The first season of True Detective aired on HBO in 2015. Created and written by novelist Nic Pizzolatto and anchored by captivating performances from Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, the season was moody and well-paced, part detective show, part Twin Peaks-esque tone poem about the rotting heart of history. It was good, and fans were eager to see more.
True Detective season 2 aired in 2016, and it was a mess. True Detective is an anthology show, so we were dealing with a whole new story and set of characters. HBO doubled the number of big-name actors in the cast — roping in Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch and Vince Vaughn — and set them adrift in a sprawling, overwritten story that that lacked cohesion. It was weak, and fans weren’t sure they wanted to see more.
But they will. It’s time for round 3. This go-round, Pizzolatto and company have taken a few years to come up with a story worth our time, and are drilling down on a character played by Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali rather than splintering the focus. Will season 3 be the comeback the show needs? We’re going to cover the show episode by episode and find out!
Let’s start with the premiere episode. We’re pulling for you, True Detective.