True Detective Season 4’s New Plan Is Perfect To Revive The Show

After a long hiatus, HBO’s crime drama True Detective is set to return, and its plans for season 4 are the perfect way to revive the show. True Detective first aired in 2014 and was immediately met with critical acclaim. Viewers and critics praised the incredible performances by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, as well as Cary Joji Fukunaga’s direction and Nic Pizzolatto’s philosophical scripts.

Pizzolatto would go on to write two further seasons, neither of which would attain the same level of praise as season 1. While season 3 was seen as something of a return to form and Mahershala Ali’s performance received much deserved praise, the disappointing True Detective season 2 was by far the most divisive entry in the series. Many critics decried the season’s overly gloomy and self-serious dialogue, while others praised its originality and further development of the show’s signature nihilistic themes. Following Nic Pizzolatto’s departure from HBO in 2019, the future of the series remained up in the air.

However, with the announcement that Barry Jenkins is taking over True Detective season 4 as executive producer, the show’s future is looking up. Barry Jenkins rose to prominence with his Oscar-winning Moonlight, and has subsequently directed the critically acclaimed If Beale Street Could Talk and Amazon Prime’s 10 part miniseries, The Underground Railroad. Barry Jenkins’ role as writer, executive producer, and director on the adaptation of the book The Underground Railroad demonstrates that he is more than capable of helming a big project like True Detective.

While the full extent of his involvement is not yet clear, Barry Jenkins stepping in as director could definitely save True Detective. One of the standout features of True Detective season 1 (and also season 3) was the non-linear storytelling and jumping back and forth between different timelines. Barry Jenkins’ own Moonlight was also structured around three separate timelines, marking its protagonists’ growth over the course of his life. If Beale Street Could Talk‘s narrative is also told in a non-linear fashion, showing that Jenkins already has an affinity for this kind of storytelling.

Mexican filmmaker Issa López is also on board as True Detective season 4’s writer. López’s 2017 thriller Tigers Are Not Afraid showed an interesting blend of crime drama, horror, and magical realism, meaning that the writer should be a perfect fit for a series like True Detective. Jenkins and López will also be able to provide a completely different perspective than what Nic Pizzolatto offered in the first three seasons; season 1, for example, was heavily inspired by Pizzolatto’s own experiences growing up in rural Louisiana.

It’s possible that Barry Jenkins’ approach to the series may be too different from Pizzolatto’s, resulting in a show that doesn’t really feel true to True Detective‘s style. However, that’s probably a good thing: after the uneven reception of seasons 2 and 3, maybe what True Detective needs is a new coat of paint. If so, Barry Jenkins seems like the perfect choice to revive the series.

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