Summary

• Despite the poor reception of season 2, True Detective season 3 was a return to form, with a more focused and streamlined storyline and Mahershala Ali delivering a compelling performance.
• Unlike the convoluted and ambitious season 2, season 3 kept things relatively simple, allowing for a more engaging exploration of difficult subjects without losing sight of the central story.
• The negative response to season 2 significantly damaged the show's reputation, resulting in a drop in viewership and many viewers unwilling to give season 3 a chance, despite its significant improvement.

While True Detective has generally failed to live up to its reputation following an acclaimed first season, the show has been far better than many people . Debuting in 2012, Nic Pizzolatto's dark and brooding anthology has explored many aspects of police work in its three very different seasons. Touching on subjects as diverse as trauma, addiction, and theology, the show has consistently pushed boundaries – with varying degrees of success.

Despite its often grim content, True Detective season 2 was seen as a marked step-down, telling a convoluted story spanning multiple police departments. The poor response to the sophomore season resulted in a dramatic viewer drop-off, tarnishing True Detective's legacy for years. Unfortunately, this meant that many people missed out on a much-improved season 3.

Why True Detective Season 3 Was So Good

Despite the many problems with True Detective season 2, season 3 was a genuine return to form. Starring Moonlight's Mahershala Ali, the show jumped between three different periods, revolving around the grisly case of two missing children. Interweaving real-world events with the main story, the show was far more focused and streamlined than the meandering season 2, while Ali was singled out for praise for his stoic, composed, and compelling performance in the lead.

Unlike True Detective season 2, which collapsed under the weight of its own ambition, season 3 made things relatively simple. Although it explored potentially confusing subjects such as the power of memory, it did so without attempting to incorporate too many complex narrative devices and philosophizing dialogue into the mix. The result was that, much like True Detective season 1, season 3 was able to discuss difficult subjects without losing the thread of its central story along the way.

Why Audiences Might've Missed True Detective Season 3

Unfortunately, despite True Detective season 3's significant improvement, the negative response to True Detective season 2 did serious damage to the show's reputation. This is made apparent by a close examination of the viewing figures. While True Detective season 1 averaged 2.33 million viewers per episode (including a peak of 3.5 million for the finale), season 3 dipped to just 1.25 million. The obvious explanation is the overwhelmingly negative audience response to season 2.

Where True Detective season 1 scored an impressive 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, season 2 scored a dismal 19%. The direct consequence of this was that viewers who had previously been committed to the show had lost faith by the time season 3 arrived in 2019. While season 3's impressive critical performance has gone some way to repairing the damage, season 2 was such a dramatic drop-off that many viewers were unwilling to give the show another chance. Given how dramatically True Detective season 3 improved things, it's certainly a shame that many viewers missed it altogether.