Fine, I’ll Watch ‘True Detective: Night Country’

HBO Max is on an absolute tear with new teasers and sneak peeks at a ton of upcoming series, including True Detective: Night Country. The platform has dropped the first full teaser for the fourth season of the on-again/off-again mystery series, and just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in with Jodie Foster. More specifically, Jodie Foster pulled me back in when she shouted in her quintessential no-nonsense cadence, “Alright, this is a crime scene. No more f—kin’ around!”

What is True Detective: Night Country about?

The latest installment of True Detective is set in Alaska during the dark winter months, which lends a stark atmosphere to the proceedings and gives this season’s cinematography an instant edge over its predecessors. It’s giving Fargo. It’s giving Insomnia. It looks good as heck.

It also doesn’t feel like Night Country is trying to cravenly capitalize on inclusivity; the story and setting—two women detectives investigate the disappearance of eight men in remote Alaska—provide fertile ground for thematic explorations of race, intersectionality, and modern Indigenous communities.

Per HBO’s official logline for Night Country:

When the long winter night falls in Ennis, Alaska, the eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station vanish without a trace. To solve the case, Detectives Liz Danvers (Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Reis) will have to confront the darkness they carry in themselves, and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice.

The biggest draw for season 4—and the reason why it feels more considered than past iterations—is Issa López, who serves as showrunner, writer, director, and executive producer. López is a Mexican filmmaker best known for writing and directing the 2017 horror film Tigers Are Not Afraid, and is currently developing projects with Guillermo del Toro and Blumhouse. Moonlight director Barry Jenkins is also an executive producer on the new season of True Detective.

True Detective: Night Country teaser trailer

Jodie Foster looks like she was built for life as a hardened detective in Alaska, but she’s hardly the most intriguing part of the trailer. I love Kali Reis’ dimple piercings, which add a subtle dimension to the gritty, working class realism. If I’m being honest, the moment I saw Reis’ face is the moment when I was like, okay HBO, you got me. FINE. I’ll watch.

Who is in True Detective: Night Country?

We’ve already covered the very shouty Jodie Foster, who plays Detective Liz Danvers, and Kali Reis, who plays Evangeline Navarro. Joining them for the fourth season of True Detective are Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve), Finn Bennett, Isabella Star Lablanc, Aka Niviâna, Anna Lambe, and Joel D. Montgrand. The season also features not one, but two incredible character actors: Christopher Eccleston and John Hawkes.

When will True Detective: Night Country premiere?

HBO hasn’t revealed an official release date as of yet, but Night Country will arrive sometime this year—likely in the fall. Also of note: In May, HBO Max is relaunching as “Max,” a name that conjures a smiley face emoji with sunglasses. To be fair, that streamlined new logo is doing a lot of work here. Night Country will still premiere on regular ol’ HBO in addition to streaming on Max.

(featured image: HBO)

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