'True Detective' Might Return to Its Glory With a Cohle & Hart Season: "The Guys Are Open"
For over a decade, Rust Cohle and Marty Hart have been the best characters on True Detective, and Nic Pizzolatto has new plans for them. Here's what the showrunner shared in an interview.
Over the past 11 years, Nic Pizzolatto's True Detective has rightfully earned its status as a modern classic. Seasons 2, 3, and especially 4 were met with skepticism, but these mixed reactions haven't stopped the show from earning its title as one of the best TV anthologies.
Matthew McConaughey's Rust Cohle was the show's frontman – so much so that fans have heard echoes of his dark wisdom in subsequent seasons – and Woody Harrelson's Marty Hart has become one of the most memorable TV partners ever.
Nic Pizzolatto Has New Ideas for a Cohle & Hart Story
A charismatic duo like this can't fade into oblivion, and Nic Pizzolatto has plans for them. In a conversation on the Nothing Left Unsaid podcast, the showrunner revealed that he has ideas for a new story about Hart and Cohle:
“I actually have another story for Cohle and Hart that – who knows? – maybe we'll do it one day. [...] But it's not something I've written or anything. It's just, I had that in my head. And we've talked about getting back together and doing it, and I think the guys are open to it.”
Matthew McConaughey & Woody Harrelson Return Seems Quite Plausible
A new collaboration between Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, and Nic Pizzolatto does not seem illusory. McConaughey spoke enthusiastically about the first season of True Detective and his role. In an interview with Variety, the actor shared:
“My favorite season – and I feel like I can say this objectively – is Season 1. I happen to be in that one, so I thought that was incredible, incredible television and a great series.”
On the other hand, Woody Harrelson doubts that a Hart & Cohle comeback would be a good idea. Six years ago, the actor told EW:
“I can't imagine there's any world where we go and do another season. [...] The only thing that could happen is people [would] say, ‘Well, don't you wish this season you're doing is as good as the one you did before?’ I don't want to face that.”
Even though Pizzolatto said that "the guys are open", Harrelson's attitude seems pretty confident. However, Harrelson and McConaughey are close friends. So who knows, maybe McConaughey will be able to convince Harrelson to return if the idea of a comeback becomes more concrete.
Nic Pizzolatto's Comment Has Divided 'True Detective' Fans
Fans are split down the middle. Some believe that the first season was so exceptional that it will be impossible to recreate its success. Redditor the_dayman623 wrote:
“Kinda hope they don't. Season 1 was so good that every other season by comparison is nowhere even close. [...] I fear a new season with these 2 back would suffer the same fate as all the rest because it's impossible to live up to the first season.”
Others believe that bringing back characters from the first season would be the right move to return the show to its former glory after the failure of the fourth season, Night Country, which received 56% on Rotten Tomatoes. Reddit user Pessimistic_Gemini commented:
“After that disgrace that was Night Country, he BETTER bring those two back to make the show better than how it was left.”
In any case, we shouldn't expect a season with Cohle and Hart in the next few years. The fifth season has already been confirmed, and Issa López, the creator of the fourth season, will return as showrunner. The release is scheduled for 2027.
