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True Detective has had a long and storied history on the small screen.
After a critically adored freshman season, the series returned with a dud of a follow-up that seemingly ended the franchise.
Almost four years later, we got True Detective Season 3 — a marked improvement on the sophomore season.
Now, we’re getting True Detective: Night Country, a new chapter in the anthology series.
Below, we’ve rounded up everything we know about True Detective: Night Country.
What is True Detective Night Country About?
We have a synopsis from HBO:
When the long winter night falls in Ennis, Alaska, the eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station vanish without a trace.
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To solve the case, Detectives Liz Danvers (Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Reis) will have to confront the darkness they carry in themselves, and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice.
It sounds like it will be a grueling season for everyone involved as the intricacies of this mystery are unraveled.
The good news is that it sounds far removed from the first three seasons, offering a very different case than before.
Switching things up is necessary because a surefire way to alienate fans is to have too much of the same.
True Detective Night Country Cast: Who’s In?
Before HBO even picked up True Detective Night Country, details about the cast were trickling out.
Foster is another big-screen star jumping to the small screen for a limited series.
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Limited series allow actors to tell stories over a longer arc, but not as long as some shows.
HBO has a solid track record with limited series, too, with The Undoing and Mare of Easttown finding big audiences.
Reis stars opposite Foster, and based on the first footage, their characters have very different viewpoints on how the case should be handled.
When you have people killed and frozen in blocks of ice, it’s a different case to what most agents will ever deal with, so there will be an increased urgency to find out the truth before more people wind up dead.
Joining Foster and Reis are Finn Bennett and Fiona Shaw, with Christopher Eccleston, Isabella Star LaBlanc, and John Hawkes. Guest stars: Anna Lambe, Aka Niviâna, June Thiele, Diane Benson, and Joel D. Montgrand.
It’s an A-list cast that will help bring this show to life in a big way.
We can’t wait to see what they do with this show because our first impressions are very encouraging.
True Detective Night Country: How Many Episodes Have Been Ordered?
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The next chapter of True Detective will be the shortest to date.
HBO has ordered six episodes, down from the first three season’s eight-episode orders.
The decision was likely for creative reasons because HBO tends to allow the creatives to lead these decisions to ensure the shows are as close to the vision of those making them as possible.
Six episodes should make for a well-paced season instead of including needless filler that drags the story out for longer.
We’re all for shorter episode orders if it benefits the story.
We’ll reserve further judgment on that until we see the entire series.
True Detective: Night Country: When Will it Premiere?
The series was initially set to launch in 2023, but HBO elected to delay it due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
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If it premiered during the strikes, the cast wouldn’t have been able to promote the series.
Now, True Detective: Night Country will premiere on Sunday, January 14, 2024.
One new episode will be available weekly, meaning the season finale will air on Sunday, February 18, 2024.
Will True Detective Return for Season 5?
A decision about the future of True Detective hasn’t been made, but it will hinge on the success of True Detective Night Country.
HBO will keep the show alive if the viewership is strong enough to warrant a renewal.
But don’t expect another season for quite a few years. People probably still tune in because the show is gone for long enough that there’s excitement when it returns.
That means HBO may not commit to another season for years yet, so watch this space.
We will update you when we have official word.
Is There a Trailer for True Detective Night Country?
HBO has been teasing True Detective: Night Country for months, but we got the full-length trailer in December.
It showcased the chilling case and complicated dynamics between the characters as they try to crack these murders before it’s too late.
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The acting is solid, and we can’t wait to see the whole series when it premieres.
Where Can I Watch True Detective?
True Detective, as usual, is an HBO original series, so you’ll be able to watch episodes linearly on Sundays at 9 p.m.
Episodes will also be available simultaneously on HBO’s streaming sibling Max.
That’s everything we know about True Detective: Night Country for now.
We’ll update this post with all the information as it becomes available.
What are you most excited about for the series so far?
Hit the comments.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.