The third season of True Detective received its first official trailer. The HBO series is regarded as one of the best series on premium television, and there’s a certain bar of quality that people expect from the series. The trailer mostly focuses on Mahershala Ali’s character,  and it very easily could have gone one of two ways. Thankfully,  it appears as if – as far as the trailer is concerned – they wanted to steer clear of sending any kind of particular sociopolitical messaging or virtue signaling, and instead lure viewers in with a grounded sense of haunting suspense.

The theme of the two minute trailer is that Mahershala Ali’s character – a hardened detective – finds himself at a psychological impasse after working a case in mid-west America during the 1980s. Years after leaving the force and having the case put behind him, the effects and trauma of the case still haunts his character well into the twilight years of his life.

The trailer loosely plays on the concept of the detective’s sanity, and fragility of mind after coming out of the events that unfolded in the small town resting in the heart of the Ozarks. You can check out the trailer below to get the gist of where the story might go.

There’s a surprisingly cold atmosphere depicted in the trailer – not so much in the weather but in how stark the tonal palette is and how removed the characters seem from any depiction of having a peace of mind. The imagery is sharp and brittle, filled with uncertainty and characters of questionable repute.

I suppose this fits in line with the theme of having a “true detective” figure out what’s really going on, unraveling the mystery with viewers going along for the ride.

The only thing that viewers know about the case is that two kids went missing, and there’s some nefarious criminal element involved.

Ali is joined by one of my personal favorites, Stephen Dorff; a truly underrated actor who has managed to carve out a solid filmography of interesting projects.

While the trailer itself is an exercise of intrigue for the viewer, leaving plenty to be discovered over the course of the season, hopefully the show itself can maintain the level quality that’s depicted in the trailer. Also, hopefully the show steers clear of the Left-wing sociopolitics that have invaded just about every other major production coming out of Hollywood.

It’s rare that we get a story featuring a POC that isn’t designed to be used as spite against white males. Here’s a chance for Hollywood to show that there’s more to crafting the integrity of characters than the shade of their skin.

You can look for True Detective’s third season to get underway January 13th, 2019 on HBO. The first episode will be directed by Jeremy Saulnier, who was the very talented mind behind the gruesome horror-thriller Green Room, as well as working as the cinematographer for the violent crime-thriller, Blue Ruin.