops who makes it out alive at the end.

The main character of the third season of "True Detective," Arkansas State Police detective Wayne Hays is played by two-time Academy Award-winner Mahershala Ali ("The Place Beyond the Pines," "Moonlight," "Green Book").

A Vietnam War veteran who served as an infantryman with the long-range reconnaissance patrol in the U.S. Army, Hays is well-suited for the task of tracking down the two missing children in Season 3. Calm, rational, and level-headed, he plays the good cop in his partnership with the more aggressive and confrontational Roland West. Despite his skills as a detective, he is routinely doubted by his white superiors, and the leads that he follows are often met with skepticism by others in the department.

While clearly a morally upright man, Hays is so consumed by his need to uncover the truth that he ends up breaking the very laws he is sworn to uphold in his pursuit of justice. Even decades later, Hays is unable to let the unsolved case go and continues to pursue a conclusion despite his declining mental faculties and difficulties holding onto his memories.