True Detective

:

Season 3
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Jan 12, 2014
Season #: 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
6.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 242 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 167 out of 242
  2. Mixed: 36 out of 242
  3. Negative: 39 out of 242
Watch Now

Where To Watch

Buy on
Stream On

Review this tv show

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling

User Reviews

view
per page
  1. Lebowsky
    Nov 12, 2021
    10
    I am a war veteran, and I had a role during the war very similar to the main character. The ending killed me, and my partner sitting next to me couldn't get why. The Third Season is so multilayered and deep that many will not get it. I spoke to other war veterans, that like me experienced long periods of exposure to combat and they felt the same way. This is truly a masterpiece, that II am a war veteran, and I had a role during the war very similar to the main character. The ending killed me, and my partner sitting next to me couldn't get why. The Third Season is so multilayered and deep that many will not get it. I spoke to other war veterans, that like me experienced long periods of exposure to combat and they felt the same way. This is truly a masterpiece, that I would love to re-watch over again and again, but I dare not to. Best season by far.… Expand
  2. Bertaut1
    Mar 23, 2021
    5
    Thoughts on Season Three

    Season one of True Detective was ground-breaking, one of the finest seasons of TV ever made. Season two was awful. Season three? Well…of all the shows I've ever seen, season three of True Detective is one of them. Unquestionably, there's a lot to praise – the aesthetics, the sense of place, the acting. And there are some interesting themes – racial tension,    Thoughts on Season Three

    Season one of True Detective was ground-breaking, one of the finest seasons of TV ever made. Season two was awful. Season three? Well…of all the shows I've ever seen, season three of True Detective is one of them.

    Unquestionably, there's a lot to praise – the aesthetics, the sense of place, the acting. And there are some interesting themes – racial tension, journalistic ethics, marriage, fatherhood, the shadow of Vietnam, old age. But this being creator/writer/showrunner Nic Pizzolatto unfettered, there's a lot to criticise too – the glacial pace, the under-written female roles, the cod-philosophy, the (toxic) machismo. Pizzolatto (a novelist by trade) seems to need a director with a keen enough vision to mask the fact that his scripts are actually pretty by-the-numbers. Season one had Cary Joji Fukunaga who gave us a very thin story by way of such unforgettable imagery that it made everything feel deeper than it really was. Season three has such a vision for the first two episodes, which were directed by Jeremy Saulnier. After that, directorial duties were split between Pizzolatto himself and journeyman TV director Daniel Sackheim. Season three without Saulnier (or Fukunaga) isn't as bad as season two, but it's still very weak.

    The story is split over three time periods. In 1980, in the fictional town of West Finger, Arkansas, two children disappear. The case lands on the desk of Wayne Hays (an insanely good Mahershala Ali) and his partner Roland West (a superb Stephen Dorff). Shortly thereafter, Wayne forms a bond with the kids' English teacher, Amelia Reardon (Carmen Ejogo), who has her own reasons for pursuing the case. Ten years later, in 1990, Hays (now married to Amelia and with two children) is working a dead-end desk job and West is a lieutenant. When unexpected evidence comes to light, the case is reopened. And then, in 2015, Hays, now a widower suffering from memory loss, begins recording an interview for a true-crime TV show doing an episode about the case.

    Especially laudable is how the show handles the time jumps, employing a variety of methods that collapse the three different periods into one another. A question asked of Hays apparently in 1990 is actually being asked in 2015, with the sound bridging the picture edit; a streetlight going out in 1980 cuts to a key-light going out in Hays's 2015 interview; a shot of Hays looking through a window in 1980, shows his 2015 reflection; a single-shot scene in a car depicts the characters repeatedly changing from 1990 to 2015 every time their face is off-screen. It's all really well done.

    Also laudable is the old-age make-up by Michael Marino, which is some of the best I've ever seen, and is complemented by an exceptional performance from Ali. He plays Hays differently in each of the three timelines – in 1980, he's driven, confidant, imposing; in 1990, a sense of bitterness and indignation has crept in; in 2015, he's become a vulnerable and confused old man with just a hint of his past acerbity. Elsewhere, Dorff is exceptional throughout, and Scoot McNairy as the kids' father is heartbreaking in a somewhat thankless role.

    So, why is season three a dud? Well, for a few reasons. It moves at an agonisingly slow pace, and without the visual gymnastics of someone like Fukunaga or Saulnier, the story can't sustain itself, and the characters aren't any more interesting than the plot. There's certainly no Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) or Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson). Hays is brilliantly played, but he's as dull as dish-water, and the 1990-set problems between himself and Amelia, which come to take up an increasing amount of screen-time, are so uninteresting, they're difficult to watch.

    And then there's the finale. Okay, the finale of season one was weak. It was when we saw that at the season's core was nothing but a serial killer paedophile, and the mythology (the Yellow King, black stars, Carcosa) all boiled down to little. It didn't ruin the season, but it was underwhelming. Season three's finale is so badly structured that I genuinely do not understand how it made it to screen - about three-quarters of the way through, with most of the season's questions still open, a character literally sits down and explains everything. To hell with the cardinal rule of writing for film or TV ("show, don't tell"); here we have a finale with a 10-minute exposition-dump right at its heart, which literally tells without showing.

    Despite disliking two of the three seasons of True Detective, I'm still a fan (season one was that good). But that magic had more to do with the director than the writer. Much like season one, the mystery at the heart of season three was never as complicated nor as portent as it initially seemed, but unlike season one, season three doesn't give us much else to latch onto. The story Pizzolatto is telling and the characters within are too weak to support eight hours of narrative.    … Expand
  3. geewah
    Jan 10, 2021
    8
    Better than season 2, not as good as season 1. Mahershala Ali does a fine job in all 3 timelines but the show could of been condensed by an episode or 2.
  4. big_soon
    Jan 8, 2021
    3
    Great actors can't save bad writing for this poorly paced stinker with zero tension, drawn out family drama, and a finale that seems like it was taken from a bad Ciminal Minds episode. What a waste of time! If you have any interest in this season at all, watch episode 4 and don't bother with the rest of it.
  5. LatinCritic13
    Mar 25, 2020
    8
    It has been nearly four years that we haven't heard anything much about True Detective ever returning back to TV, and ladies and gentlemen it is here, the long awaited third season of True Detective is back and better than ever. Season three is the true season that we all truly deserved since the first. There may be ups-and-downs in terms of a slogged-up underutilization of choices thatIt has been nearly four years that we haven't heard anything much about True Detective ever returning back to TV, and ladies and gentlemen it is here, the long awaited third season of True Detective is back and better than ever. Season three is the true season that we all truly deserved since the first. There may be ups-and-downs in terms of a slogged-up underutilization of choices that adds up to the conclusion with only eight episodes again, but everything from the superb acting, casting, camera work, and writing of this new season may be the best flavor to chew on rather than a rushed plot that divided most people on the second season years back. And again, season three is a big improvement than its anthological predecessor since it's a revitalization of the first season with a much clearer picture and a gritty narrative that we’re all familiar of. Is it better than season one? Nope – but it’s better than two alright.… Expand
  6. WhiskeyStories
    Jan 11, 2020
    7
    A good season with an outstanding opening episode by Saulnier, which was so tense it made me want to puke, and a refreshingly mature conclusion. B/w such a great start and a stand-out finish, there were some major lulls, and the only thing that carried me through 'em were the fantastic performances. Mahershala Ali, Stephen Dorff, and Carmen Ejogo thankfully squeeze every drop out ofA good season with an outstanding opening episode by Saulnier, which was so tense it made me want to puke, and a refreshingly mature conclusion. B/w such a great start and a stand-out finish, there were some major lulls, and the only thing that carried me through 'em were the fantastic performances. Mahershala Ali, Stephen Dorff, and Carmen Ejogo thankfully squeeze every drop out of Pizzolatto's material, and now I want nothing more than Dorff's career to enter into some kind of 2nd renaissance.

    While an improvement over the previous season in most ways, there are a couple of things that has over this one. Lera Lynn, most of all, but the big E, as in Engagement, as well. I mean, I started this third season right when it came out, and wasn't able to finish it, well, until now.

    It's plain and clear by now, that first season was some sort of lightning in a bottle, and I know damn well it's kind of unfair to compare seasons since their anthological nature, but I can't help myself. It is what it is.    … Expand
  7. shadowboxxxah
    Aug 26, 2019
    8
    Amazing start for True Detective season 3. Incredible performances (particularly Ali, Dorff and McNairy), beautiful cinematography and really tight writing help make the first 2 episodes much better than the previous season.
  8. Epicenter
    Jun 5, 2019
    1
    I felt totally cheated by True Detective series 3 because I had invested at least 10 hours of my life watching what I thought was a show about a real crime, when in fact it turned out to be a convoluted soap opera about the relationships of a detective with his wife and his colleague.

    The actual “crime” element could have been dealt with in about 3 episodes. Then I could have decided    I felt totally cheated by True Detective series 3 because I had invested at least 10 hours of my life watching what I thought was a show about a real crime, when in fact it turned out to be a convoluted soap opera about the relationships of a detective with his wife and his colleague.

    The actual “crime” element could have been dealt with in about 3 episodes. Then I could have decided not to waste my time watching the rest of the series. Please can you TV people get back to creating dramas that are:

    1. Plot driven, instead of character driven.
    2. In chronological order, instead of being chronlogically mashed up beyond all reason.
    3. Not used primarily as a vehicle for actors and directors to show off their skills.

    Although the first series of True Detective was excellent, I am not now minded to watch any more of these series if they should turn up.    … Expand
  9. Caste
    May 4, 2019
    9
    I really enjoyed this season of the show. It has its own personality and still it's similar to Season 1 in terms of narrative pace, vibe and structure.

    The grim case the detectives investigate , the narrative extra push for their personal lives and all this as scenes jump roughly 10y back and forth allow the slow pace the season has to work well to keep us interested in how the plot    I really enjoyed this season of the show. It has its own personality and still it's similar to Season 1 in terms of narrative pace, vibe and structure.

    The grim case the detectives investigate , the narrative extra push for their personal lives and all this as scenes jump roughly 10y back and forth allow the slow pace the season has to work well to keep us interested in how the plot progresses.

    For me, Dorff was strong and convincing and had a couple of scenes that will stuck on me for a while.    … Expand
  10. Voodoo123
    Apr 5, 2019
    7
    +Superb cast
    +Great soundscape
    +Excellent cinematography +Fantastic makeup effects -Plot has vapid quality Considering the disaster of S2, with S3 the direction feels inspired with the cast delivering memorable standout performances that breathe life and texture into each frame (Especially from leads Ali, Ejogo and Dorff). The soundscape here is haunting and the use of 'period    +Superb cast
    +Great soundscape
    +Excellent cinematography
    +Fantastic makeup effects
    -Plot has vapid quality

    Considering the disaster of S2, with S3 the direction feels inspired with the cast delivering memorable standout performances that breathe life and texture into each frame (Especially from leads Ali, Ejogo and Dorff).

    The soundscape here is haunting and the use of 'period time jumps' through the lens of Wayne's dementia in telling his story of events are inspired (even though ultimately these only seem to add much needed depth to the story in a gimmicky sort of way rather than paying off in some epic way). At times the pacing wavers but overall this is a stellar production and highly recommended for fans of S1 or of the gumshoe detective 'noir' genre.    … Expand
  11. P4inskiller
    Mar 28, 2019
    0
    The most boring TV show I have ever seen. The first and second seasons were masterpieces rich in black humour and interesting characters. But the third season..what is that?! I was watching every boring episode in the hope for something interesting, something special. But I was totally wrong: from the beginning to the end there is nothing. Only waste of time.
  12. RaduA
    Mar 26, 2019
    8
    80/100

      Not as good as the first season but much better than the second.
      The story was decent, but the characters are the ones that made me come back and see it, that means the acting it's good.
      It's filmed nicely, a beautiful soundtrack, but everything was so slow...
  13. m15964
    Mar 15, 2019
    8
    beyond any other fields through this season, any capture, sequence and dissolve that mentioned to discuss about "time" subject are all enough to enjoy from the whole season... and Mahershala Ali acting is so watchable. MUST SEE!
  14. djuuba
    Mar 11, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Thought it was alright. Better than season two, miles and miles away from season one.

    It started off very promising, the main characters had an interesting dynamic and alright dialogue but then nothing happens for five episodes.

    There's barely any conflict between the main characters (except with the wife, which got on my nerves eventually) and the story touches on the occult themes and conspiracies of the first season, but then fails to deliver on it spectacularly.

    The amount of red herrings were annoying as well. Boy clasps his hands exactly as the picture from his confirmation? Just a random accident. Black sedan parked outside Wayne's house? Just a man who knows exactly what happened more than 20 years ago and decided now's the time to finally come forward.

    The setup was great, but the execution was abysmal, and some of the dialogue was just cringe.    … Expand
  15. ovidox
    Mar 11, 2019
    8
    Not quite the thriller mystery season 1 was but it kept a lot of nuances from season 1 which made the series consistent and with a "satisfying" ending. Certain bits of this production duplicated aspects/theories/kind of events of season 1. The second season was poor; they def played a safer card here whilst introducing it's own subplots. The pace was controller through out; almost even inNot quite the thriller mystery season 1 was but it kept a lot of nuances from season 1 which made the series consistent and with a "satisfying" ending. Certain bits of this production duplicated aspects/theories/kind of events of season 1. The second season was poor; they def played a safer card here whilst introducing it's own subplots. The pace was controller through out; almost even in the actors voices/pitch/tone. I like the setting and the choice of actors / characters. I was happy with each time line & glad this didn't end up like another Stephen King master piece come emotionally dark sociopath ending - see 11.22.63 - that series emotionally scarred me :(… Expand
  16. Mayfieldja
    Mar 10, 2019
    8
    After a long wait, we get another season of True Detective and it flat out delivers. A decent plot is elevated by an impeccable ensemble, specifically the performances from Ali and Dorff. The season is a slow burn and has its peaks and valleys but ultimately, season 3 is a welcome addition to the series.
  17. amotherscrime
    Mar 10, 2019
    6
    Well... it's better than season 2. It tries to go back to basics and copy Season 1 while still trying to create something new. It starts off promising but then struggles with the balancing act.

    The dialogue is quite frankly laughable at times. The story is a mess. The characters are hollow but do come alive every now and again.

    All in all it was just alright.
  18. GrantD243
    Mar 7, 2019
    8
    Season three of True Detective is an even slower burn than season one, but it doesn't have quite the pay-off that season one does. It's well made, it's tremendously acted, and it is still well worth the watch, but it was hard for me not to walk away wanting more from the finale.
  19. abm0
    Mar 5, 2019
    1
    Aaand after making an S2 that successfully avoided the all-too-predictable option of trying to imitate S1, they still fell into the trap, just took them a while longer, time enough to make sure they fell harder. They tried to recreate not only the sinister type of story with possible supernatural implications from S1, they also tried to recreate the Rust Cohle character. And as if that badAaand after making an S2 that successfully avoided the all-too-predictable option of trying to imitate S1, they still fell into the trap, just took them a while longer, time enough to make sure they fell harder. They tried to recreate not only the sinister type of story with possible supernatural implications from S1, they also tried to recreate the Rust Cohle character. And as if that bad judgement wasn't enough, they tried to do it in an exasperatingly slow style where nothing of any consequence happens for 2-3 episodes at a time, and where after every line of dialogue you're made to wait at least 10 seconds before you get another one. Not that anyone ever has anything interesting to say.

    What a bad joke of a season. The past 4-5 episodes have been so fast-forwardable I'm at the point where I can easily check out and stop caring about the rest of the season. S2 was worlds better than this garbage.

    1/10 for using good actors tho.    … Expand
  20. SeussMyTub
    Mar 5, 2019
    5
    Well, it's better than season 2, but nowhere near as good as the groundbreaking season 1. What would have been a good story becomes mired in the constant flashbacks and time jumps from the distant past to the present day. It kills any momentum that's built up by the scenes. It would have worked better with just a standard narrative.
  21. crb
    Mar 2, 2019
    9
    Almost as good as the first season. The way the dialogue is written, the way it's shot, the soundtrack, it gives you the feeling of constant dread and pain and sorrow waiting at every cut. I would watch these characters eating cereal at breakfast and still enjoy it.
  22. bozon126
    Feb 28, 2019
    2
    The last episode was such a disappointment. The ascendancy of the female character over the weak male character. Don't even mention the resolution of the story line. They led us down so many rabbit holes to end like this. Not near as good as Season 1 or 2.
  23. eagleeyeviking
    Feb 28, 2019
    8
    Season 3 of "True Detective" trims down from the convoluted mess that is Season 2 with a more character-centric plot. The triptych structure is fascinatingly used, and the mystery itself is satisfying.
  24. haltey
    Feb 27, 2019
    3
    Absolutely flat, boring and mundane narrative. The so-called "clues" were really red-herrings. As for the character development which is so praised in this season, I didn't feel any emotional connection with any of the characters, neither detectives nor victims. People praising characters should go and check movies like Prisoners or TV shows like Haunting of Hill House where charactersAbsolutely flat, boring and mundane narrative. The so-called "clues" were really red-herrings. As for the character development which is so praised in this season, I didn't feel any emotional connection with any of the characters, neither detectives nor victims. People praising characters should go and check movies like Prisoners or TV shows like Haunting of Hill House where characters really came alive and we felt their anguish or sadness.

    To be fair, Ali, Dorff and Amelia did gave amazing performances. In fact, I liked Dorff more than Ali in every scene he was. While Ali's character felt like a d**k at times, Dorff was always impressive and balanced.

    But story! oh boy, did it go all downhill? There was no suspense, no big reveal, no twist - just flat. As Amelia character asks in the final episode "Is that not the story worth telling?" NO, God No. There was nothing in that story to tell. The detectives were just lame - they were so incompetent, they couldn't even find a man with one eye till after 25 years, that too when he practically begged to be found by parking outside Wayne's house. The final so-called "twist" was also suggested by Amelia's ghost. So what were the detectives doing all the time? Wayne was so egoistic that he never read his wife's novel till end whereas the fact is that she was helping all through his investigation. These are the characters people are raving about..what a bunch of geniuses!

    If you want a good mystery show, watch Dark or How to get away with Murder. TD season 3 was an utter waste of time and money to me. You were warned.    … Expand
  25. skohl
    Feb 26, 2019
    9
    It's a haunting personal story about a detective whose life is consumed by a missing children case. In his old age he has dementia, and the show is edited in such a way that it jumps back and forth between multiple time periods in his life, reflecting his state of mind. I don't think I've seen a TV show with this much care and detail in its editing. While it doesn't reach the heights ofIt's a haunting personal story about a detective whose life is consumed by a missing children case. In his old age he has dementia, and the show is edited in such a way that it jumps back and forth between multiple time periods in his life, reflecting his state of mind. I don't think I've seen a TV show with this much care and detail in its editing. While it doesn't reach the heights of early S1 (I don't think anything will) the ending is much better than S1 in my opinion, and obviously it's hands-down better than S2. The showrunners obviously tried really really hard to capture the things that made S1 good, and were mostly successful. I will rewatch it at some point for sure. The only thing I didn't like was the racial tension which seemed shoehorned in, and could have been removed from the script entirely without changing the substance of the narrative.… Expand
  26. Pendalf
    Feb 26, 2019
    1
    I can't really say how they squander all in this season.
    It is not interesting, nor detective.
  27. Gadlajk
    Feb 25, 2019
    5
    This show keeps getting worse each season, went from 9.5 to 8 and now 5/10, even intro song is mediocre, that one hit me surprisingly hard because of great intro songs in previous seasons.
  28. Ebtehal_Alhabib
    Feb 25, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Does anyone else feels betrayed that they showed us Rust and Hart and how this might all be connected to a bigger thing, and then they just forgot about it.

    I really feel betrayed for getting my hopes up for this season.    … Expand
  29. lovecreep
    Feb 25, 2019
    0
    this is not a real detective, but a sad ****
    why the hell was half the show taking love stories in the worst spirit of cheap melodramas??!!!
    even the second season is much more interesting than this ****
    I do not advise anyone to watch this sad porn!!!
  30. bushivlad
    Feb 25, 2019
    6
    Much better than the second season, but nothing to do with that masterpiece of the first season. This is inspired by the first season but does not reach us even a bit
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

77
#77 Best TV Season of 2019
15
#15 Most Discussed TV Season of 2019
10
#10 Most Shared TV Season of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
72

Generally favorable reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 35
  3. Negative: 0 out of 35
  1. The Times
    Reviewed by: Carol Midgley
    Jan 7, 2020
    80
    This is often a one-man show for Ali, sometimes wearing prosthetics to make him old, grey and suffering from dementia, and he is terrific in all three timelines. Great performances too from the missing children's dysfunctional, barneying parents. ... It's not yet as good as series one but there are rich, tragic seams here.
    Read full review
  2. The Telegraph
    Reviewed by: Michael Hogan
    Jan 3, 2020
    80
    This was redneck noir: Twin Peaks meets Broadchurch, with a dash of The Killing. Atmospheric and beguiling, True Detective had its hooks into me again.
    Read full review
  3. The Guardian
    Reviewed by: Rebecca Nicholson
    Dec 3, 2019
    60
    In the end, this is a decent, serviceable thriller, nasty enough to give the impression of not flinching away from the darkest natures of its characters, and sufficiently gripping to ensure that viewers should keep on watching, to find out who they fingered for the crimes of 1980, and why this particular case returns to haunt Hays, decades on, like so many TV detectives before him.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »