Plot Synopsis

Each season of TRUE DETECTIVE focuses on a different crime story, with different cast members, locations, and narratives so that a single season stands on its own.

In Season 1, Rust Cohle and Martin Hart, former partners in Louisiana's Criminal Investigation Division (CID), revisit a homicide they worked in 1995 when a similar case in 2012 leads two new detectives, Papania and Gilbough, to investigate the original '95 murder. Alternating between 1995, 2002 and 2012, this one-hour drama tells the stories of both investigations, as well as revealing the reasons why Cohle left CID in 2002. The story opens with Hart and Cohle giving separate statements to Papania and Gilbough about the murder of a prostitute, Dora Lange, 17 years earlier. As they look back, details of the crime, replete with occult overtones, are accompanied by insights into the detectives' volatile partnership and personal lives. On the surface, Hart and Cole couldn't be more different, but they share an obsession with justice and a facility for violence that will inflict irreparable damage on both men. During their investigation, Cohl dismisses a sex offender who offers a confession -- even though their boss, Major Quesada, has them under considerable pressure to solve the murder -- and he pores over old case files, finding a connection with a woman assumed to have drowned years earlier. As Hart and Cole continue their investigation, Hart's wife, Maggie, struggles to keep her family together as the men in her life spiral into cycles of obsession and violence.

TRUE DETECTIVE returned for its eight-episode second season on Sunday, June 21, 2015 at 9pm ET/PT on HBO. A bizarre murder brings together three law-enforcement officers and a career criminal, each of whom must navigate a web of conspiracy and betrayal in the scorched landscapes of California. Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams and Taylor Kitsch star in Season 2. Farrell plays Ray Velcoro, a compromised detective whose allegiances are torn between his masters in a corrupt police department and the mobster who owns him. Vaughn portrays Frank Semyon, a career criminal in danger of losing his empire when his move into legitimate enterprise is upended by the murder of a business partner. McAdams plays a Ventura County Sheriff's detective named Ani Bezzerides, while Kitsch portrays California Highway Patrol motorcycle cop Paul Woodrugh. The first two episodes are directed by Justin Lin.

TRUE DETECTIVE returned for its eight-episode third season with two episodes debuting back-to-back on Sunday, January 13, 2019 from 9-11pm ET/PT on HBO, followed by single episodes subsequent Sundays at 10pm. Playing out in three separate time periods, the new season tells the story of a macabre crime in the heart of the Ozarks, and a mystery that deepens over decades. Mahershala Ali stars as Arkansas state police detective Wayne Hays, who originally investigated the crime, with Stephen Dorff starring as Roland West, the detective who investigated the case with Hays, and Carmen Ejogo starring as schoolteacher and writer Amelia Reardon. Additional cast members include Josh Hopkins, who will play Jim Dobkins, a private attorney in Fayetteville, Arkansas involved in deposing state police detectives in an ongoing investigation. Scoot McNairy is Tom, a father who suffers a terrible loss which ties his fate to that of two state police detectives over ten years. Mamie Gummer stars as Lucy Purcell, a young mother of two at the center of a tragic crime. In 1980, Will and Julie Purcell, the children of feuding parents Tom and Lucy Purcell, go missing a week after Halloween in West Finger, Ark. In 2015, retired detective Wayne Hays, his memory failing, looks back at the disappearance of 12-year-old Will and ten-year-old Julie Purcell, recalling the days and weeks immediately following the 1980 crime, as well as developments in 1990, when he and his former partner, Roland West, were subpoenaed after a major break in the case.

The six-episode fourth season, titled TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY, premiered on Sunday, January 14, 2024 at 9pm ET/PT on 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 confront the darkness they carry in themselves, and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice. When eight researchers at Tsalal Station suddenly disappear, Danvers orders a search but tempers expectations of finding the men. After handling a workplace dispute and checking-in on her sister Julia, Navarro tries to convince a skeptical Danvers that the men's disappearance is connected to the murder of local activist Annie Kowtok, a case that has long gone cold. Written & Directed by Issa Lopez. As Danvers and Prior set out to learn more about Tsalal -- and find an unlikely location for the physical evidence -- Captain Connelly threatens to move the case to Anchorage. Later, Navarro and Danvers separately find a connection between one of the Tsalal men and Annie, prompting the former partners to agree to work the case together. While Hank leads the search for Clark, Prior asks Danvers about the murder-suicide case that drove a wedge between her and Navarro. After sifting through the contents of Clark's trailer, Navarro and Danvers seek out a local hairdresser for insight on Annie -- which leads to a tip about another former Tsalal worker. Later, tensions grow between Danvers and her stepdaughter Leah. When Julia's mental health struggles resurface, Navarro brings her to a local facility, promising that this time will be better. Later, Danvers and Navarro confirm the location of Annie's murder -- and Danvers levies a harsh punishment on Leah following her act of protest. As Prior digs into the links between Tsalal and mining company Silver Sky, Navarro rescues Leah from a local protest that has turned violent. At a meeting with Silver Sky exec Kate McKitterick, Danvers balks when Connelly shares the official cause of the Tsalal men's deaths -- and gets a warning against pursuing the case any further. Later, Hank receives a quid pro quo offer. In the midst of a brutal storm, Danvers and Navarro find themselves stuck at Tsalal with no electricity or means of contact. As the truth about what happened to Annie and the Tsalal men unfolds, Navarro and Danvers each confront the demons from their past.
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On Tuesday, July 9, 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment released TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY on DVD and Blu-ray with all six gripping episodes plus not to be missed bonus content. 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 (Jodie Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) will have to confront the darkness they carry in themselves, and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice. Running Time: 364 minutes. This is a must own for TRUE DETECTIVE fans. Buy and binge now! (Click the red "Buy DVDs" button on this page.)

BONUS FEATURES
- Meet the True Detectives: Cast Q&A

- New Chapter: Issa Lopez (Showrunner/Writer/Director) and cast discuss Night Country's unique role in the series.

- Exploring Indigenous Themes: Delves into Alaska Native culture and how it has informed this season.

- Max Inkblots: Get to know cast through show-themed inkblot interpretations.

- Setting Featurette: Sets up Alaska as a pivotal character in the story.

- Atmospheric Teases: Social environmental shots to tease key moments from the series.