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

By Stephanie Topacio Long May 25, 2016

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.

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.

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

Contributor

Stephanie Topacio Long is a writer and editor whose writing interests range from business to books. She also contributes to…

Entertainment

5 winter crime thrillers like True Detective: Night Country you should watch now

Jeffrey Wright holds a gun on the poster for Hold the Dark.

True Detective: Night Country is a cold season of television — literally. Set in the small remote town of Ennis, Alaska, the Issa López-created True Detective season is defined as much by its setting’s snow-covered ground as it is by its eternally dark sky. It stands in stark contrast to the first three seasons of True Detective, all of which take place in sun-soaked environments (Louisiana, Arkansas, and Los Angeles). That fact doesn’t just make True Detective: Night Country unique in its own HBO show's history, but also in the crime genre at large.

There simply haven’t been many high-profile, Hollywood-produced crime thrillers set in snowy regions. Consequently, Night Country’s story and setting combine to create the kind of viewing experience that remains fairly hard to come by. And anyone in the mood for more crime dramas like Night Country should check out the following five films.
1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Entertainment

True Detective: Night Country brings back the show’s best element: cosmic horror

Kali Reis kneels in the snow in True Detective: Night Country episode 3.

When True Detective premiered on HBO in 2014, it wasn’t just the show’s crime procedural plot, Cary Fukunaga’s dreamlike direction, or Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson’s deeply lived-in performances that drew viewers in. The show’s first season carried with it a sharp edge of cosmic horror as well. Not only was it filled with Lovecraftian details and references, but a sense of unseen, supernatural danger also permeated all eight of its episodes. Its story seemed to contain more layers than viewers would ever be able to fully grasp.

In the end, many felt that True Detective season 1 failed to deliver the depth it often hinted at. Whatever your opinion about the season’s ending might be, though, its cosmic horror touches helped True Detective stand out from all the other crime procedurals that viewers had seen up to that point. That’s why it was disappointing when the show’s second and third seasons abandoned its initial supernatural horror tone. True Detective season 2 tried to replace it with a David Lynch-inspired uncanniness to varying degrees of effectiveness, while the show’s third season never so much as feinted at the kind of horror tone that made its first so alluring.

Entertainment

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