True Detective season 4: release date, trailer, cast, plot, image and everything we know about the crime drama

True Detective is back on the case, as a brand new chapter in the anthology crime drama is on the way. While this is True Detective season 4, officially titled True Detective: Night Country, just about everything in the show is new, from the cast to the showrunner. Though one thing sure to remain is that at the center of it all is a haunting mystery for the characters (and viewers) to pour over.

The first season of True Detective, starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, debuted in 2014 and became a big hit. True Detective season 2 followed quickly on its heels in 2015 and featured Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Vince Vaughn, Taylor Kitsch and Kelly Reilly. Season 3 of True Detective did not arrive until 2019, as the show was taken over by new writers and had Mahershala Ali, Carmen Ejogo, Stephen Dorff, Scoot McNairy, Ray Fisher and Mamie Gummer as its main cast.

Who is involved in this new season and just what is it going to be about? Here is everything that you need to know about True Detective season 4.

True Detective season 4 release date

True Detective: Night Country is set to premiere on Sunday, January 14, at 9 pm ET/PT on HBO. It will also be available to stream on Max at the same time.

Fans of the crime drama in the UK will be able to watch the new season starting Monday, January 15, exclusively on Sky Atlantic and NOW.

True Detective season 4 cast

True Detective has always had big names headlining each and every season and True Detective season 4 is no different, as Jodie Foster is one of the leads. Foster is a Hollywood icon, having been on screen since she was a kid with movies like Taxi Driver, The Accused, The Silence of the Lambs, Contact, Inside Man and, most recently, Nyad. Foster got her start working in TV, but True Detective is going to be her first major role on TV since the 1970s. In True Detective season 4, Foster plays Liz Danvers, one of the main detectives on the case.

What to Watch spoke with Foster about her role on True Detective, including how Silence of the Lambs is "weirdly" related to True Detective.

The other detective is Evangeline Navarro, who is going to be played by Kali Reis. Reis is a professional boxer and Indigenous rights advocate who made her acting debut in the 2021 indie movie Catch the Fair One. Her work in the movie got her a special Jury Mention at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival and a nomination for Best Female Lead at the 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards. It also clearly caught the attention of the True Detective team.

Other confirmed members of the True Detective season 4 cast include John Hawkes (Winter's Bone), Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who), Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve), Finn Bennett (The Nevers), Anna Lambe (Three Pines), Joel D. Montgrand (Altered Carbon) and newcomers Aka Niviâna and Isabella Star Lablanc.

Hawkes plays Hank Prior, a police officer with old grudges hiding under a quiet surface.

Eccleston is taking on the role of Ted Corsaro, the regional chief of police and a political animal with a long history with Liz Danvers.

Shaw is on board as Rose Aguineau, a survivalist with a past full of secrets.

Bennett plays Peter Prior, Liz Danvers protege and apprentice.

Lambe is set as Kayla Malee, a young nurse with little patience for anybody that messes with her family.

True Detective season 4 plot

Here is the official logline for True Detective: Night Country from HBO:

"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 and Evangeline Navarro must confront their pasts and the dark truths lying underneath the Arctic ice."

True Detective season 4 recaps

Here are the synopses for all of the True Detective: Night Country episodes that have aired so far and a link to our in-depth recap on them.

True Detective season 4 episode 1, "Part One"
"In Ennis, Alaska, the men that operate a research station vanish. To solve the case, Detectives Danvers and Navarro will have to confront the darkness themselves, and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice." Read WTW's True Detective season 4 episode 1 recap.

True Detective season 4 trailer

After a number of teases, the first official trailer for True Detective: Night Country was released as part of the Max press event on April 12. Watch the trailer right here:

A second official trailer is also now available, which you can watch directly below:

You can also check out the previously released teaser trailers right here:

Other True Detective season 4 crew

Foster and Reis are going to serve as the main people on camera, but there is an impressive lineup of talent behind the camera as well.

Issa López is serving as the showrunner/writer/executive producer and director for the new season. López has built her reputation as a writer/director in her native Mexico, with her work including Tigers Are Not Afraid and Casi Divas.

Joining López behind the scenes is Barry Jenkins, serving as an executive producer. Other executive producers include Jodie Foster and the original True Detective team of Nic Pizzolatto, Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson and Cary Joji Fukunaga.

How to watch True Detective

The three previous seasons of True Detective are available to stream on HBO Max in the US (and wherever HBO Max is available). In the UK, the first two seasons of True Detective are available Sky Go and Now TV; True Detective season 3 is only available to rent on-demand in the UK.