Earlier this year, True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto got fans of the HBO anthology crime drama excited when he teased that not only did he have an idea for a new season, but that it would bring back original series stars Matthe McConauhey and Woody Harrelson. The actors appeared in the first season of the critically acclaimed series but haven’t appeared since. However, Harrelson is now weighing on the chances he’d go back to the role of Detective Martin “Marty” Hart and he’s making it clear that it’s something entirely off the table and he’s never going back.
During an appearance on the 3rd Hour of Today (via People), Harrelson responded to Pizzolatto suggesting that he and McConaughey would come back, and while he acknowledged his co-star’s humor, he’s just not interested.
“Matthew’s so funny, but in fairness, never. Not a chance,” he said, adding, “Because it turned out great. I love that it turned out the way it did. If anything, doing another season would, I think, tarnish that.”
Harrelson may have a point about wanting to leave his time on True Detective alone. Both Harrelson and McConaughey earned Emmy nominations for their roles in the series. Both actors also received a great deal of critical praise for their work and the season remains the second-highest rated season to date — Season 4 actually did slightly better with critics. However, even with Harrelson not interested in returning, True Detective is far from doomed.
Season 4 saw a big shift for the franchise. While Pizzolatto remained an executive producer on the series, Issa Lopez came on as showrunner as well as writer and director for the season, subtitled Night Country. The season, which stars Jodie Foster and Kali Reis as detectives in Ennis, Alaska investigating the disappearance of eight men from a local research station, was met with widespread acclaim and also netted the highest viewership for the entire series to date. Lopez is set to return for a fifth season with that season set to air in 2027.
Despite the success of Season 4 of True Detective, Pizzolatto was openly and vocally critical of Night Country, which made his comments about having an idea for a new season that he was sure would see the return of the original stars a little curious to begin with. Given his critique and how successful Lopez has been, it’s not clear that HBO would even bring him back. More than that, True Detective has operated entirely as an anthology with seasons that don’t revisit previous characters or situations. While Night Country did have connections to Season 1, it was still its own story so bringing back the characters from Season 1 would mark a big shift in the structure of the series to date — which could be a big gamble as other anthology series have had mixed success with bringing back characters from one season to another later in the game.
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