The "True Detective" franchise got a much-needed dose of energy and creativity in Season 4. "Night Country," written and directed by female filmmaker Issa López and led by Jodie Foster and Kali Reis, is the most-watched season in the show's history. HBO would be crazy not to get the ball rolling on "True Detective" Season 5.
Season 4, which debuted in Jan. 2024, averaged 12.7 million viewers across HBO and Max. That puts the evocative Alaskan mystery above "True Detective" Season 1, which aired in 2014 and memorably starred Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, who continue to serve as executive producers. What comes next for the beloved anthology series? HBO has not officially renewed "True Detective" for Season 5, but the show's continuation is pretty much guaranteed — and we have some idea of where it might go.
For starters, series creator Nic Pizzolato teased a Season 1 redux ("True Detective: The Return") back in 2023. McConaughey, too, has said he would reprise his iconic role as Rust Cohle in "the right context." The series is an anthology with new (albeit loosely connected) stories and characters each season, but fans have clamored for a McConaughey-Harrelson reunion for a decade now.
Then there's the precedent set by Season 4. "True Detective: Night Country" is the first installment to get a subtitle and a new showrunner. HBO could continue that practice and hand the series over to a new filmmaker with unique vision.
Read on for everything we know so far about "True Detective" Season 5, including what the cast and creators have said about the future of the franchise.
Will There Be a 'True Detective' Season 5?
Michele K. Short/HBO
There's no way HBO isn't developing a "True Detective" Season 5. The series is immensely popular and offers that which IP-crazed studios want most right now: A built-in audience of fans who will tune in no matter what.
HBO has not officially renewed "True Detective" for a fifth season, but that means virtually nothing. Season 4 was announced a full three years after the Season 3 finale. Give it time.
Will We Ever Return to 'Night Country'?
Despite the runaway success of Season 4, we won't be returning to Ennis for "Night Country" Part 2.
Every season of "True Detective" (save for Season 2, which shall not be named) loosely connects back to the Tuttle family cult and the crooked spiral symbol from Season 1, but the series is ultimately an anthology of standalone buddy cop stories with supernatural flourishes and satisfying conclusions. It would be off form for the show to go back to Ennis in future seasons.
Will Matthew McConaughey Come Back to 'True Detective'?
HBO
Rumors have swirled that Matthew McConaughey would reprise his iconic Season 1 role as Rust Cohle since series creator Nic Pizzolato teased a new season on Instagram in April 2023.
Posing alongside McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, Pizzolato wrote in the caption: "That's a wrap on the complete table read for True Detective - The Return. Shame we'll probably never get to film it... What a story."
Did Pizzolato really write the next chapter in Rust and Marty's journey, or was he pulling a fast one on the entire internet? There's no telling. One thing we do know, however, is that McConaughey has left the door open for a series return:
"Yeah, I would," the Oscar winner said in 2016 when asked whether he'd ever return to the show. "I miss Rust Cohle, man. I miss watching him on Sunday nights. I miss watching 'True Detective' on Sunday nights...I was a happy man when we made that for six months because I was on my own island."
McConaughey added that he had spoken with Pizzolato about potential new storylines for Rust: "It would have to be the right context, the right way. That thing — when I read it, I knew in 20 minutes if I can play this guy, Rustin Cohle, I'm in."
Pizzolato, meanwhile, was not involved in "True Detective: Night Country," although he's still credited as a series creator and executive producer. What's more, he's been open about his frustration with Season 4. In a since-deleted Twitter post, Pizzolato called the connections to Season 1 (Rust Cohle's father, the crooked spiral) "so stupid," adding: "I certainly did not have any input on this story or anything else. Can't blame me."
HBO could hand the reins back to Pizzolato, or "True Detective" could continue to be a playground for filmmakers like Issa López to come in and tell one-off stories.
'True Detective' Season 5 Release Date
"True Detective" has lengthy lead times. Season 4 took two years to go from script to screen. When Season 5 gets the green light, expect at minimum one year of development and production before the new installment hits TVs everywhere.
Even if HBO announces a series continuation tomorrow, we likely wouldn't see it until late 2025.
