The 'True Detective' Season 3 Trailer Is Here & Its Creepiness Will Have You Hooked

If you gave up on True Detective halfway through the second season (critically panned compared to the first season which boasted sterling chemistry between Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson), then here's your chance to start fresh. The True Detective season 3 trailer with Mahershala Ali is out, and the storyline seems promising, with a compelling mystery that unfolds over decades.

In the premise of the upcoming season, a pair of detectives will investigate a grisly case surrounding two missing children during the 1980s in the heart of the Ozarks, according to HBO. The story stretches 30 years, and fans can see a bit of that history in the trailer. Ali, the Academy Award-winning star of Moonlight, is front and center in the third season as Wayne Hays, a police detective from Northwest Arkansas. The sneak peek features a narrative that flashes between a middle-aged Ali and his older, grayer self, both grappling with the consequences of the crime. Joining Ali will be Ray Fisher, known for his role as Cyborg in Justice League. Fisher will play Freddy Burns, the police detective's son while Lonnie Chavis, the kid from This is Us fame, will also play Freddy Burns, but at age 9, according to Digital Spy.

Carmen Ejogo, from Alien: Covenant, will play schoolteacher Amelia Reardon, who helps in the investigation on the disappearance of two children. Halt and Catch Fire's Scoot McNairy is set to play a father named Tom, whose character's painful loss links him to the mystery. The character of Lucy Purcell, the mother of the two missing children, will be played by Mamie Gummer. Finally, Stephen Dorff, whom you may remember from Blade, will come into the story as Roland West, a state investigator whose life is inextricably woven into the macabre crime.

Ali posted a simple picture of the show on his Instagram in July, announcing his participation in the series.

Then, on Aug. 8, he announced that they were finished. In an Instagram caption of a photo featuring him, his wife, and daughter, Ali wrote:

Wrapped• thank you to the extraordinary cast and crew of True Detective season 3• Fayetteville¥Ozarks • 2019

The fate of True Detective was unclear for a while following the ratings dip from Season 2. But despite the behind-camera hurdles, series creator Nic Pizzolatto got network executives to give Season 3 the greenlight.

"I have read five scripts for a third season," HBO programming president Casey Bloys said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "I'm very, very impressed and excited about what I've read. I don't want to give away the storyline, but I really think they're terrific."

The third season is scheduled to premiere in January 2019, but the exact date has not been released yet. There's no doubt that faithful fans will be paying close attention.

"I'm tremendously thrilled to be working with artists at the level of Mahershala and Jeremy," Pizzolatto said, according to Digital Spy. "I hope the material can do justice to their talents, and we're all very excited to tell this story."