Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Entertainment
  3. News

You may need to prepare yourself to say goodbye to ‘True Detective’

Stephanie Topacio Long
By

true detective season 3 hbo 2
HBO
If you were hoping to see True Detective bounce back after a lackluster second season, prepare yourself for some bad news: It looks like HBO is not going to bring the anthology crime series back for a third season. The Hollywood Reporter says the premium network is more likely to opt for a new series from creator Nic Pizzolatto instead.

Such a decision wouldn’t be surprising, by any means. Although Nielsen data indicates that same-night viewership was actually higher on average during season 2 than it was for season 1 (2.61 million per episode compared to 2.33 million), audience numbers largely trended in opposite directions during the course of the season. Viewership increased overall during the first season, ending on a high of 3.52 million viewers, while the second season saw declines before its finale drew 2.73 million.

Recommended Videos

The difference in the response from critics and fans between seasons was also notable. Rave reviews piled in during season 1, while its successor was met with decidedly less excitement. There were a lot of changes, of course, including Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson handing off the series to Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn, and Rachel McAdams. First season director Cary Fukunaga also moved on. A third season would mean yet another reboot, a path HBO is evidently hesitant to take.

Related

With True Detective enthusiasm flagging, the premium network seems to be more interested in trying to interest viewers in a new project than reinvigorating a disappointed fan base. At the same time, execs clearly still have faith in Pizzolatto. HBO locked him down through 2018, as Variety reported in November, months after the series’ second season finale had aired.

“I am thrilled to continue our relationship with Nic, as he is one of the most exceptionally talented writers and producers working today,” said Michael Lombardo, then-president of HBO programming, at the time. “I look forward to seeing where his unique creative vision will take us next.”

The decision is now in the hands of Lombardo’s replacement, Casey Bloys, and he seems ready to close the case on True Detective.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Stephanie Topacio Long
Stephanie Topacio Long
Contributor
Stephanie Topacio Long is a writer and editor whose writing interests range from business to books. She also contributes to…
3 action movies on Max you need to watch in January
Bruce Willis in Unbreakable.

January is a month filled with the joy and trepidation that comes with a new year. Everyone sets resolutions that they inevitably break, and most people in the U.S. deal with some of the coldest weather they're going to experience all year. Despite the doldrums that so often define the month, though, there's one resolution that should be pretty easy to keep: Make sure you check out some great action movies that you've never seen before.

If you're looking for good action, then you're in luck. Max has one of the deepest catalogs of movies of any streaming service, and many of those titles are streaming classics. We've picked out a few of the very best action movies on Max that are worth watching this January.
Man on Fire (2004)
Man on Fire | #TBT Trailer | 20th Century FOX

Read more
Like True Detective: Night Country? Then watch these 3 thrilling TV shows
A man and a woman look at evidence in A Murder at the End of the World.

If you have decided to check out True Detective: Night Country and you like what you see, it’s worth watching the previous three seasons (if you haven’t already). Each season of the anthology crime drama tells a completely different story uniquely with a different A-list cast. If you’re already all caught up on every season and anxiously awaiting the next episodes of season 4, which are released weekly on Max), there are similar and equally compelling shows you can watch in the meantime.

Once you realize True Detective season 4 is right up your alley, watch these three thrilling shows as well. They’re all centered around crime, but each has its own interesting spin on the investigative story. They are similar in ways with one important common denominator: they will keep you hooked the entire way through.
A Murder at the End of the World (2023)

Read more
3 great movies you need to watch on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Selma

Three-day weekends are great, but Martin Luther King Jr. Day is foremost an important time to reflect on the legacy of the man the day is named after, and also on the complicated way the country related to him while he was alive. While several movies have been made about King's life over the years, those movies are not uniformly excellent.

The movies on this list are among the best dramas and documentaries about King from recent years, and they're also remarkably honest about the political climate that King was operating within. These are three movies that are perfect for MLK Day viewing.
Selma (2014)
Selma Official Trailer #1 (2015) - Oprah Winfrey, Cuba Gooding Jr. Movie HD

Read more