Home › Entertainment › Season Four of Matthew McConaughey's 'True Detective' Reportedly in the Works
Season Four of Matthew McConaughey's 'True Detective' Reportedly in the Works
by Allison Hambrick March 19, 2022
written by Allison Hambrick March 19, 2022 11:53 am
(Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)
HBO greenlit True Detective, which starred Matthew McConaughey in its first season, for a season four return.
True Detective season one starred Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as two detectives who revisit a murder case that left them both damaged. Both are set to return as executive producers on season four, as they had been on all three past seasons. The Emmy-winning HBO show is an anthology, so each season follows a different lead with a different crime.
Season two starred Colin Farrell, Kelly Reilly, Rachel McAdams, and Vince Vaughn. Following the death of a corrupt city manager, a highway patrolman and a detective investigate the murder while a criminal also attempts to solve the crime. The sophomore season was poorly regarded in comparison to the first.
However, season three was considered a return to form for the anthology. Starring Academy Award-winner Mahershala Ali, this season follows an investigation involving two missing children over three separate time periods. Ali received an Emmy nod for his role in the series.
Now, HBO is tapping Barry Jenkins and Issa Lopez to executive produce season four of the hit series. Jenkins is, of course, primarily known as an Oscar-winning screenwriter and director who directed Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk. Lopez, however, is a director and writer known for Tigers Are Not Afraid. Series creator Nic Pizzolatto is not returning to the series.
While no casting decisions have been revealed, a number of rumors have swirled. The predominant casting choice would see iconic actress Jodie Foster as the next lead detective. Given the series's history of casting A-list actors as leads, the Silence of the Lambs star is a fitting choice.
True Detective Season Four Producer Discusses the Show
Former Cheers star Woody Harrelson opened up about the smash hit that was the first season of True Detective. While the actor enjoyed making the show, its heavy subject matter made it an emotional show to shoot.
"Yeah. I mean, you know, there were times I would get kinda angry with Matthew," Harrelson explained. "And he's one of my best buddies, so it felt weird. But he was in character and that fucking character just made me want to fucking slap him. [Laughs.] He's so good. But he'd stay in character. You know, not after work, but while we were at work. It wasn't like 'Heyyy, buddy!' None of that. So that was a little… But, anyway, it turned out good."
If anything, Harrelson's commitment to the character only made the show stronger. His dynamic with McConaughey in real life added to their onscreen relationship as two estranged partners.
"I thought it was gonna be good, but it's rare you find a thing that hits the zeitgeist like that," Harrelson said of the show's success. "So yeah, it was wild. I had no idea that it would be that kind of thing. And I thought it did turn out really good."