The legacy of HBO’s crime anthology series True Detective is an interesting one – the show is at once one of the most celebrated and most criticized series the network has put forth. 2014’s Season 1, a southern gothic tale set in Louisiana and starring Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrleson, and Michelle Monaghan, took the world by storm and signaled a golden age in television where the small screen proved its ability to perform equally alongside – and perhaps even outdo – film. The next year’s Season 2, whose episodes explored the dark underbelly of Los Angeles with a noir touch, was highly anticipated as a result of the impressive first season.
The show’s second installment, starring Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch, and Vince Vaughn, ended up being largely panned by critics and fans alike, frustrated that the show’s sophomore season did not seem to deliver the same bold strokes as Season 1. Since then, True Detective’s fate has been up in the air, with the third season not yet officially green-lit.
Today proved to be a promising day for True Detective, however: Variety reported that Academy-Award Winning actor Mahershala Ali is in talks to join the show’s third season. Ali has not reached any official deal to join the HBO series, but the casting choice is an exciting prospect for series fans. Though Nic Pizzolatto, writer and showrunner for the first two seasons, has reportedly written the first two episodes already, no plot details for the new season have been released. As a result, there’s no telling who Ali would play. The possibilities for Season 3 as a whole are wide open, as the show’s first two seasons had their fair share of differences due to the show’s nature as an anthology series.
Variety notes that because the next season of True Detective has not yet been officially green-lit by HBO, the fate of Season 3 most likely rests with its cast. Considering the wholly impressive casts of the past two seasons, HBO will want the actors of Season 3 to be up to the same caliber. If this can be achieved, the show has a good chance of moving forward with a third season.
Mahershala Ali has grown increasingly popular in recent years, starring in notable roles in Netflix’s Marvel series Luke Cage as well as House of Cards. The actor also starred in the 2017 Best Picture film Moonlight and went on to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Ali is not only immensely talented, but is an actor in high demand due to his high-caliber resume – certainly an excellent choice if HBO wants to up the ante with True Detective Season 3.