HBO's True Detective is one of the biggest U-turns of television in recent memory. The cop drama reached large critical acclaim with Emmy nominations galore for its first season before it all fell apart in Season 2. Lots of people blamed a lackluster story that didn't live up to the engrossing twist and turns of Season 1, so HBO hit the brakes hard on Season 3. It's still up in the air whether the show will return for a third season, but now we may have finally gotten a more definitive answer.
It sounds like True Detective isn't dead in the water yet. At the recent Television Critics Association press day (via Vulture), HBO's new programming chief Casey Bloys announced that the show was still alive but that there was currently "no take on a third season yet." So while HBO is willing to move forward and give True Detective another chance, they have no idea what a Season 3 would even be about. They aren't going to rush like they did with Season 2, which is good news for fans of the surreal cop noir who are still hoping the show can once again reach the heights of the first season.
As for the fate of series creator and writer Nic Pizzolatto, he's reportedly still involved with the series. However, he might be taking a step back to let someone else grab the reigns. Pizzolatto would supervise over a new writer, who would presumably handle the heavy lifting. Pizzolatto signed an exclusive development deal with HBO last year, so the writer won't have any shortage of projects to work on.
Most True Detective news is a mixed bag nowadays. It's good to know that the series is still trying to make it work post Season 2, but there must have been some sort of problem for Season 2 to take such a steep dive. The way the show is made will have to change going forward. Nic Pizzolatto almost single-handedly wrote every episode for the entire series. He had years to develop and write all the concepts for Season 1, but maybe a year for Season 2. HBO admitted that the faults of Season 2 were their own for rushing Pizzolatto to complete the season. One possible way they could fix the show is to hire a team of writers to work with Pizzolatto or to hire a new showrunner with fresh eyes.
Either way, it'll be a while before we see any development from True Detective. As loyal fans know, time is a flat circle, so with any luck, the wait won't be too bad. It can't possibly be any worse than the wait for Game of Thrones.
True Detective will return one day, so keep checking in to Cinema Blend, and we'll keep you updated as new information becomes available.
