Skip to main content

Can Matthew McConaughey help bring ‘True Detective’ back for a third season?

Actor Matthew McConaughey Talks HBO's True Detective - 6/22/16
After a — let’s face it — relatively abysmal second season last year, many believed that the HBO miniseries True Detective would not be returning for a third. But Matthew McConaughey may help sway that decision in a favorable direction, having indicated interest in reprising his role from the first season during a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show on DirecTV.
Recommended Videos

“I miss Rust Cohle, man,” he said during the interview. “I miss watching him on Sunday nights. I miss watching True Detective on Sunday nights.” When asked if he’d ever return, McConaughey says he has talked to Nic Pizzolatto, the series creator, about possibly coming up with a way for that character to return.

The series airs as an anthology, with each season featuring a distinct storyline and set of characters. The inaugural season with McConaughey and Woody Harrelson garnered great reviews, earning seven Emmy nominations and winning four. McConaughey was also nominated for both an Emmy and Golden Globe for the role of Cohle, and won a Critics’ Choice Television Award.

But the follow-up second season, which starred Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, and Vince Vaughan, was lackluster at best, according to critics. Famed director David Cronenberg even turned down directing the first episode because he thought the script was “bad.” Ouch.

Just last month, it was looking like HBO was hoping for another new series from Pizzolatto for next season instead of one with the words “true” or “detective” in it. But McConaughey’s recent enthusiasm might just breathe new life into the show.

He is completely receptive to going back to the small screen, if the quality is there. “You’re actually getting better-quality dramas on the small screen today than you ever have been. A lot better than you’re getting on the big screen sometimes.

“It would have to be the right context, the right way,” he said of a potential True Detective return. “When I read [the original script], I knew in 20 minutes if I can play this guy, Rustin Cohle, I’m in.” McConaughey reveals that playing the role made him a “happy man … I was on my own island.”

This doesn’t necessarily mean that a new season of True Detective will be made with the actor, or indeed, made at all. But whatever happens, here’s hoping it’s better than last year. Take your time, guys.

Christine Persaud
Christine has decades of experience in trade and consumer journalism. While she started her career writing exclusively about…
The 10 most popular movies on Netflix right now
Two women stand in shock next to each other.

Netflix is one of the most popular streaming services in the world, with over 280 million subscribers. And just what do those people tend to watch? In particular, what is the most popular movie on Netflix? Each week, the streaming service releases a list of its 10 most-watched movies over a recent seven-day period to keep subscribers in the loop regarding its most popular titles.

Halloween might be over, but horror and thrillers are dominating the Netflix top 10. Don't Move, a thriller about a woman's attempt to defeat a serial killer, moves to No. 1, followed by Time Cut, a sci-fi slasher, at No. 2. Meanwhile, Woman of the Hour, Anna Kendrick's tense thriller, remains in the top 10 for the third consecutive week. Below, we've listed the top 10 movies in the U.S. from October 28 to November 3, along with general information about each film, such as genre, rating, cast, and synopsis.

Read more
Stranger Things season 5 reveals episode titles, confirms 2025 release
Eleven stands in front of the camera and stares.

Stranger Things season 5 is coming next year.

Netflix has confirmed that the fifth and final season of Stranger Things will stream in 2025. Additionally, the streamer revealed season 5's titles for all eight episodes in a video announcement.

Read more
3 sci-fi movies on Peacock you need to watch in November 2024
A close-up of Marty McFly in Back to the Future looking at something outside.

Sci-fi is a genre that everyone loves, whether it’s hard sci-fi or lighter options that incorporate sci-fi themes. There are classic and new sci-fi movies available to stream on all the top streaming services, including Peacock.

For this month, there are three sci-fi movies on Peacock you need to watch in November. Chances are these are movies you watched when they were first released, dating back to the 1980s through 2010s. But these are films with great re-watch value as well, especially if you haven’t seen them in a while. One, in fact, is among the greatest sci-fi movies of all time.

Read more