With a new series of True Detective – titled Night Country – beginning its run, we’re taking a look at the history of the acclaimed TV franchise.
The brainchild of writer/producer/director/showrunner Nic Pizzolatto, True Detective launched on HBO nine years ago, to much critical acclaim.
A crime anthology series, the show features big stars in its cast, while the subject matter is usually pretty grim, dealing with the darker side of humanity.
With True Detective: Night Country hitting screens worldwide next week, here’s your guide to how many seasons there have been.
How many True Detective seasons are there?
There have been three seasons of True Detective thus far, with the forthcoming Night Country Season 4.
Season 1 launched in 2014, and starred Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as a pair of troubled Louisiana cops hunting a serial killer over a near-20-year period.
Season 2 aired in 2015, and starred Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Vince Vaughn, Kelly Reilly, and Taylor Kitsch. The plot focused on three detectives from different jurisdictions investigating the murder of a politician.
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Season 3 aired in 2019, revolved around the search for two missing children, played out in the Ozarks over three time periods, and starred Mahershala Ali, Stephen Dorff, Carmen Ejogo, and Ray Fisher.
What happens in Night Country?
True Detective: Night Country stars Jodie Foster and Kali Reiss, with Tigers Are Not Afraid helmer Issa López directing and writing/co-writing all six episodes.
The official synopsis is as follows: “When the long winter night falls in Ennis, Alaska, the eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station vanish without a trace. To solve the case, Detectives Liz Danvers (Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Reis) will have to confront the darkness they carry in themselves, and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice.”
As for influences, López recently cited three genre classics when describing Night Country to The AV Club: “One of the biggest references for it is [John] Carpenter’s The Thing, no doubt. Tsalal [the research station in Night Country] has undertones, the way we shot it, to Kubrick’s the Overlook and a feel of Nostromo, even, from Alien.
As for whether there will be a fifth season of True Detective, HBO/MAX hasn’t made any public announcement. But, Season 4 has started with quite a bang and will continue to churn out new episodes until the end of Feburary.
