True Detective: The critically-acclaimed series returns to HBO!

Guess what?! True Detective season 3 is all set to premiere in Jan. 2019!

True Detective is ready to premiere season 3 in exactly one month from now. How exciting is that?! While season 2 was a bit of a letdown, fans couldn’t get enough of the series’ first season starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. We’re hoping that the third season takes us back to the season 1 vibes, especially because it’s starring Oscar winner Mahershala Ali.

HBO released a press release earlier today detailing the season 3 premiere, and what fans can expect with the third installment of True Detective. The third season will span across three different time periods, This Is Us style, to tell the story of its central character.

The story begins in 1980 as two children go missing circa Halloween. It will then go forward to 2015, where the original investigator will be asked to revisit the abduction as a true-crime producer follows him around. A show within a show? Very intriguing.

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The best part is we’ll be heading to the Ozarks for season 3, a location that has become very familiar to fans of the Netflix series, Ozark. Series creator Nic Pizzolatto is back for the eight-episode season, two of which will air on premiere night.

Apart from Ali, Selma’s Carmen Ejogo is starring as a schoolteacher named Amelia Reardon. In addition, Somewhere’s Stephen Dorff will be playing Detective Roland West, alongside Ali’s Detective Wayne Hays.

Over the course of the season, the original mystery will be the core of the storyline. From the original crime to the developments in later years, to the present when Hays is asked to revisit it, there will be a lot to process.

Our hope is that the story stays coherent and not too muddled with the multiple timelines. Ask any DC Universe fan–it can get complicated.

HBO’s official description of True Detective season 3 is as follows:

"“In 2015, retired detective Wayne Hays, his memory failing, looks back at the disappearance of 12-year-old Will and ten-year-old Julie Purcell, recalling the days and weeks immediately following the 1980 crime, as well as developments in 1990, when he and his former partner, Roland West, were subpoenaed after a major break in the case.”"

Pizzolatto wrote 7 of the 8 episodes for season 3 and co-wrote episode 4 with Deadwood’s David Milch and episode 6 with Quarry’s Graham Gordy. In fact, he’s even making his directorial debut with two of the episodes this season.

We are really, really hoping for an epic season 3, and crossing our fingers it’s very similar in drama and suspense to season 1. HBO released the first four episode titles and details in a press release earlier today, and we have them below for your viewing pleasure!

Episode 1: “The Great War and Modern Memory” (airs Jan. 13th)

"The disappearance of a young Arkansas boy (Phoenix Elkin) and his sister (Lena McCarthy) in 1980 triggers vivid memories and enduring questions for retired detective Wayne Hays (Mahershala Ali), who worked the case 35 years before with partner Roland West (Stephen Dorff). What started as a routine case becomes a long journey to dissect and make sense of the crime."

Written by Nic Pizzolatto; directed by Jeremy Saulnier

Episode 2: “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye” (airs Jan. 13th)

"Hays (Mahershala Ali) looks back at the aftermath of the 1980 Purcell case in West Finger, Ark., including possible evidence left behind at the Devil’s Den, an outdoor hangout for local kids. As attention focuses on two conspicuous suspects – Brett Woodard (Michael Greyeyes), a solitary vet and trash collector, and Ted LaGrange (Shawn-Caulin Young), an ex-con with a penchant for children – the parents of the missing kids, Tom (Scoot McNairy) and Lucy Purcell (Mamie Gummer), receive a cryptic note from an anonymous source."

Written by Nic Pizzolatto; directed by Jeremy Saulnier

Episode 3: “The Big Never” (airs Jan. 20th)

"Hays (Mahershala Ali) recalls his early romance with Amelia (Carmen Ejogo), as well as cracks in their relationship that surfaced after they married and had children. Ten years after the Purcell crimes, new evidence emerges, giving him a second chance to vindicate himself and the investigation."

Written by Nic Pizzolatto; directed by Daniel Sackheim

Episode 4: “The Hour and the Day” (airs Jan. 27th)

"Hays (Mahershala Ali) and West (Stephen Dorff) see a possible connection between the local church and the Purcell crimes. As the detectives search for one suspect and round up another for interrogation, Woodard (Michael Greyeyes) is targeted by a vigilante group."

Written by David Milch & Nic Pizzolatto; directed by Nic Pizzolatto

We don’t know about you, but we are stoked for True Detective season 3! If you are too, don’t be shy, tell us how you feel in the comments below! And don’t forget to watch the season 3 premiere on HBO on Jan. 13th at 9 PM EST! (we get not one, but two episodes that night!).