--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I made 'True Detective' like it was going…" description: "\"I made 'True Detective' like it was going to be the only thing I ever made for television. So put in everything and the kitchen sink. Everything.\" — Ni..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c54/nic-pizzolatto-7357_detective_i-made-true-detective-like-it-was-going_2427428.png" --- # I made 'True Detective' like it was going to be the only… ![“I made 'True Detective' like it was going to be the only thing I ever made for television. So put in everything and the kitchen sink. Everything.” quote by Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c54/nic-pizzolatto-7357_detective_i-made-true-detective-like-it-was-going_2427428.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c54/nic-pizzolatto-7357_detective_i-made-true-detective-like-it-was-going_2427428.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c54/nic-pizzolatto-7357_detective_i-made-true-detective-like-it-was-going_2427428.png) > “I made 'True Detective' like it was going to be the only thing I ever made for television. So put in everything and the kitchen sink. Everything.” [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He approached the series with total commitment, adding every idea he valued, to create a dense, ambitious work. **In simple terms:** Total commitment to a project. Key Takeaway Give everything you have to a project. Themes dedication creativity risk ambition Mood intense reflective Type creative inspirational When to use this quote - TV writing - pilot development - creative brainstorming Key Concepts Narrative depth authorial obsession overextension Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance ambition with clarity? - When does excess hinder storytelling? A Different Perspective Risk of overloading content and losing focus. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Detective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective/) [Detectives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detectives/) [Kitchen sinks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kitchen-sinks/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [True Detective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-detective/) ## Related quotes > [I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/i-write-this-sitting-in-the-kitchen-sink/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [Haruhi: This story has everything but the kitchen sink in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bisco-hatori/haruhi-this-story-has-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink-in-it/) [Bisco Hatori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bisco-hatori/) > [The ideal kitchen-sink novel: Throw in everything but the kitchen sink. Then add the kitchen sink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/the-ideal-kitchen-sink-novel-throw-in-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [When you've got a mountain to climb you may as well throw everything into the kitchen sink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-pleat/when-you-ve-got-a-mountain-to-climb-you-may-as-well-throw-everything/) [David Pleat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-pleat/) > [They could've thrown a kitchen sink into the box and one of the guys would've headed it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-lambert/they-could-ve-thrown-a-kitchen-sink-into-the-box-and-one-of-the-guys/) [Paul Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-lambert/) > [You know, what I like about 'The Family Tree' is it's a kitchen sink movie; you can't think of anything that it doesn't either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dermot-mulroney/you-know-what-i-like-about-the-family-tree-is-it-s-a-kitchen-sink/) [Dermot Mulroney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dermot-mulroney/) > [“Life will throw everything but the kitchen sink in your path, and then it will throw the kitchen sink.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-agassi/life-will-throw-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink-in-your-path-and-then-2/) [Andre Agassi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-agassi/) > [My sensibilities are towards the kitchen sink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cmat/my-sensibilities-are-towards-the-kitchen-sink/) [CMAT](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cmat/) > [Why do women have smaller feet than men? So they can stand closer to the kitchen sink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-do-women-have-smaller-feet-than-men-so-they-can-stand-closer-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The bigger the canvas, the better I do. I'm not so good at understated, kitchen-sink kinds of parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/the-bigger-the-canvas-the-better-i-do-i-m-not-so-good-at-understated/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink, put you to bed when youve had too much to drink. Oh, it could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-sandler/so-let-me-do-the-dishes-in-our-kitchen-sink-put-you-to-bed-when-youve/) [Adam Sandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-sandler/) > [Nothing in the television show 'True Detective' was plagiarized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-pizzolatto/nothing-in-the-television-show-true-detective-was-plagiarized/) [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) > [If I write scripts that nobody likes, I don't think we'll be doing 'True Detective.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-pizzolatto/if-i-write-scripts-that-nobody-likes-i-don-t-think-we-ll-be-doing/) [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) > [In the summer of 2010, I had decided to get into film and TV writing, so I wrote scripts for six different ideas I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-pizzolatto/in-the-summer-of-2010-i-had-decided-to-get-into-film-and-tv-writing/) [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) > ['True Detective' is a densely layered work with resonant details and symbology and rich characterization under the guise of one of the forms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-pizzolatto/true-detective-is-a-densely-layered-work-with-resonant-details-and/) [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) ## More by Nic Pizzolatto > [“For the rest of the day, her weight echoed in my empty hands, light but dense, her throes and kicks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-pizzolatto/for-the-rest-of-the-day-her-weight-echoed-in-my-empty-hands-light-but/) [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) > [The idea of being a show runner was very attractive to me, to create and control something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-pizzolatto/the-idea-of-being-a-show-runner-was-very-attractive-to-me-to-create/) [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) > [“She reminded me of the empty glass of a swallowed cocktail, and at the heart of the empty glass was a smashed lime rind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-pizzolatto/she-reminded-me-of-the-empty-glass-of-a-swallowed-cocktail-and-at-the/) [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) > [I left the University of Chicago's creative writing program for a tenure-track job at DePauw University in Indiana, then left DePauw in 2010 for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-pizzolatto/i-left-the-university-of-chicago-s-creative-writing-program-for-a/) [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) > [Art was always for me an escape and a way to relate to the world around me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-pizzolatto/art-was-always-for-me-an-escape-and-a-way-to-relate-to-the-world/) [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) > [In the summer of 2010, I had decided to get into film and TV writing, so I wrote scripts for six different ideas I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-pizzolatto/in-the-summer-of-2010-i-had-decided-to-get-into-film-and-tv-writing/) [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) > [“She sipped her drink and the ends of her lips curled, stamped two dimples on her cheeks, and in her smile flashed the danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-pizzolatto/she-sipped-her-drink-and-the-ends-of-her-lips-curled-stamped-two/) [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) > [“So I was wrong when I told Rocky you could choose what you feel. It's not true. It's not even true that you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-pizzolatto/so-i-was-wrong-when-i-told-rocky-you-could-choose-what-you-feel-it-s/) [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) > [“Some people. Something happens to them. Usually when they're young. And they never get any better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-pizzolatto/some-people-something-happens-to-them-usually-when-they-re-young-and/) [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) > [There's never been anything I didn't love that I didn't connect with on a personal level because, to some degree, I projected upon it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-pizzolatto/there-s-never-been-anything-i-didn-t-love-that-i-didn-t-connect-with/) [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) > [“How often have I lain beneath rain on a strange roof, thinking of home. —William Faulkner”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-pizzolatto/how-often-have-i-lain-beneath-rain-on-a-strange-roof-thinking-of-home/) [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) > [I've found that all weak people share a basic obsession - they fixate on the idea of satisfaction. Anywhere you go men and women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-pizzolatto/i-ve-found-that-all-weak-people-share-a-basic-obsession-they-fixate/) [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) > [“The sensation of a thing forgotten but resonating.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-pizzolatto/the-sensation-of-a-thing-forgotten-but-resonating/) [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) > [“Now and then she looked harassed by her own potential, like certain young people, and you might notice then the way a stillness spread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-pizzolatto/now-and-then-she-looked-harassed-by-her-own-potential-like-certain/) [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) > [“You’re here because it’s somewhere. Dogs pant in the streets. Beer won’t stay cold. The last new song you liked came out a long,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-pizzolatto/you-re-here-because-it-s-somewhere-dogs-pant-in-the-streets-beer-won/) [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) [Explore all 92 Nic Pizzolatto quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) ## More Detective quotes > [“When I saw the Twilight movies I thought being a Vampyre was so romantic. When my friends decided to be Vampyres it was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abramelin-keldor/when-i-saw-the-twilight-movies-i-thought-being-a-vampyre-was-so/) [Abramelin Keldor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abramelin-keldor/) > [The general public have a warped view of the speed at which an investigation proceeds. They like to imagine tense conversations going on behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/the-general-public-have-a-warped-view-of-the-speed-at-which-an/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [“Stomach full of jitters, little beasts that were second cousins to guacamolians—little green monsters that wreaked havoc in your stomach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kely-mcclung/stomach-full-of-jitters-little-beasts-that-were-second-cousins-to/) [William Kely McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kely-mcclung/) > [I read a lot of 'Nancy Drew' books as a kid and considered myself a bit of an amateur detective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-cain/i-read-a-lot-of-nancy-drew-books-as-a-kid-and-considered-myself-a-bit/) [Chelsea Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-cain/) > [It is ridiculous to set a detective story in New York City. New York City is itself a detective story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/it-is-ridiculous-to-set-a-detective-story-in-new-york-city-new-york/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [Arthur Conan Doyle was entranced by the notion of a brilliant detective who can deduce everything a stranger has been up to from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-yglesias/arthur-conan-doyle-was-entranced-by-the-notion-of-a-brilliant/) [Rafael Yglesias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-yglesias/) > [Detective, I don't know where the boyfriend is, really," I said. And it was true, considering tide, current, and the habits of marine scavengers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/detective-i-don-t-know-where-the-boyfriend-is-really-i-said-and-it/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [What the detective story is about is not murder but the restoration of order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-d-james/what-the-detective-story-is-about-is-not-murder-but-the-restoration/) [P. D. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-d-james/) > [Sure, I'll have characters drop in and out of books but the main cast of characters always changes. Maybe I'm wrong but I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hiaasen/sure-i-ll-have-characters-drop-in-and-out-of-books-but-the-main-cast/) [Carl Hiaasen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hiaasen/) > [Johannes Cabal would kill me for saying this, but he's my favorite Zeppelin-hopping detective. The fellow has got all the charm of Bond and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/johannes-cabal-would-kill-me-for-saying-this-but-he-s-my-favorite/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [“My motto? Don’t trust someone who is just as cagey as yourself." "What kind of detective are you?” “A lousy one and proud of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-a-edelheit/my-motto-don-t-trust-someone-who-is-just-as-cagey-as-yourself-what/) Peggy A. Edelheit > [“...you cannot enter into an investigation with a philosophy that dictates the outcome. Objectivity is paramount; this is the first principle of detective work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-cannot-enter-into-an-investigation-with-a-philosophy-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If I'm home with no chore at hand, and a package of books has come, the television set and the chess board and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/if-i-m-home-with-no-chore-at-hand-and-a-package-of-books-has-come-the/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [I like the idea of playing a historical detective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-mendes/i-like-the-idea-of-playing-a-historical-detective/) [Eva Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-mendes/) > [You find when you're writing a detective story that you're actually not trying to solve anything. You're trying to stop the reader from solving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/you-find-when-you-re-writing-a-detective-story-that-you-re-actually/) [Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/) [Browse all 482 Detective quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I made 'True Detective' like it was going to be the only thing I ever made for television. So put in everything and the kitchen sink. 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