Diksha Sundriyal
‘True Detective,’ a crime drama anthology series, has been one of the most popular shows for HBO. Its fourth season came out in early 2024 and saw such a massive bump in its viewership that almost immediately after its finale aired in February, it was renewed for a fifth season. The next instalment is helmed by Issa López, who took over as the showrunner from series creator Nic Pizzolatto in the fourth season. The series is expected to start filming in the first quarter of 2026, with New York serving as the primary filming location. Assuming it takes a year to shoot the show, if everything goes as scheduled, True Detective Season 5 is expected to release sometime in early 2027.
True Detective Season 5’s New Case Will Have Connections to the Previous Seasons
Being an anthology series, ‘True Detective’ brings a new case with every season. The first two seasons were entirely independent, but the third season delivered an easter egg that put it in the same universe as the first season. With its fourth season, the show leaned further into these connections, with the recurring imagery of spiral symbols and the mention of Rust Cohle’s father living in Alaska. With the fifth season, showrunner Issa López will continue this thread of connectivity.
While the plot details have been kept under wraps, it is revealed that the show’s setting has moved from Ennis, Alaska, to Jamaica Bay, New York, which is known for its marshy islands. Lopez revealed in an interview with the New York Post that the new season will feature connections with the events and characters of Night Country, but at the same time, it will feature an entirely new slate of cast, characters, and story. She also emphasised that the fifth season is in the same universe as the previous seasons of the show to give the feeling that “there’s something bigger than us and darker than what we can imagine behind the scenes.”
She added that the next season is “connected to the original idea of ‘True Detective,’ of this dark reality behind the scenes of what we think is our reality.” The show runner also added that the fans can expect some “really f—ked up stuff” in the upcoming instalment of the show, hinting that the show will continue to tap into a character-driven murder mystery that will lead its protagonists into some really weird places, making them question everything they thought they knew about the world.
True Detective Season 5 Will Have a New Set of Cast and Characters
Keeping in tradition with the previous seasons, the fifth season of ‘True Detective’ will also feature a new set of characters, bringing in fresh faces to the cast. The casting process is still underway, and no significant names have been attached to the new season yet. However, seeing that all four seasons attracted high-profile actors like Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Colin Farrell, Rachael McAdams, and Mahershala Ali, to name a few, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the fifth season also features a star-studded cast. Considering that Issa Lopez has mentioned the connections with the previous seasons, especially the fourth one, it is fair to assume that some actors from ‘Night Country’ might make an appearance in the fifth season.
However, Jodie Foster has already talked about how she will not be coming back as Detective Liz Danvers. Kali Reis, who plays Trooper Evangeline Navarro, has not given any confirmation about her reprising the role either. Still, fans might stay on the lookout for supporting characters who might be used as the bridge between the two seasons. Moreover, it must also be considered that the third and fourth seasons made a connection with the first season without any major cast members returning. So, the fifth season might also follow the same trend, relying on obscure details, imagery, and symbols from the previous seasons to create a running thread that connects all seasons.
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