A potential fourth season ofHBO’s acclaimed crime anthology seriesTrue Detectivecould be arriving sooner than fans were expecting, as the premium cable network has begun meeting with writers to possibly take over the series from creator Nic Pizzolatto. In an interview with Deadline, HBO and HBO Max’s chief content officer Casey Bloys revealed that the next installment ofTrue Detectiveis a priority, despite the third season’s marked dip in ratings.
Bloys explained, “It’s safe to say we’re working with a couple of writers to find the right tone and take. It’s definitely an area that could be very interesting and I think it would be interesting with a new voice. Quality is what’s going to guide us, so if we end up with scripts that we don’t feel are representative or are not at a high enough quality, we’re not going to do something just to do it.” Bloys didn’t name any of the writers that HBO has met with so far, but rumor has it thatEuphoriacreator Sam Levinsonis among them.
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The possibility of continuing the series without the involvement of Pizzolatto, who has guided the creative vision of the show since the beginning, has some fans up in arms. But having signed a deal to produce shows for FX, Pizzolatto is too busy to add another season ofTrue Detectiveto his slate and HBO iseager to perpetuate one of its most established brandsdespite this. Although he once said he had an idea for season 4, Pizzolatto doesn’t seem to have taken it past the concept stage and he has moved on to helmRedeemerfor FX, withTrue Detective’s Matthew McConaughey attached. The show wasn’t picked up, but it has taken up a lot of his time.
Pizzolatto initially developed what would become the first season ofTrue Detectiveas a novel. When he translated it into a limited series for HBO, its rich plotting and complex characters earned it a boatload of critical acclaim. The second season was less well-reviewed, with some critics noting that its writing was more rushed than season 1, which had existed in Pizzolatto’s head for years. The writer took a few years off before returning with a third seasonstarring Mahershala Alithat received much better reviews than season 2 but didn’t attract as many viewers.
Since each season ofTrue Detectiveintroduces a new story with a new cast of characters, it’ll be easier for a new writer to take over than most TV shows. Removing Pizzolatto fromTrue Detectivewon’t be as jarring as removing Dan Harmon fromCommunity(which NBC did), because each season starts fresh. In fact, the more wildly different the tone of season 4 is, the better it’ll be for the show. Still,Pizzolatto’s Southern Gothic sensibilitywas crucial to the first three seasons.
True Detectiveis now available on HBO Max.
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