True Detectiveis back, in more ways than one. The HBO series first launched in 2014 and is largely responsible for two current TV trends: having one director helm an entire season, and scoring big name movie stars to lead a close-ended one-season story. While the “one director” thing only held forTrue Detective’s first season (directed byCary Fukunaga) and the show’s second season was a critical disappointment, the show is back in fine form forTrue DetectiveSeason 3, and a new trailer teases what we can expected in the episodes ahead.
As Allison pointed outin her positive review, creator/showrunnerNic Pizzolattohas very much gone back to Season 1 basics for this new season, which tells another crime story through the eyes of a pair of detectives over a long period of time. The framing device from Season 1 is back, and the child abduction/murder crime at the heart of the story has striking similarities to the killings that were at the center of Season 1—there’s even a creepy totem left at each crime scene!
But the similarities to the show’s first season are a gift, not a curse, andMahershala Ali’s lead performance is heartbreaking and striking. Moreover, Pizzolatto’s decision to frame the story around memory, with Ali’s character in 2015 suffering from memory loss, is a brilliant story device.
So yeah, I’m all in onTrue DetectiveSeason 3, and this trailer only makes me that much more excited for the episodes ahead. Check it out below along with a couple of featurettes that go behind the scenes of the first two episodes with Pizzolatto adding commentary.True Detectiveairs on HBO on Sunday nights.
