Mahershala Ali Brings Quiet Intensity to Chilling First 'True Detective' Season 3 Trailer

HBO

After a sophomore slump, the Oscar-winning actor looks poised to bring the HBO anthology series back.

Can Mahershala Ali bring True Detective back?

Based on HBO's first teaser trailer for the crime anthology series' third season, it sure looks like it. In our first look at where the show is headed after what was seen as a relatively disappointing sophomore season, the Oscar-winning actor certainly showcases the quietly troubled intrigue that made Matthew McConaughey so insanely watchable when the series premiered in 2014.

In the minute-long teaser, the 44-year-old actor plays Detective Wayne Hays, who mutters a few ominously cryptic lines as we pan back and forth between different periods of his life. Add to that a child's bicycle and quick cuts through what looks to be some seriously intense setpieces, and there's just enough here to leave you pining for more ahead of the series' return in January 2019. Check it out below.

There's actually a lot to be optimistic about for True Detective's third season in addition to the teaser. While a powerhouse cast in season 2 -- including Rachel McAdams, Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn and Taylor Kitsch -- didn't ultimately help the overcomplicated narrative find its footing, putting Ali in the driver's seat is a solid move, considering he nabbed his Oscar in 2017 for his appearance in just the first act of Moonlight.

Additionally, this season feels more like a spiritual successor to the first, heading back to an eerie Southern setting -- the Ozarks -- after season two took us inside the corruption of a fictional metropolis near Los Angeles.

While we don't know too much more about what's to come, Ali has assured that we'll be giving this show another shot come January.

Watch below to see how this year's Emmy nominees reacted to their nominations.

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