True Detective was back on the case with a brand new chapter in the anthology crime drama with True Detective season 4. Also titled True Detective: Night Country, just about everything in the show was new, from the cast to the showrunner. Though one thing remained: at the center of it all was 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.
Find out everything you need to know about True Detective season 4 below.
How to watch True Detective season 4
True Detective season 4 has wrapped up its run, but if you missed any episodes or want to catch up from the very beginning, you can do so by streaming on Max.
If you are in the UK, where Max is not available, True Detective season 4 episodes are available to stream on Sky Go and NOW TV.
True Detective season 4 recaps
Catch up with the show via WTW's True Detective season 4 recaps:
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 episode 2, "Part Two"
"Darkness descends on remote Alaskan town Ennis. Eight staff vanish from Tsalal Arctic Research Station. Detectives Liz Danvers and Evangeline Navarro take case, must face inner demons to find truth." Read WTW's True Detective season 4 episode 2 recap.
True Detective season 4 episode 3, "Part Three"
"While Hank leads the search for Clark, Prior asks Danvers about the murder-suicide that drove a wedge between her and Navarro. Then, Navarro and Danvers seek out a local hairdresser for insight on Annie, which leads to a tip." Read WTW's True Detective season 4 episode 3 recap.
True Detective season 4 episode 4, "Part Four"
"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." Read WTW's True Detective season 4 episode 4 recap.
True Detective season 4 episode 5, "Part Five"
"After Navarro rescues Leah from a volatile Silver Sky protest, Danvers gets a warning against pursuing the Tsalal case any further." Read WTW's True Detective season 4 episode 5 recap.
True Detective season 4 episode 6, "Part Six"
"In the midst of a bad storm, Danvers and Navarro find themselves stuck at Tsalal with ne 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." Read WTW's True Detective season 4 episode 6 recap.
True Detective season 4 cast
True Detective has always had big names headlining each and every season and True Detective season 4 was no different, as Jodie Foster starred as 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 was 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 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 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 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."
If you've gotten to the end of the series still with some question, hopefully our True Detective season 4 ending explained feature can help answer some of them.
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:
The darkness of The Arctic falls heavy upon #NightCountry. pic.twitter.com/RLCWMqw7YxFebruary 15, 2023
Other True Detective season 4 crew
Foster and Reis served as the main people on camera, but there was an impressive lineup of talent behind the camera as well.
Issa López served 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.
Also behind the scenes was 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.
Is there going to be a True Detective season 5?
It didn't take long for HBO to confirm the future of True Detective. Just a couple of days after season 4 concluded, True Detective season 5 was announced.
