Mahershala Ali confirmed for the third season of True Detective

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

The first season of HBO's True Detective represented eight-hours of outstanding television, the second season…not so much. Not that it was terrible by any means, it just paled in comparison to the excellent first season. Hopefully the upcoming third season of the series will give us a little more of that first season magic, and setting Mahershala Ali (MOONLIGHT) to take the lead is certainly a move in the right direction.

Of course, a great cast obviously doesn't guarantee a great series, but I remain hopeful. Earlier this month, Mahershala Ali was reportedly in negotiations to star in the third season of True Detective, and now it appears as though his deal has been finalized. While speaking at the Television Critics Association press-tour, Casey Bloys, HBO's President of Programming, confirmed Ali's involvement and added that he has read "five great scripts" for the upcoming season.

All I’ll tell you is I’m very, very impressed and excited about what I’ve read. I don’t want to give away the storyline, but I think they’re terrific.

True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto will once again be scripting the season, and when we heard rumblings about the return of the series several months ago, he was set to team up with David Milch (Deadwood), which was hugely exciting. Bloys didn't comment on the current creative team, so I can only hope that Milch is still onboard. The next big step in getting the ball rolling on True Detective's third season will be finding the right director. Casey Bloys says that they are "talking to directors" right now, and when they "have a director we want to hire, it will be a go." Fingers crossed.

Who would you like to see paired with Mahershala Ali in True Detective's third season?