True Detective’s third season adds Scoot McNairy to its cast

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Although the second season of HBO's True Detective couldn't hope to live up to the unexpected brilliance of the first, it's clear that HBO still has a great deal of faith in creator/writer Nic Pizzolatto. It may have taken a little longer than expected, but True Detective's third season is quickly taking shape with an exciting cast, the latest of which is Scoot McNairy (Godless).

True Detective's third season will tell the story of a macabre crime in the heart of the Ozarks and a mystery that deepens over decades and plays out in three separate time periods. Scoot McNairy is set to play Tom, "a father who suffers a terrible loss that ties his fate to that of two state police detectives over 10 years." Mahershala Ali will be playing the lead role of Wayne Hays, a state police detective from Northwest Arkansas, with Stephen Dorff playing Wayne’s partner, Roland West, an Arkansas State Investigator who, along with his partner, has his life and career influenced over three decades by a baffling crime. Carmen Ejogo is also set to star as Amelia Reardon, an Arkansas schoolteacher with a connection to two missing children in 1980. With the exception of the fourth episode, which he co-wrote with David Milch (Deadwood), the entire third season has been scripted by Nic Pizzolatto, with Jeremy Saulnier (GREEN ROOM) serving as director alongside Pizzolatto, who will also be making his directorial debut.

As for when we'll get to see True Detective back on our screens, HBO programming president Casey Bloys recently said that they "couldn’t have it ready for ’18 so you can assume ’19." Shucks. Production is expected to get underway next month, but Bloys wouldn't reveal anything specific about the upcoming season, only to say that he thinks the scripts are "fantastic. I’m excited. I think people are going to be very happy."

How are you feeling about the state of True Detective's third season so far?