It's looking good after the lukewarmly received second season of the series
The general consensus appears to be that True Detective season 3 very much returns to the show's roots. As a result, it is a leaner, more solid and more compelling season than its previous one.
Mahershala Ali (Oscar winner for 'Moonlight') has particularly earned high praise for his lead performance.
In the series, Ali plays Detective Wayne Hays, a state police detective from Northwest Arkansas. The season takes place across the Ozark Mountains in three different time periods.
According to Variety critic Daniel D'Addario, the show has "a surprising volume of ideas", addressing "racial tensions and questions of journalistic ethics." As a detective serial, D'Addario found it to be "fully realized rather than self-indulgently pulpy."
Indiewire's Ben Travers was also more than satisfied with the new season. He writes that it "benefits from reliable genre elements, a compelling central story, and aesthetics as lush as they are eerie".
He also praised the "strong performances all-round - and a flat-out remarkable turn from Mahershala Ali."
Consequence of Sound described season three as "smart" and "intriguing." The publication also found the show to be "a little redundant" as it clearly harked back to season one. The conclusion? "It’s a major comeback — a soft reboot even — for a series that was all but dead in the water."
Collider also compared seasons three and one. It finds the series to be "highly engaging whodunnit, one which borrows heavily from the show’s debut season to great effect". It also praised the "outstanding performances from its leads" and gave the series four stars.
On the other hand, EW's Darren Franich says the new season "feels a bit stale." He gave the show a B- score.
The new season will debut on HBO on January 13th.