Network: HBO
Series Premiere: January 13, 2019
True Detective finally returns after what feels like the one of the longest waits between TV seasons, mainly because consensus is season 2 is so bad we’ve collectively agreed not to count it. Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali (Moonlight) stars as detective Wayne Hays, who investigates a missing children case in the Ozarks across three time periods. The first season of this anthology crime series was one of the biggest revelations of the ongoing “Second Golden Age of Television”. Effectively launching the career of Cary Fukanaga (Maniac, and now tapped for the upcoming James Bond film), the role of series creator Nic Pizzolatto shouldn’t be understated. Penning almost the entire first and second seasons, Pizzolatto returns to writing duties for the third, as well as making his directorial debut. He joins seasoned thrill-seeking filmmaker, Jeremy Saulnier (Green Room), whose previous work on meticulously crafted and thought-provoking thrillers is wrapped with mood & tension, making him a perfect replacement for Fukanaga. Saulnier’s departure mid-season does give us worrying flashbacks to the troubled and rushed production of season 2, but Pizzolatto & co. have had nearly four years to bring this beast to perfection and there’s no way Mahershala Ali signs on to anything he thinks is going to be less than stellar after his Oscar win.