True Detective Season 5: Key Info
– Renewed in February 2024
– Production can begin in February 2026
– HBO’s Francesca Orsi mentioned a 2027 release
– Expected to be a completely new cast
– Nicolas Cage reportedly “deep in talks” to star
– Plot details remain firmly under wraps
– Issa López signed on as showrunner after Nightland success
True detective season 5 is officially on its way, and while there’s no confirmation from HBO Max on a release date, there have certainly been some hints. Fortunately, we’ve included some of our own dossier along with all the information about the next installment – and there’s plenty to talk about.
So when it comes to True detective season 5, here’s everything we know so far from release date prediction, cast predicted, plot rumors and more.
Full spoilers before True detective seasons 1-4 to follow. Plus, potential spoilers for True detective season 5.
True Detective Season 5: Is There a Release Date?
True detective season 5 got its official renewal in February 2024, as reported by Variety. And it looks like a 2027 release window, if the words of HBO’s Head of Drama Series and Film, Francesca Orsi, hold true.
Speaking to Deadline, she revealed the new season’s potential launch date as far back as February 2025, as well as revealing a brand new setting: “It’s set in New York in Jamaica Bay. Issa has a lot to say, not unlike she did with Deadline. Nightland. It’s a different environment, but just as powerful.”
And as suggested by Orsi, Issa López, the creator of True Detective: Night Country will continue to take the lead in Season 4, thanks to a new overall multi-year deal with HBO.
Deadline goes on to report that filming for the new season was “scheduled to begin in the coming months,” but it looks like the coming months have turned into a year, with the official FTIA listing revealing a taping date of February 2, 2026. Although nothing has been confirmed yet by HBO.
True detective season 5 trailer
Given that the cast and crew are not yet in production and a reported release window of 2027, there is no True detective season 5 trailer yet.
For season 4, the trailer was released just a month before the series premiered on HBO. So I’m going to predict that we won’t see a trailer until at least late 2026, early 2027, which will mark three years since Season 4’s release.
Sounds like a lot, right? Well, Season 4 came out five years after Season 3 and Season 3 came out four years after Season 2. So we might actually be in for a treat.
True Detective Season 5 Cast Predicted
Spoilers follow True detective season 1-4.
At the time of writing, there were no official cast announcements for True detective season 5. But one big-screen star was reportedly “deep in talks,” according to The Hollywood Reporter in August 2025.
And that star is Nicolas Cage, a bit of a stranger to the TV world aside from his upcoming role in Prime Video’s live-action Spider-Man Noir series or host a single season of Netflix comedy History of profanity.
Nothing has been confirmed, however, but THR reported that he was “up for an as-yet-undisclosed role in the anthology drama.”
Here’s to hoping he’s as good at solving crimes as he is at stealing the Declaration of Independence.
In response to the news of Cage’s potential role, Matthew McConaughey, who famously played Ruse Cohle in season 1, even threw his hat in the ring.
Speaking to Variety in September 2025, he said, “We made it to the first season. But if it’s a script like the first one, with that fire and originality, I would do it.”
True detective season 5 story speculation
Full spoilers follow True detective season 1-4.
The last installment of True detective was season 4 Nightland starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis, and it left some serious questions unanswered.
However, as is the case with an anthology series, each season is self-contained. So it seems incredibly unlikely that we can use any of the previous seasons to hint at what’s to come True detective season 5.
Historically, every season of True detective starts with a new murder. And we could imagine that a whole new cast and story will emerge for this next season.
One thing we do know is that whoever this new cast is, and whatever mysterious plot comes next, it will take us away from Alaska and into New York. Jamaica Bay, to be exact.
And as for Issa López, there will be a lot to love about this new season. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, she revealed: “I’m looking forward to everyone knowing it because it’s very different and very exciting. It’s even darker and even more twisted. I can’t wait to put it out there.”
Will True Detective Return After Season 5?
There is no official news on whether True detective will return for a season 6, but that’s not entirely surprising since season 5 has yet to receive a release date.
But there is something we should talk about, and it’s thanks to the show’s creator, Nico Pizzolatto.
Speaking to Variety back in May 2025, Pizzolatto mentioned that there is potential for Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson to return: “I actually have another story for Cohle and Hart that—who knows?—maybe we’ll do it one day.
“It’s character-based again. But it’s not something I wrote or anything. It’s just that I had it in my head. And we’ve talked about getting back together and doing it, and I think the guys are open to it. It’s just a matter of whether or not it would ever happen.”
Add this to what McConaughey said about being open to a script, as discussed above, it feels like something is simmering under the surface.
If it turns into a full boil, I will keep my ear to the ground and update here when there is official news.
For more Max-focused coverage, read our guides on The Pitt season 2, The last of us season 2, and Peacemaker season 2.
