True Detective season 3 finale: Don’t expect Rust Cohle, Martin Hart

The True Detective finale will be arriving onto HBO come Sunday night, and there is an abundance of cool things to anticipate. There may be answers to loose threads, powerful performances, and hope that the series finds a way to end stronger than it began. Isn’t that always the hope for great television?

As much as we do expect from this finale, there are also other things to leave behind in the rear-view mirror. One of these is the idea of seeing Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson on the series once more as Rust Cohle or Martin Hart. The speculation over this was kick-started by the recent in-show declaration that season 1 and season 3 exist within the same world. When you contemplate the religious imagery and the geographical proximity, it’s understandable to draw the parallels — you could even imagine Rust or Martin, years removed from their own investigation, stopping by for a visit.

Yet, it’s not going to happen — based on most of the discourse that is out there from creator Nic Pizzolatto. If you love True Detective and are an active Instagram user, you’re going to want to follow his account. He does a tremendous job discussing his work with viewers on there, and one of his most-fielded questions revolves around the idea of bringing either McConaughey or Harrelson back. He’s made it clear that he doesn’t have any intention of staging some big, epic team-up between the characters from season 1 and season 3, and he also seems opposed to what could amount to a “cash grab” to throw the characters into a present-day scene.

As for the idea of Pizzolatto ever working with McConaughey again in the future, Pizzolatto was a little bit more non-committal:

I love Matthew, and we’re almost certainly gonna do something together, but it won’t be Rust. Unless it is.

Another line worth noting is one that he’s stated before, but it bears repeating: He does have an idea for a fourth season. Whether or not it ends up materializing, however, is something entirely different. Planning and plotting out a premium cable series takes time and collaboration, even for a prolific showrunner who pens the majority of the season themselves. There are so many hoops to jump through, and that is before even considering the commercial implications for a network like HBO. Do they want another season? Is it achieving enough success as-is to satisfy them? These are important considerations, though personally, we’re of the belief that the network is smiling ear to ear over the season. Even with live ratings down, consolidated ratings are strong and they’re likely breathing a sigh of relief that this season is not a reflection of season 2. (Notice that there haven’t been anywhere near as many connections brought up to THAT season. There’s a pretty good reason for that.)

Want more details regarding the upcoming finale?

If you visit the link here, you can read up … but still, be sure to come back tomorrow. We are not done talking about the future of the franchise just yet.

Do you think that Pizzolatto is doing the right thing regarding Cohle and Hart on a possible True Detective season 3? Sound off below. (Photo: HBO.)