One of the big TV hits of 2014 has been True Detective, a beautifully shot HBO series which saw Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey investigate a string of murders over a period of 17 years. In between all the police procedural stuff, the series explores themes such as family, faith, and the nature of the universe.

The reason we bring this up is that, as it turns out, season 2 is going to be about municipal transport policy:

“According to a breakdown obtained by TheWrap, the second season of “True Detective” will follow the death of a corrupt city manager of a fictional California city who’s found brutally murdered amid a potentially groundbreaking transportation deal that would forever change freeway gridlock in the state.”

Thrills! Terror! Traffic management!

Actually, the new series, which looks set to star Vince Vaughn, has a very good chance of being awesome. As unlikely as it might sound, TV and film about local government has a surprisingly good track record. Here are seven more examples.

Spin City (ABC, 1996-2002)

Sitcom set in New York City Hall. Started off as a rather good vehicle for Michael J Fox, as the smart young deputy mayor; later became a substantially less good vehicle for Charlie Sheen as his replacement, and promptly got itself cancelled. Includes such exciting municipal plot lines as a subway train breaking down, pollution in the city’s rivers, and garbage collectors going on strike.

Our Friends in the North (BBC Two, 1996)

Possibly the best television drama ever to be largely about British social housing policy, Our Friends stars an amazing cast led by Christopher Eccleston and Daniel Craig (pictured), and takes in everything from police corruption to the Zimbabwean boycott to the rise of New Labour. It also features some amazing haircuts.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988 movie)

Gritty political thriller about a corruption scandal in which car companies buy up Los Angeles’ streetcar network, purely so they can rip it up, thus forcing the public to buy more cars. Also features a cartoon rabbit.

The Wire (HBO, 2002-08)

Without wanting to sound like one of those people, The Wire is one of the few things in life that’s as good as everyone says it is. Over five seasons it explores many aspects of the decline of the American city (policing, education, labour relations, the media). From season three onwards a major character is politician Tommy Carcetti (Aidan Gillen, pictured), who successfully runs for mayor, only to learn that the job is actually amounts to “eating shit all day long, day after day, year after year”. This show basically offers a comprehensive explanation of why nothing works.

Chinatown (1974 movie)

Classic noir starring Jack Nicholson, which begins with the murder of Los Angeles’ chief water engineer. One of the few films of the genre which is fundamentally about water desalination.

Parks and Recreation (NBC, 2009-present)

Mockumentary about municipal officials working in a pseudonymous department in the fictional Indiana town of Pawnee. Contains a plot about turning a big hole into a nice new park. The series made a star of Chris Pratt (pictured), who’s since sold out and lost a load of weight, mostly so he could appear in movies.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (WB/UPN, 1996-2003)

Okay, it’s mostly not about municipal government at all, it’s about vampires and teenagers. But the villain in season three is the mayor of Sunnydale (Harry Groener), who’s secretly plotting his “ascension” – that is, his transformation into a giant snake-like demon who feeds on people. Remember that, next time Boris Johnson or Bill de Blasio appear on your TV screen.

Images credits: Our Friends in the North: BBC; The Wire: HBO; Parks and Recreation: NBC.