True Detective is back

True Detective has been confirmed to return to American screens on January 13, 2019 - as Mahershala Ali prepares to take the crime drama into a potentially definitive third series. And hopefully, the airing in Ireland won't be far behind. Oscar winner Ali will play Arkansas police detective Wayne Hays in the HBO series opposite Carmen Ejogo and Stephen Dorff, while former stars Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson are on board as executive producers. Creator Nic Pizzolatto continues as writer and has even stepped into directorial duties for the first time, alongside Daniel Sackheim, for six of the eight upcoming episodes. HBO released the trailer for True Detective's third outing in August, showing Ali facing up to a case of missing schoolchildren in typically macabre fashion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hzd1iFu84k Series three is set to be a pivotal one for the show, which grew a dedicated fanbase with a stunning first series before being poorly received in its second round of episodes. That critically acclaimed debut featured McConaughey and Harrelson as detectives Rustin 'Rust' Cohle and Martin 'Marty' Hart, whose performances helped True Detective scoop an Emmy for director Cary Fukunaga, as well as two Writers Guild of America awards. Fukunaga has since gone on to earn credits in major productions such as It and Netflix comedy Maniac, and will direct the 25th James Bond film, due in 2020, after taking over from Danny Boyle. For many, the less said about the second series the better, with fans fearing the immersive first series simply set the bar too high for the ensuing cocktail of mobsters, addiction and murders to match, even with stars such as Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams and Colin Farrell on board. Exactly how the third series sets about bringing True Detective back to the pinnacle of crime drama television remains to be seen, but many have taken the trailer as reason enough to be excited.