The first season of True Detective remains one of my all-time favourite television experiences. The gripping story of Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson) was unforgettable, and series creator Nic Pizzolatto revealed on the Nothing Left Unsaid podcast that he has an idea for a new story which could bring them back.
“I actually have another story for Cohle and Hart that — who knows? — maybe we’ll do it one day,” Pizzolatto said. “It’s character-based again. … But it’s not something I’ve written or anything. It’s just, I had that in my head. And we’ve talked about getting back together and doing it, and I think the guys are open to it. It’s just a question of whether that would ever happen or not.“
Could we see another season of True Detective with McConaughey and Harrelson? In theory, anything’s possible — but the real question is, should it happen? That first season was so exceptional that any follow-up would need to be nothing short of extraordinary just to measure up.
Earlier this year, McConaughey said the first season is still his favourite. “My favorite season — and I feel like I can say this objectively — is Season 1,” he said. “I happen to be in that one, so I thought that was incredible, incredible television and a great series. I watched it weekly, like everyone else, on Sunday night, and that was an event for me. And I got to sit back and enjoy that. I loved the water cooler talk on Monday morning. Even though I made it, I sort of forgot what was going to happen next. It was one of the great events in TV.” Indeed it was.
Although Pizzolatto was behind the first three seasons of True Detective, his HBO contract expired, and the network turned to Issa López to develop a new season. True Detective: Night Country felt like a return to form, and HBO quickly signed López for another season. HBO’s Head of Drama Series and Film, Francesca Orsi, said the new season will be “set in New York, in Jamaica Bay. Issa has a lot to say, not unlike she did with Night Country. It’s a different milieu but just as powerful.” Production is expected to kick off later this year, but it isn’t expected to premiere until 2027.
Would you like to see Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson return for another season of True Detective?
