Ranking the Top 10 True Detective Characters

True Detective has now graced our televisions for four iconic seasons. It’s tried hard to recapture the feel of the glorious first season, but so far every attempt pales by comparison.

That isn’t to say True Detective hasn’t left a mark on viewers post-season one, however. And part of that has to do with some pretty underrated True Detective characters.

Who are the very best True Detective characters, though? I am sure you know where I’ll end this list, but my full top-10 might shock you.

Let’s dive into my True Detective character rankings, highlighting the anthology series’ best characters across all four seasons.

10. Roland West (Stephen Dorff)

Stephen Dorff plays the loyal and tough Roland West. He’s not nearly as enigmatic as the legendary Rust Cohle, but he’s a hard-nosed detective that the audience gradually warms up to.

The way season three was edited allows Dorff’s versatility to play out across three decades, with his stubbornness and dedication to both his craft and partner never wavering.

9. Paul Woodrugh (Taylor Kitsch)

Often overlooked in top True Detective character conversations, Taylor Kitsch’s Paul Woodrugh explores a complex character dealing with a myriad of internal issues.

Woodrugh has a child on the way, a loyal girlfriend, an odd mother/son dynamic, a hidden sexual secret, and a damaged soldier mentality. Oh, and he’s thrust into an ugly set-up where he often appears to be the only person operating with a clean conscience.

The hardest part is the second Woodrugh officially comes off as redeeming, the show takes him out. His is one of the more tragic cases in True Detective, which partially accounts for True Detective season 2 in general being criminally underrated.

8. Ani Bezzerides (Rachel McAdams)

Sticking with season two, we have Rachel McCadams as Ani Bezzerides, who is a hard ass due to a troubled upbringing with a bat shit crazy father and unwanted sexual advances from her youth.

McAdams kills a guy in a sex trafficking sting and is the one “true” detective who stays the course in the end, making sure she sees the mission through so the bad guys don’t come out on top.

Her resilience throughout season two makes her one of the best True Detective characters we’ve ever seen.

7. Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis)

Already one of my personal favorites, Navarro is the glue of True Detective season four. Equal parts depressed and defiant, Navarro is, well, a true detective, in the sense that she’s never given up on an old case that hits close to home.

Her work ethic, personality, and loyalty combine to make her one of the more battle tested and likable characters through the entire True Detective franchise.

Things do get a bit choppy with suggested suicide and season four as a whole left a lot to be desired, but Reis was undeniably one of the few bright spots in Night Country.

6. Maggie Hart (Michelle Monaghan)

The wife of Marty Hart, Maggie was the glue of Marty’s family and unfortunately also his sex-crazed punching bag. Maggie was played flawlessly by the terrific Michelle Monaghan, serving as a crucial moral compass for both her husband and his partner, Rust Cohle.

Hart would later turn the tables on both men in her life, and in the jump forward also provide Marty with a new line to walk. True Detective season one didn’t always give Monaghan a ton to work with, but she milked every single line she was given for all it was worth.

5. Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster)

Jodie Foster is a legend. It’s difficult not to fully buy into her Liz Danvers character, but season four as a whole just not delivering probably didn’t help. That, and the “you’re not asking the right question” but just fell remarkably short.

That said, Danvers was still a fun character, and Foster absolutely had her moments. There was the flashback scene with her partner in a “surprise” twist, while Foster’s sheer shock was uncanny in a total snowball effect in her house where we start to truly learn about the horrors that await us in Night Country.

4. Wayne Hays (Mahershala Ali)

Mahershala Ali gave us three very different looks at an otherwise straight forward character, as we saw Wayne Hays in his youth, in his prime as a detective, and as an old man trying to stave off dementia.

True Detective season three’s entire plot was built around the inability to let go marrying the horror of not being able to hold onto all that is ours. The ending fell a little flat, but Ali played an incredibly stoic and determined Hays, who ultimately just tried to right a past wrong.

Seeing Hays battle through memory issues was relatable for many and tragic for most. It led to a somewhat anticlimactic ending, but still one that hit hard for most viewers.

3. Ray Velcoro (Colin Farrell)

Colin Farrell was superb as drunken detective, Ray Velcoro. The name was a bit too spot on, but Farrell played this character perfectly, fully dipping the audience into his angst, sorrow, and alcohol-fused depression.

Velcoro felt he wasn’t redeemable or worth anything, but he paid the ultimate sacrifice to push the case along, and had a touching backstory dealing with a son he was convinced wasn’t even his.

When it comes to playing a hardened detective and also producing an unforgettable storyline (and ending), there are few True Detective characters that strike a chord as well as Farrell did with Velcoro.

2. Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson)

It all leads back to season one, doesn’t it? It’s the best season of True Detective, so why not?

You can probably do the math and assume who is the #1 True Detective character, but that shouldn’t take anything away from the #2 spot.

That belongs to Woody Harrelson, who played a borderline repugnant Marty Hart. While the womanizing and boozing Hart had his shortcomings, he was still a man of credibility, loyalty, and pride.

Despite often going against his internal instinct, Hart followed Rust Cohle on his wild goose chases, simply hoping to get the job done right. His need to scratch that elusive itch nearly cost him his life, but he proved countless times that he was willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice to uncover the ugly truth.

1. Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey)

You could ask every TD fan to hand in their own personal True Detective character rankings, and I’d guess 90% or more would end with Rust Cohle at the top.

Perhaps one of the more quotable characters of any show, Cohle helped set the tone of a dark and mysterious world that fans came to love. He’s precisely why future seasons paled in comparison to the first edition.

McConaughey plays easily his greatest role of his career, breathing serious life into an agnostic, depressed detective who never gives up on the truth, no matter how much the darkness tries to swallow him up.

That does it for our trip down memory lane. Obviously there is just no competing with season one of this franchise, so it shouldn’t shock anyone for the two most iconic characters to still hold down the top two slots.

Of course, True Detective is churning out perhaps it’s best installment since we were first introduced to this franchise, so I may have to update this list before long.

After all, there’s a reason why people are seeking out shows like True Detective. The series is extremely character driven, and people eat up thrilling mysteries that are this dark and gritty.

Ranking the Best True Detective Characters

Coming up with a list of the top 10 True Detective characters isn’t as easy as it sounds. Sure, Rust Cohle was always going to be #1 and I felt pretty good about Marty coming in second, too.

But the rest? You can argue the order from 3-10 and I might not fight you. Heck, I am totally aware that a really strong character in Frank Semyon (Vince Vaughn) was left off this list. If it makes you feel any better, he’d rank 11th, and I was awfully close to swapping him with Dorff.

There are other side characters across the four seasons that definitely left their mark, too. However, I tried to avoid the villains for this list, and wanted to keep the focus on the good guys – the true detectives, if you will.

Think my True Detective rankings are way off? Let me hear your top 10 True Detective characters in the comments below!

Want more elite TV to watch beyond True Detective? Check out the most binge-worthy TV shows you are missing out on.