By After some speculation and early announcements, HBO has officially greenlit a third season of True Detective. The new season will be set in the Ozarks and star Mahershala Ali, who won an Academy Award for his supporting role in Moonlight. Ali will play Wayne Hays, a police detective from Northwest Arkansas. Entertainment Weekly scored the following details about the plot:
The next installment of True Detective tells the story of a macabre crime in the heart of the Ozarks, and a mystery that deepens over decades and plays out in three separate time periods.
Original True Detective showrunner Nic Pizzolatto will be the sole writer for season three. Pizzolatto will also split the series’ directing duties with Jeremy Saulnier, who’s best known for his tautly crafted thrillers Green Room and Blue Ruin. The official episode count and premiere date have yet to be announced.
I haven’t seen the maligned second season of True Detective, but I really enjoyed most of season one. The chemistry between Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson was excellent, and up until the last episode, the story was so engrossingly conspiracy-laden, like Thomas Pynchon was given the keys to The X-Files or Millennium. Even though the season basically fizzled into a small-scale 90s serial killer movie, I still love that quiet, contemplative, and meekly hopeful closing scene.
Season three has me really intrigued. Ali made such an impression in Moonlight in such a short amount of time. He’s going to be a great charismatic anchor for the show. Saulnier is strong addition as well. I wish he was directing the entire season himself given his impeccable skill directing moments of tension, expectation, and dread.
I just hope the writing is good. And the final episode doesn’t fizzle. Maybe I should mainline season two for kicks… but who has that much free time?
Are you excited for True Detective season three? What did you think of seasons one and two? Let us know in the comments.
[via Entertainment Weekly]