True Detective was one of those twice as bright, half as long shows. The first season, soaked through with the clammy, organic horror of the classic The King In Yellow, was a career renaissance for Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey. The second season, starring Taylor Kitsch, Rachel McAdams, Colin Firth and Vince Vaughan… also happened.

That was two years ago, and while the second series stands up much better in retrospect than it did at the time, True Detective remains in limbo. Something McConaughey’s Rust Cohle will nod sagely at, no doubt. Persistent rumours of backstage chaos, the massive ascent of writer Nick Pizzolatto’s star and what seemed to be a massive last-minute direction change all hurt the show and hurt it badly. But now, two years later, it may be coming back.

The Hollywood Reporter  has confirmed work has begun on a third series. More interesting still, Pizzolatto has been joined on the writing staff by David Milch. Milch is American TV royalty, the creator of NYPD Blue, Hill Street Blues, Brooklyn South, Deadwood and more. He has an ear for dialogue unlike anyone else who writes for TV. He’s also as mercurial and difficult to pin down as Pizzolatto, meaning this is either going to be a fiery return to form or a fiery plummet to Earth.

But why revive it now? We have a theory on that. As the THR piece details, HBO has remained invested in True Detective and is eager to bring it back over the two year layoff. A large part of that may well be that both The Leftovers and Game Of Thrones are approaching the end of their runs. While HBO has always excelled at championing new shows, an established franchise like True Detective would make sense as a “bridge” into their next wave of new shows.

Either way, we’re positive sorts here at MCM Towers and we’re excited at the thought of a possible third season. We even have a pair in mind…

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